The Nature of Certitude in Epistemological Terms and the Necessity of Formulating Uṣūlī Material on its Basis

Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Islamic Law, Tehran University In the methodology of Islamic jurisprudence (‘ilm al-uṣūl), the decisive belief of the religiously accountable (mukallaf) is called certitude (qaṭ‘), which is extended from knowledge to double ignorance. In categorization and explanation of ‘ilm al-uṣūl, the psychological aspect of certitude has been highly emphasized and its epistemological aspect has been neglected. Apart from this issue, careful consideration of the dispersed discourses of the authenticity of certitude indicates that from the viewpoint of the uṣūlīs the authenticity of certitude is ultimately centered around the existence of its epistemological rather than psychological fundamentals, although their approach in stating views and arranging them has been paying special attention to the psychological aspect of certitude. It is
attempted in this writing to explain the necessity of paying attention to the epistemological fundamentals of certitude and clarify the benefits of this approach. Furthermore, this approach is more compatible with theological and narrative principles and provides the possibility of comparison between the discourses of authenticity in ‘ilm al-uṣūl and the discourses concerning the justifiability of propositions in epistemological sciences.