Draft:Mutakallim
Mutakallim (Arabic: مُتَکَلِّم) or Theologian refers to a scholar of Islamic theology (Ilm al-Kalām) who engages in deriving religious doctrines from sacred texts and defending them through rational argumentation.
A Mutakallim is distinct from a philosopher in that the former accepts the presuppositions of religious belief and considers themselves obligated to defend them. Conversely, a philosopher is not bound to defend religious doctrines but rather seeks to understand the nature of existence through independent inquiry.
In Shi'a theology, textualism and rationalism represent the two primary methodological approaches. al-Shaykh al-Saduq is a prominent exemplar of the textualist tradition, while figures such as al-Shaykh al-Mufid, al-Sharif al-Murtada, and al-Shaykh al-Tusi are representative of the rationalist school.
Semantics
The term Mutakallim designates a specialist in the field of Islamic theology.[1] The science of Kalam provides the Mutakallim with the tools to substantiate religious beliefs by advancing arguments and refuting doubts.[2] In other words, Kalam enables a scholar to support and defend specific tenets and practices explicitly articulated by the Lawgiver (Shāriʿ) through dialectical engagement and to rebut opposing views.[3]
Functions of a Mutakallim
The primary responsibilities of a Mutakallim include inferring religious beliefs and doctrines from sacred texts and defending these tenets.[4] following the inference of religious doctrines, their defense is achieved through several key activities:
- Categorizing and systematizing doctrines derived from religious texts;
- Elucidating and clarifying these doctrines, analyzing their foundations and implications as necessary;
- Substantiating and proving these doctrines;
- Refuting doubts raised against these doctrines or beliefs;
- Rebutting beliefs contrary to religion, even in the absence of explicit doubts.[5]
Thus, a Mutakallim operates in two capacities: inferring religious doctrines and defending them through a synthesis of rational and transmitted (naqlī) methods. according to Reza Berenjkar, a researcher in theology and professor at the Seminary of Qom, one who merely infers religious doctrines without engaging in their defense does not qualify as a Mutakallim.[6]
Distinction between Mutakallim and Philosopher
Several key differences distinguish a Mutakallim from an Islamic philosopher:
- A Mutakallim considers themselves obligated to defend the sanctity of religion, whereas a philosopher is not committed to such a defense, aiming instead to understand the truth of existence through unrestricted inquiry.[7]
- A Mutakallim accepts religious beliefs a priori and subsequently seeks to prove or defend them;[8] a philosopher, however, does not set out to validate predetermined conclusions.[9]
- While both rely on rational argumentation, the Mutakallim employs arguments based on principles such as Rational Good and Evil (al-ḥusn wa l-qubḥ al-ʿaqliyyayn), the Rule of Grace (Qāʿidat al-Luṭf), and the Necessity of the most advantageous (Wujūb al-aṣlaḥ). In contrast, the philosopher grounds their arguments in self-evident rational truths (badīhiyyāt), such as the principle of non-contradiction.[10]
- Both disciplines examine "being qua being" (al-mawjūd bimā huwa mawjūd), its attributes, and accidents. However, the Mutakallim must utilize premises in their syllogisms that align with matters proven through the apparent meaning of the Sharia. The philosopher, conversely, employs premises consistent with purely rational laws, regardless of their compatibility with the apparent meaning of the Sharia; where incompatibility arises, the philosopher reconciles them through interpretation (taʾwīl).[11]
Textualist and Rationalist Theologians
Muslim theologians are broadly categorized into Textualists and Rationalists. Rationalism in theology denotes an approach that acknowledges the role of reason and ordinary epistemological tools in understanding religious teachings. Textualism, conversely, cautions against the rational evaluation of religious beliefs, maintaining that such teachings must be derived exclusively from religious texts and revelatory sources.[12] al-Shaykh al-Saduq is cited as a prominent textualist theologian, while figures such as al-Sharif al-Mufid, al-Sayyid al-Murtada, and al-Shaykh al-Tusi represent the rationalist approach within Shi'a theology.[13] Rationalism is considered a defining characteristic of the School of Baghdad,[14] whereas Textualism is a hallmark of the School of Qom.[15]
Shi'a Theologians
Theological Principles of Shi'a Theologians
Shi'a theologians differ from their Sunni counterparts on several fundamental principles:
- By accepting Rational Good and Evil, Shi'a theologians regard the knowledge of God as rationally obligatory, based on the Obligation of thanking the benefactor (wujūb shukr al-munʿim) and the Obligation of warding off probable harm (wujūb dafʿ al-ḍarar al-muḥtamal). In contrast, the Ash'arites (a Sunni theological school), rejecting rational Good and Evil, consider the knowledge of God to be legally (sharʿī) obligatory.[16]
- Regarding the Attributes of God, Shi'a theologians assert the identity of Attributes with the Divine Essence,[17] whereas Ash'arites maintain that Attributes are distinct from and additional to the Divine Essence.
- On the issue of Determinism and Free Will, Shi'a theologians reject both the Mu'tazila doctrine of Tafwid (Delegation) and the Ash'arite doctrine of Kasb (Acquisition). Instead, drawing on narrations from the Infallible Imams (a), they uphold the theory of Amr bayn al-amrayn (A matter between the two matters).[18]
- Concerning Imamate and Caliphate following the Prophet (s), Shi'a theologians unanimously agree that Imam Ali (a) was the immediate successor of the Prophet (s), appointed through explicit designation (naṣṣ jalī), contrary to the Sunni position.[19]
Prominent Shi'a Theologians
The following table lists notable Shi'a theologians:
Notes
- ↑ Dehkhodā, Lughat-nāma, under the word Mutakallim.
- ↑ Ījī, Al-Mawāqif, p. 7.
- ↑ Fārābī, Iḥṣāʾ al-ʿulūm, 1996, p. 84.
- ↑ Birinjkār, Rawish-shināsī-yi ʿilm-i kalām, 1391 Sh, p. 22.
- ↑ See: Birinjkār, Rawish-shināsī-yi ʿilm-i kalām, 1391 Sh, pp. 22-23; Malikiyān, "Sukhanrānī-yi Muṣṭafā Malikiyān dar rūnamāyī az kitāb-i Falsafa-yi andīsha-yi dīnī".
- ↑ Birinjkār, Rawish-shināsī-yi ʿilm-i kalām, 1391 Sh, p. 23.
- ↑ Muṭahharī, Āshnāyī bā ʿulūm-i islāmī: bakhsh-i falsafa, 1388 Sh, p. 179.
- ↑ Ḥasan-Zāda Āmulī, Maʾāthir āthār, 1386 Sh, vol. 2, p. 101.
- ↑ "Farq-i faylasūf wa ḥakīm", website of Barnāma-yi Maʿrifat.
- ↑ Muṭahharī, Āshnāyī bā ʿulūm-i islāmī: bakhsh-i falsafa, 1388 Sh, pp. 178-179.
- ↑ Lāhījī, Shawāriq al-ilhām, 1428 AH, vol. 1, p. 70.
- ↑ Sharīʿatmadārī & Tawakulī Muḥammadī, "ʿAql-garāʾī wa naṣṣ-garāʾī dar kalām-i islāmī bā barrasī-yi dīdgāh-i Shaykh Ṭūsī wa Ibn Idrīs", p. 30.
- ↑ Sharīʿatmadārī & Tawakulī Muḥammadī, "ʿAql-garāʾī wa naṣṣ-garāʾī dar kalām-i islāmī bā barrasī-yi dīdgāh-i Shaykh Ṭūsī wa Ibn Idrīs", p. 33.
- ↑ Farmāniyān & Ṣādiqī Kāshānī, Nigāhī bi tārīkh-i tafakkur-i Imāmiyya, 1394 Sh, p. 57.
- ↑ Jaʿfarī, "Muqāyisa-ī miyān-i dū maktab-i fikrī-yi Shīʿa dar Qum wa Baghdād dar qarn-i chāhārum-i hijrī", p. 16.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Al-Inṣāf fī masāʾil dāma fīhā l-khilāf, vol. 3, p. 34.
- ↑ For example, see: Baḥrānī, Qawāʿid al-marām fī ʿilm al-kalām, 1406 AH, p. 101.
- ↑ ʿAllāma Ḥillī, Nahj al-ḥaqq wa kashf al-ṣidq, p. 101.
- ↑ ʿAllāma Ḥillī, Kashf al-murād fī sharḥ tajrīd al-iʿtiqād, 1437 AH, pp. 497-498.
References
- ʿAllāma Ḥillī, Ḥasan b. Yūsuf al-. Kashf al-murād fī sharḥ tajrīd al-iʿtiqād. Qom, Muʾassasat al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 16th ed., 1437 AH.
- ʿAllāma Ḥillī, Ḥasan b. Yūsuf al-. Nahj al-ḥaqq wa kashf al-ṣidq. Beirut, Dār al-Kitāb al-Lubnānī, 1st ed., 1982.
- Baḥrānī, Ibn Maytham al-. Qawāʿid al-marām ilā ʿilm al-kalām. Qom, Maktabat Āyatullāh Marʿashī Najafī, 2nd ed., 1406 AH.
- Birinjkār, Riḍā. Rawish-shināsī-yi ʿilm-i kalām. Qom, Muʾassasa-yi ʿIlmī Farhangī-yi Dār al-Ḥadīth, 1st ed., 1391 Sh.
- Dehkhodā, ʿAlī Akbar. Lughat-nāma. Tehran, Muʾassasa-yi Intishārāt wa Chāp-i Dānishgāh-i Tihrān, 1377 Sh.
- Fārābī, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-. Iḥṣāʾ al-ʿulūm. Beirut, Dār wa Maktabat al-Hilāl, 1996.
- Farmāniyān, Mahdī & Muṣṭafā Ṣādiqī Kāshānī. Nigāhī bi tārīkh-i tafakkur-i Imāmiyya; az āghāz tā ẓuhūr-i Ṣafawiyya. Qom, Pazhūhishgāh-i ʿUlūm wa Farhang-i Islāmī, 1st ed., 1394 Sh.
- "Farq-i faylasūf wa ḥakīm". Website of Barnāma-yi Maʿrifat. Posted: 3 Dey 1389 Sh. Accessed: 26 Bahman 1400 Sh.
- Ḥasan-Zāda Āmulī, Ḥasan. Maʾāthir āthār. Qom, Intishārāt-i Alif. Lām. Mīm., 1386 Sh.
- Ījī, ʿAdud al-Dīn al-. Al-Mawāqif fī ʿilm al-kalām. Beirut, ʿĀlam al-Kutub, n.d.
- Jaʿfarī, Yaʿqūb. "Muqāyisa-ī miyān-i dū maktab-i fikrī-yi Shīʿa dar Qum wa Baghdād dar qarn-i chāhārum-i hijrī". in Maqālāt-i Fārsī (Majmūʿa maqālāt-i kungira-yi Shaykh Mufīd, vol. 69). Qom, Kungira-yi Jahānī-yi Hazāra-yi Shaykh Mufīd, 1st ed., 1413 AH.
- Lāhījī, ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-. Shawāriq al-ilhām. Qom, Muʾassasa-yi Imām Ṣādiq (a), 1428 AH.
- Malikiyān, Muṣṭafā. "Sukhanrānī-yi Muṣṭafā Malikiyān dar rūnamāyī az kitāb-i Falsafa-yi andīsha-yi dīnī". Website of Sedanat. Accessed: 25 Bahman 1400 Sh.
- Muṭahharī, Murtaḍā. Āshnāyī bā ʿulūm-i islāmī: bakhsh-i falsafa. Qom, Intishārāt-i Ṣadrā, 1388 Sh.
- Sharīʿatmadārī, Ḥamīd Riḍā & Murtaḍā Tawakulī Muḥammadī. "ʿAql-garāʾī wa naṣṣ-garāʾī dar kalām-i islāmī bā barrasī-yi dīdgāh-i Shaykh Ṭūsī wa Ibn Idrīs". Pazhūhishgāh-i Kalām. No. 1, Autumn and Winter 1393 Sh.
- Subḥānī, Jaʿfar. Al-Inṣāf fī masāʾil dāma fīhā l-khilāf.