Philosophical-Mystical Kalam A Case Study on ʿIlm Al-YaqīnbyMuḥsinFayḍKāshānī

Abstract

AfterNaṣīrAl-DīnAl-ṬūsīandAl-ḤillītransformedthestructureandmethodofImamiKalam,MuḥsinFayḍKāshānī(1598-1679)providedthegroundforanotherevolutioninit.HeworkedonaversionofphilosophicalKalam.AlthoughṬūsīintroducedphilosophicalapproachesanddoctrinestoImamiKalam,FayḍbroughtaboutfundamentalchangesinImamiKalambasedonphilosophicalapproachesanddoctrinesmadebyhisgrandmaster-MullāṢadrā.Thus,herecognizedthenecessityforanothertransformationinImamiKalamanddidsoinhisworksincludinghisbookʿIlmAl-Yaqīn(TheKnowledgeofCertainty).HeestablishedanovelstructureinImamiKalamandexpandeditscapacityinfacingreligioussubjectsandresponsivenesstothequestionsofMuslimsaboutShī‘ībeliefs.BeinginspiredbyTranscendentalWisdom,hebelievesthatthearcsofdescentandascent(qawsaynal-nuzūlwaal-ṣuʿūd)ofexistencearethemostaxialontologicalbasisfortheQuran,WisdomandmysticismandregulatesKalamproblemsaccordingly.HeconsidersthemethodsanddoctrinesofTranscendentWisdomasasubstructureforexpandinganddeepeningImamiKalam.FayḍconsidersthepreviousschoolsofIslamicKalammethodinefficient.HespeaksoftheneedforArgumentsinsteadofdialecticdebates.Wewillinvestigatecoreaspectsofthistransformation