Components of Imam Reza (A.S)'s Scientific Debates: A Supreme Model for Religious Free-Thinking and Islam Dissemination in Contemporary Era

Debates are one the effective ways for explaining the perspicuous religion of Islam and proving its realities. As the most authentic and the most definite Divine deed, the Holy Quranhas acknowledged the effectiveness of debates and they serve as one the discursive methods used by the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H). The employment of this method by Imam Reza (A.S) in discussions with prominent leaders and theologians of different religions and factions was particularly outstanding due to its extensive reflection on Islamic and Shiite thought. Being such important, the current study attempts to consider the basics and the components of Imam Reza's scientific debates and introduce the ones mentioned also in the Holy Quran as comprehensive models for religious free-thinking and Islam dissemination, through a descriptive-analytical approach. The results of the study indicate that Imam Reza's scientific debates can be divided into three main categories, namely ethical index, logical index and free-thought index, the analysis of each of which can lead to the presentation of a comprehensive model for Islam dissemination in the contemporary era. Obviously, works produced as a result of such studies could play a strategic role in propagating and spreading true Islamic culture and civilization in the contemporary era.