The Status of Reason in Deduction in the Course of Development from Sheikh Mufid to First Martyr

It is well-known among Shia jurisprudents as also asserted by scholars in their works that the sources of derivation of Islamic are four: The Quran, Sunnah, consensus and reason. In spite of the fact that reason has been generally viewed over the history as a source of derivation, yet it remains a point of contention and debate due, largely, to the ambiguity concerning its definition. When examining the jurisprudential system of every jurisprudent, we must see as to what his definition of ‘aql (reason) is. A part of the historic manifestations of reason are the frequently used principles such as the principle of "presumed innocence" (asl baraat al-dhimma) and the principle of istishab (presumption of continuity). Another part of it constitutes dalil al-khitab or the methods of understanding a speech in the way it is delivered. This study seeks to study the viewpoints of prominent jurisprudents from Shiekh Mufid to First Martyr (Muhammad Jamaluddin al-Makki alAmili) and while examining the course of development of the status of reason in deduction, it makes mention of the innovations and novel thoughts of each jurisprudent in this area.