Place of Intellect in Shaykh al-Mufīd’s Kalāmī Thoughts with an Emphasis on a Critical Analysis of Existing Views

The value of reason and rational perceptions is indisputably obvious in Shaykh al-Mufīd’s view. However, it is his view of the authority of reason which is to some extent debatable. His statement as to “reason requires to give an ear to knowledge and its consequences” has given rise to some debates. Commentators have interpreted such statements of Shaykh al-Mufīd in different ways, which can be classified into two categories with the second one consisting of two approaches by itself. It is worth noting that both of them are inconsistent with a part of Shaykh al-Mufīd’s ideas. Based on a critical analysis of existing views, the author believes that theory and practice are separate from each other. In other words, it seems that, Shaykh al-Mufīd believes in the independent authority of reason in practice; however, he has different theoretical views, and one cannot find any idea regarding the authority of autonomous reason which has not been challenged. This paper discusses the problem of reason and a number of related issues such as the definition, function, authority of reason, and the relationship between reason and revelation.