The Imami Theologians of the Imam al-Sadeq era and the Issue of God's Attributes

The issues of God's attributes, the relationship of the Nature of God with His attributes, the attribute's creation and eternity, anthropomorphism and materiality are the most important and oldest issues in the history of Islamic Kalam. The earliest theories in these regards arose in the first part of the second century especially in the Imami theologian's circles. One can categorize these theories into four essential groups: the theory of Zorarah ibn Ayen and his family which the theory of created-ness of some attributes attributed to him; the view of Mumen al-Taq that considered knowledge as a created attribute; the view of Hesham ibn Salem that regarded as anthropomorphic; and the theory of HeshaminbHakam that is accused of materiality. In this speech, with the simultaneous study of the existent narrations in the Imami sources as well as the heresiographer's reports, we try to analyze the propositions attributed to these Imami theologians of the Imam al-Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) era in the theoretical and cultural context of that time. Finally, one can see the Imam's enlightenments and attempts to offer a purified theory in this regard in the narrations narrated of them.