فصلنامه آیین حکمت
پیاپی 17 (پاییز 1392)

Knowledge" (ilm) of and faith in religious beliefs are among the most important issues is Islamic dialectical theology (Kalam). The discussion of faith is often dealt with in Kalam books under the title of "Names and Prescriptions" and accordingly the issue of "knowledge" is raised. In addition to the nature of knowledge and faith, their relation is of prominent importance. Imam Khomeini among others on many occasions explored the nature of knowledge and faith as well as the way they are related and interacted. The present article is an attempt to examine and explain the above-mentioned problem from Imam Khomeini's perspective. He believes that knowledge consists of mental acknowledgement and theoretical belief. This representational and indirect knowledge is acquired through two epistemic sources: either by way of "rational reflections" or by "religious scriptures". In order to be useful and fruitful, this rational perception must be changed into "faith by heart" so that practice and morality are produced. By faith is meant "embodiment of rational perception in realm heart". The necessity of basing religious belief on philosophical principles particularly on the basis of Transcendent philosophy of Mulla Sadra is an innovative view presented by Imam Khomeini, which runs in counter with the view of many theologians, jurists, and traditionists.

One of the most fundamental principles of metaphysics is that causality. By analyzing the principle philosophers have deduced conclusions including the causal necessity. To them, thing cannot come into existence unless it is already necessitated by its complete cause. This view is regarded as incorrect by theologians since in their eyes causal necessity undermines the basis of free will in free agents. That is why they rejected "necessity rule" and replaced "priority rule". On the other hand, some doctors of fiqh methodology (usuliyeen) in the Imamiyya tradition hold causal necessity to be in counter with human free will though they endorse it in case of non-free agent. Fayyazi, however, took a view different from all. In his view a cause is existence-giving without necessitating or even giving priority to the effect. He offered some arguments for his claim which are subject to critical considerations in the present paper.

Deep analysis and explanation of epistemic foundations and principles of levels of being has been made in theoretical mysticism the masterpiece of which belongs to Ibn ʿArabī. His view of Being and the way of emergence of multiplicity and its hierarchical levels is based on three components: manifestation of Names, manifestation in Divine Essence, and the notion of antithesis and intermarriage (tanakoh) of the Names. Although the notion of antithesis of Names and Attributes is based upon all three aforementioned components, its actualization in external entities depends on apparent incompatibility of manifestations of these Names and Attributes in material world which is a continuation of that antithesis disclosed wholly in the world of elements. On the basis of correspondence of the Worlds and dominance of Names and Attributes, however, antithesis of existing entities originates from immutable archetypes in the level of Unity and under the influence of disclosure of Names and Attributes which brings about all sorts of opposition in levels of being in general and material world in particular. All entities and happenings of the material world come into being on the ground of the antithesis of Names and Attributes which are constantly in manifestation and disclosure, actualizing good and evil occurrences as well as opposite and conflicting entities of material world.

Any structure or system, if based on well-grounded and strong principles, is immune from the threat of destruction. The great epistemic system of human being which is among the most important and fundamental structures is no exception. It will be immune from any doubt and skepticism if it is grounded on firm and undeniable principles. Thus in order to attain this goal, Islamic philosophers have introduced for human thought primary principles on which his attitudes as well as perceptions are based. Although they are just a few in number, these principles are of the peculiar feature that there is no doubt in their being self-evident and justifiable and thus they are called innate perceptions. In view if his theological–philosophical approach Allma Javadi Amoli has argued in favor of rational foundations with reference to holy Qurānic verses and hadiths of holy Imams. Having presented conceptual analysis for the term innate (fitra in Arabic) and its usages, this article attempts to examine the relation of innate perception with primary principles of thought, showing the status and function of such perceptions in edifice of human knowledge and their role in removing doubts and critiques of the opponents.

Of total clarity and necessity in dialecticalspeculative theology (Kalam) is the belief in Muhammad (PBUH) as the Seal of the prophets in the sense that after holy prophet of Islam no one else is to be called for prophecy. To explain the problem in neo-theology, however, took a new form and some Muslim intellectuals influenced by the attitudes and questions raised with modernism attempted to account for it in a way different from that of traditional thinkers. With different outlook, they believe intellectual growth and self-realization of human being or dynamism of new sciences to be the ground for the belief in prophecy's being ended. Having critically analyzed the ideas of intellectuals, the present article proceeds to show that the main reason for believing in Muhammad as the last holy Prophet is to found in the very faith, i.e. the integrity and infallibility of Islam and great Prophet (PBUH).

Of important problems in epistemology as well as philosophy of science is the fact-mirroring nature of historical accounts. This is one of the results of the branches of "epistemology of narrative reason" referred to as the "problem of reductionism and non-reductionism" among western epistemologists. This paper is to explain the way and degree of knowledge obtained accordingly and show that representation is a matter of degree; that the accounts of the trustworthy can yield knowledge to the degree of assurance and certainty. In addition to the degree of reliability, it is essential to pay due attention to both internal and external contextual indications. Rational self-evident truths and their conclusions as well as undeniable truths gained through narratives and experimental sciences can be appealed to as criteria for examining the contents of historical accounts.

Demonstrating the principality or fundamental reality of existence makes it clear that quiddity is but a mental construction and devoid of any actuality by essence. Three assumptions, however, can be made on its mode of being: 1. Its being identical to existence as in the case of Divine Attributes in relation to His Essence; 2. Its being as negation and limit of existence like line in comparison with surface or a point which is the end of a line; 3. Its being totally mental like an optical phenomenon of mirage. The late Allama Tabatabae and some of his disciples explicitly identify quiddity as a mirage while no sound arguments are made for the claim. Furthermore, there are many evidences in favor of identity of existence and quiddity. To name a few, one can make reference to mental being as corresponding to extra-mental existence of "natural universal", perception of the nature of sorrow and joy through knowledge by presence, and some arguments for the principality of existence in which the reality of quiddity are taken for granted.