Imam's Knowledge in the Views of Contemporary Scholars of Isfahan Seminary School

In this paper we shall investigate the views of last century scholars of Isfahan seminary school with regard to Imam’s knowledge and we seek to envisage the views of different strands. We will deal with their arguments and accounts of these scholars and we classify them into three intellectual strands: (i) a philosophical and mystical strand that takes Imam’s knowledge to be absolute, actual and comprehensive, (ii) a hadithi (traditional) strand that takes Imam’s knowledge to be conditional, though comprehensive, (iii) a theological (kalami) strand that takes Imam’s knowledge to be conditional and restricted. Within the first group we can mention Sayyed Ali Aqa Najaf Abadi and his pupils such as Sayyed Ali Allameh Fani, Banu Amin and Sayyed Hassan Modarres. Among the second group we can mention Shaikh Muhammad Taqi Najafi Masjedshahi and Mirza Yahya Bidabadi. Finally, Sayyed Abdulhussain Tayyeb, Ata’ullah Ashrafi Isfahani and Sayyed Muhammad Javad Gharavi Isfahani are among the prominent figures of the third group.