Reason in the Realm of Love: Najm-od-din Razi's Viewpoint

Sheikh Najm-od-din Razi (573/1177-654/1256) has written on mystical questions several works, among which is Me’yar as-Sedq fi Mesdaq al–`Eshq (“The Criterion of Veracity Concerning the Touchstone of Love”). This treatise, in fact, deals with some questions of Razi’s friend. Having explained the point of contention, Razi specifies the meanings of reason and remarks on the scope of its function. Next, based on the Prophet’s utterances, he draws the relationship between more reason and more elegant love. And then, he opposes reasonably the theory of ‘union of the intellect, intelligent and intelligible’. In this treatise, when discussing reasonably, he argues in an elaborate way similar to theologians and philosophers; and when expressing mystical intuition, he espouses love to the extent of an anti-philosophical mystic, using metaphor, allusion, and allegory. The present article, while enquiring into the treatise and his other works in this regard, is going to analyze critically Razi’s views.