An Evaluation of Fayḍ Kāshānī’s Usulist Views in the book Muʿtaṣam al-Shīʿa

The Akhbarist and Usulist perspectives represent two distinct approaches to understanding religion based on original texts, as upheld by Shiite scholars. Over four centuries, intellectual disagreements between these perspectives have led to the emergence of various schools of thought among their advocates. This research examines how Fayḍ Kāshānī’s Usulist views are manifested in his book Muʿtaṣam al-Shīʿa (The Resort of the Shia). Through a descriptive-analytic analysis, it becomes apparent that Fayḍ Kāshānī, a Shiite scholar in the eleventh century AH, despite his apparently Akhbarist inclinations and heavy reliance on transmitted hadiths, maintains a moderate stance on the role of reason and transmitted evidence in practical applications within Muʿtaṣam al-Shīʿa, one of his major works on Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). Attribution of Akhbarism to him is primarily due to his influence from Akhbarist teachers, misinterpretation of some ambiguous jurisprudential verdicts or fatwas, and inconsistencies between certain views and his own arguments. However, it is evident that he predominantly adheres to a moderate perspective in this debate. This misattribution has fueled increasingly expanded disputes between Shiite Usulists and Akhbarists, despite his evident alignment with Usulist perspectives on various topics, such as consensus, the validity of apparent meanings of the Quran, the role of reason, reference to Usulist scholars' theories, flexibility in interpreting transmitted hadiths, and more. These factors strongly indicate his commitment to Usulism.