The Functions of Reason in the Theological Thought of Sheikh Hur al-Amili

Sheikh Hur al-Amili, a famous traditionalist of the second half of the 11th century, is both a traditionalist and a theologian who uses various methods to infer religious teachings and defend them against the opponents. He uses traditional and rational methods to achieve this aim. Addressing the position of reason from the perspective of Sheikh Hur al-Amili, the present paper reviews his various theological works and examines the functions of reason in his theological thoughts. The research shows through the documentary method that Sheikh al-Amili regards transmitted sciences as the main source for the inference of beliefs, but in practice, like other theologians, he has recourse to the threefold functions of reason. He makes use of the independent functions of reason, namely theoretical and practical reason, as well as the dependent function of reason, namely, instrumental reason. He attempted to infer religious teachings of Islam and Shiism by using various rational and traditional methods and defend them. He believes that there is no conflict between instrumental reason and the transmition of hadiths and that in case of conflict between theoretical and practical reason and traditions, the opposing traditions have to be allegorically interpreted.