Examining the possibilities of fuzzy logic and religious pluralism in explaining the Qur anic concept of  faith'

Different religions have applied the term ‘faith’ in various areas and this diversity has caused the minds of monotheists and others to engage in defining and explaining the nature of ‘faith’. In several verses from the Qur’an, the final Divine Book and the eternal miracle of Islam, the word ‘faith’ occurs. Thus, a comparative study of these verses clarifies the point that the concept of faith is an ambivalent one and entails different conditions and characteristics. Discovering the logic of the Qur’an in this area, does not only lead to explaining the meaning of this term, but also has important implications in determining the referents of ‘believers’ and their place in Islamic community. Since an application of fuzzy logic and pluralism in explaining the logic of the Holy Qur’an in this field leads to two completely different results, the need for such a choice is made clear. Because the Qur’anic concept of ‘faith’ involves different hierarchical levels, employing fuzzy logic leads to liberation from the trap of pluralism’s relativistic approach, and helps one survive the uncompromising dilemmas of the religious exclusivist approach. In addition, based on the type of inclusivism meant by Allameh Tabatabai and Imam Khomeini, one would be able to remain safe from extremism, and consequently to consider - albeit based on earning the minimums - ‘members of the community’ as believers of faith and salvation.