Thought Trends of the Kalami School of Ḥillah

The scholarly seminary of Ḥillah had been established by the presence of a group of the famous Imami scholars in the city of Ḥillah from its beginning days of building by the Shi’i Mazyadis in the sixth century. Although the scholars of this seminary in the first years had been mainly concerned with the knowledge related to Jurisprudence (Fiḳh), on the basis of some necessities, some years later the knowledge of Kalam also flourished in this city. Following the theologians of the Rey School, the Kalam of Ḥillah at first was influenced by the recent Mu’tazilah, after the appearance of Khwajah al-Tusī and Ibn Maytham al-Baḥranī, the Kalami literature of Ḥillah had been completely influenced by the peripatetic philosophy. This new trend, although critical of the philosophical thought in the essential issues of Kalam, completely impressed by philosophy in methodology and Kalami literature. Alongside the Kalami trend, the Kalami-Ḥadithi trend must be referred wchich Sayyid Ibn Ṭawūs is its most prominent representative in Ḥillah. This trend which has been, in fact, the continuation of the kalami Ḥadithi School of Qom, was critical of the Mutakallemun in methodology as well as in some important belief issues. In the Ḥillah School, the Mystical trends must not be ignored. These trends gradually influenced the total Imami thought even the Mutakallems and philosophers. Despite of the critical encounter of some of the scholars of Ḥillah with the Sufī and mystical thoughts, many of the scholars of this school such as Khwajah al-Tusī, Ibn Maytham al-Baḥranī and even a theologian like Fāḍil Miḳdād influenced by it. While they discussed on the rational and Kalami basis in their rational books, but they believed that a higher type of knowledge is also exists which is the mystical.