An Examination and Critique of Mohammad Reza Hakimi's Claims about Philosophers

Mohammad Reza Hakimi has appealed to some remarks by prominent Muslim philosophers to find support for the claims of the School of Tafkīk, that is, to show that even philosophers themselves believe that philosophy is not valuable. He has selected some remarks by Avicenna, Khwaja Naṣīr Ṭūsī, Ṣadr al-Muta’allihīn, ‘Allāma Ṭabāṭabā’ī and Imam Khomeini and accused them of contradiction in sayings and deed, ignoring their scholarships and practice. He attributed to them the view that philosophy (and mysticism) was worthless. In this paper, I try to show some problems in Hakimi’s remarks. Firstly, I show the falsity of the accusation that philosophy and philosophers (or mysticism and mystics) are at odds with the doctrines of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). Secondly, I assess the few remarks selected by Hakimi from among tends of philosophical books as evidence for the rejection of philosophy (and mysticism). I appeal to different pieces of evidence from philosophers themselves as well as their scholarly and practical conducts to show the true meanings of those remarks.