A Study of the Views of Contemporary Ash'arites of Iranian Kurdistan Towards Philosophy

The present study was conducted to investigate the views of the Ash'arites of Iranian Kurdistan towards philosophy. To achieve this goal, a phenomenological-based qualitative research method was used. Twelve contemporary Kurdistan theologians were interviewed about philosophy. The questions were designed based on the research objectives. The results were as follows: 1) The Ash'arites of Kurdistan considered it sufficient to rely on the Qur'an and Sunnah and a rational view based on religious texts for designing and teaching the issues of old and new theology.2) Following a philosophy of Greek origin and its imitation were considered by them to be futile.3) To them, a philosophy could be invented based on Islamic texts. However, Ash'arite academics were more interested in philosophizing due to studying humanities and interacting with professors based on the contents of their academic philosophical courses.Therefore, considering the trend of spreading philosophy among the contemporary Ash'arites of the world, the Ash'arites of Kurdistan still try the same traditional practice of opposing philosophy. In the section of practical suggestions based on the research findings, the following recommendations could be put forward: 1) establishing philosophy with different orientations at the University of Kurdistan; 2) further training of old and new theology; 3) establishing the Institute of Philosophy and Wisdom in Kurdistan; 4) strengthening and equipping Kurdistan libraries with philosophical books; and 5) providing a more interaction between Shiite and Ash'arite theologies.In the field of research literature on contemporary Ash'arite theologians of the Islamic world, the results showed that people, such as Sheikh Mohammad Abdo (Rabbani Golpayegani, 1999: 18), Taha Abdolrahman (Miri and Parsania, 2009: 56), Nasr Hamed Abu Zayd (Abuzid 2003: 263), Mohammad Abed Jaberi (Jaberi, 2010: 375), Mohammad Arkoun (Arkon 2009, 2993, pp. 15-3), and Varshid Reza (Enayat, 1998: 157) had agreed with philosophy and only Seyyed Qutb (Savoshi, 1997: 157) had opposed it. However, among the contemporary Ash'arite theologians of Kurdistan, the findings indicated that some great figures such as Mullah Abu Bakr Chori (Baba Marduk, 2003: 148), Mullah Abdul Karim Modarresi and Mullah Mahmoud Modarres Negal (Baba Marduk, 2003, vol. 1: 147), and Malabaqir Balk ( Modarresi, 1985: 14) completely opposed philosophizing theological and religious issues and only the theologians of Takhti Mardukhi family like Sheikh Abdul Qader Mohajer, Sheikh Mohammad Sim Thani, and Sheikh Mohammad Jassim Sadr al-Ulama could teach philosophical issues due to their family powers (Abdoli, 2019: pp. 43-40). This had a significant relationship with the field results resulting from the interviewees’ views.Therefore, according to the teaching procedures and contents of traditional courses governing these scientific schools, the majority of Sunni seminary teachers and scholars  followed Abolhassan Ash'ari in opposition to reason. Ghazali's views were especially in complete opposition to those of the philosophers. New doctrinal doubts were sufficient to make us rely on the Qur'an and Sunnah; thus, there was no need for Greek vague and imitative philosophy as being at the same time blasphemous. Finally, if one is to rely on philosophy in the present age, he/she must create a philosophy with Islamic text-based principles. Only a small number of the university interviewees were found to follow Ash'ari profession due to having an interaction with academics and studying in those fields. The humanities, such as sociology, law, philosophy, theology, and philosophy of education, had a positive approach to philosophy.It was expected that the Ash'arites of Kurdistan had a positive approach to philosophy like the Ash'arites in the Islamic world with the development of technology and modernity. However, the Ash'ari discourse of Kurdistan was finally found to be in opposition to philosophy.