فصلنامه قبسات
پیاپی 38 (زمستان 1384)

This article is going to study the divine religions, especially the religion of Islam rationally. Are the Islamic doctrines completely nolens volens, and rationalization and rational analysis of any kind is forbidden, and we must only believe in them, or there is a close relation between rationality and Islam, and many of its doctrines are rationally interpretable? The author believes that rationality is the maxim of all divine religions, especially the religion of the Last Prophet. In addition, religion is compatible with science, and in the Qur’an, the teachings, even the Unity, is talked about rationally and reasonably. We see this compatibility of rationality and religious doctrines also in Hadith, following the Qur’an.The author, then, studies the historical background of the separation of rationality and religion. He believes that the origin of this separation is in the age of paganism and the period of the ruling of the Umayyads and even the Abassids, and Christianity. At the end, he asserts that such an approach is against the doctrines of the Quran and Hadith.

Nowadays many new questions have arisen on the most important problems of religion, the discovery of religious propositions, and on religious knowledge. To answer these questions, we need to expand our understanding and innovation in four aspects of ‘understanding’ ‘concepts’ ‘making others understand’ and ‘fulfilment’ of religion. The Establishment and arrangement of ‘the philosophy of religion’, ‘the logic of the discovery of religion’ and ‘the philosophy of religious knowledge’ are of the most necessary examples of scientific innovation in the realm of religious studies and devoutness. The honourable researcher has found a perfect methodical system, after an endeavour of six years’ scientific contemplation for the discovery (understanding) of religion, which he has called ‘the Logic of the Discovery of Religious Propositions and doctrines’. In addition, he suggests another area called ‘the Philosophy of Religious Knowledge’ concerning the necessity of the rational overall study of the religious knowledge. The author of the article emphasizes the necessity of the establishment of an (Islamic) philosophy of religion, as he believes that the philosophy of the absolute religion is impossible, for the simple reason that philosophers of religion think of the established religions, and not the revealed religions, as the subject- matter of the philosophy of religion. In this article, the author has tried to explain the connection, distinction and relation of these domains with one another, besides explaining the necessity of their establishment and suggesting their definitions, ends and missions. ‘Qabasat’ welcomes scientific criticism and opinions about the claims of the article.

Changes in theology, like other sciences, have occurred quantitatively and qualitatively, namely theological problems have gradually increased, as well as some changes that have occurred in foundations, methods and standpoints of theology. These changes have some specifications in the modern world, for the reason of which we know it as modern theology, contrasted with the old or traditional theology. These changes and modernity have their origins in the West after the Renaissance and the modern and post- modern eras. The changes that occurred in various aspects: philosophic, cultural, political and social, faced the Christian theology with some serious challenges, and caused the Christian theologists react differently. Some of them decided to present religion, using different methods, through considering religious doctrines and explaining them, appropriate to the modern spiritual and cultural atmosphere, so that the modern man could understand and accept it, and thus the modern theology was born. Friedrich Schleiermacher, Rudolf Bultmann and Paul Tillich were among the modern Christian theologists, who each presented a specific method and approach in the Christian theology.The new changes in the realm of culture, politics, philosophy, and other aspects of human society gradually entered the Muslim world and challenged the Islamic theology in the same way, and caused the Muslim theologists to react differently. Some argued that these changes have originated in the West, so they are illegitimate and it is not right to talk about and discuss them at all. Others decided to interpret the religious doctrines according to the changes, believing that the changes are the outcome of the intellectual and scientific development of modern man, and therefore are a part of them, and if the doctrines are not interpretable, put them aside. Some others chose eclecticism. However, some members of the intellectual elite such as Allamah (Savant) Tabatabaei and Master Motahhari chose to welcome these positive changes in the realm of empirical sciences and political and social problems and reveal the philosophical and theological shortcomings of the West. They chose to show the modern man a wise and moderate way, using the Islamic Philosophical and theological foundations. This approach helped them to guard the bounds of religion and true revelational doctrines, together with benefiting themselves of the modern scientific.

In this article, we study the relation of theology and ethics. At the beginning, we suggest some definitions of theology and ethics: theology is the science of explanation, proof and rational and demonstrative advocacy of religious beliefs. Ethics is the science of the judgements that the practical reason makes about the goodness and badness of human actions and what he must and what must not do. Then we talk briefly about two viewpoints on the relation of theology and ethics: 1.Theology is prior to ethics. 2. Ethics is prior to theology.In the first viewpoint, first we must prove the existence of God and his attributes through rational arguments. Then explain that from their point of view ethics is based on the dogma that whatever God commands is good and whatever He prohibits is bad. Next, we talk about the problems of this viewpoint and the answers by its supporters. In dealing with the second attitude, first we talk about the viewpoint of the great German philosopher Kant, and then criticize it. After that, we present the viewpoint of the Muslim thinkers and prove that ethical propositions are prior to theology.

Theology, like other sciences and perhaps more, has its particular process of changes and developments. Therefore, it is a historically developed science and we need to study the history of its problems and topics according to what the theologists, in the different eras and stages of history, assert, in order to present a correct picture of its process of changes, although unfortunately theologists have neglected and lacked paying attention to this important point. However, in recent decades, the serious necessity of the problem has caused some to pay more attention to it, and even it has gone on the curriculum of some specialized centres of the course.For this reason, the Shiite theologists have had different approaches, which one of the factors of their choice has been the historical and geographical conditions, although they have benefited the same aim and have had the privilege of a common characteristic of presentation of theological topics. Sometimes there has been an approach in a geographical district and a historical era, that there has not been in other conditions and eras.The present article is going to present a general picture of the historical eras of the Shiite theology, and introduce briefly the general approaches of the Shiite theologists.

There is no doubt that in the Islamic scientific community many sects lived together and had intellectual exchanges, so each of them influenced others or was influenced by them. The Shiite theology, as a distinct epistemic system and approach, was no different. However, this did not mean that the Shiite theology appeared on the intellectual base of a certain theological sect and was influenced, to a wide extent, by the foundations, approaches, methods and problems of the sect.In the present writing we study the above, and through analysis and ratiocination make it clear that firstly the Shiite theology, although has profited from the Mu’tazilite theology in some cases, has in no way been influenced by it thoroughly and profoundly; on the contrary it has influence it. Secondly the Shiite theology, not only is not full of theological opinions of the exaggerators, but also has criticized and disapproved of them in many cases. Thirdly, although the Shiite theology is close to some belief doctrines of the Ismaili sect, it is distinct from it fundamentally and for its particular approach.

Among various sciences, especially in the realm of religious studies, some have close relations from the aspects of subject- matter, method and domain, to the extent that some think of them as one science, although they each have a distinct and independent title. In the realm of religious studies, sciences such as theology, philosophy of religion and first philosophy are among these sciences and their topics are sometimes confused during researches. Therefore, in the present research I am trying to show the boundaries between these sciences, and their differences and similarities.To determine the domain of each of these sciences, first I discuss theology and its related problems. Then I explain the similarities and differences between this science, first philosophy and philosophy of religion. Moreover, in each of these sciences, we will present the differences between them and their subsets.

Kalam have been changed supply from its begining to now in comparison to others, the three great schools of Kalam - means Motazeleh, Ashaereh and Shiieh - have had the most arguments and much important changings in their courses. One of the matters that concentrates in the three schools is the relationship between Kalam and philosophy. the basic question is this: what is the relation of them to philosophy? in the other words: in what method and how much the Kalam maked use of the philosophy? and, in what Kind the Kalam was philosophiaizd? The essay answers the questions and considers the procces evolution of Kalam. also discourses about the philosophical stracture of shiaeh's Kalam. that stracture in this school, opposite to others, based on theosophy -thinkings (Hekmat), which arised first in Alyaqout, a book of Ebrahim Nobakhti (4age) and perfectly in Tajridolateqad, of Nasiroddin Tosi (7 age) theosophy -thinking, the borrowed doctorin from Holly Quran, and Emamat -centeric are tow special attribut of the shiaeh Kalam, both in the living of Emam and in the disappearence of the twelfth Emam.

The Islamic theology is purely Islamic and originates from the Qur’an and Hadith. In fact, the factors of the appearance of its topics and problems are the great Qur’an, the Hadiths of the great Prophet and the Imams of the Household (p.b.u.th.). So the date of the appearance of the Islamic theology goes to the age of the Holy Prophet and the revelation of the Qur’an, although, some are trying to make us believe that the Islamic theology originates from the Christian and Jewish theology, and also from the Greek philosophy, because the Mu’tazilites started the Islamic theology, and they were influenced by the Greek philosophy.The present writing is trying to eliminate this deviation and explain the originality of the Islamic theology. Of course, as will be mentioned, the author does not deny the influence of the external factors such as religious and non- religious cultures, the Greek Philosophy and even the celebrities on the expansion of the Islamic theological topics and problems. He asserts that these factors are the ‘background’, but believes that the origin of the first and main influential factors in the Islamic theology is Islam itself.