Akhbārīsm and Anti-rational Theme: Re-Considering a Misconception

Akhbārīsm as a jurisprudential school within Imami scholarship came into existence in the 11thAH/17thAD century and caused many long-standing changes in the history of Imami ijtihad. Accordingly, the majority of research projects into Iran’s history include a chapter concerned with the Usūli-Akhbārī conflict. Akhbari studies is a field wherein many researchers from various academic backgrounds have contributions who, despite differences in perspectives and projects, share some themes amongst which anti-rationality is the most important and the most re-producing one. A group of researchers treat Akhbārīs as opponents not only to usūl al-fiqh but also philosophy, theology, and theoretical mysticism and at a higher level to every genre of argumentation and reasoning while in some cases they step forward to basically opposing thinking of any kind.  A group of researchers attribute some essentialities to the school and put it in the same line with sedentary style of thinking while others suggest that Akhbārī thought was good enough to suppress popular movements.  A group of researchers compare this school, in epistemology and methodology, with Salafism, Scripturalism, and Literalism. Anti-rational theme is extensively repeated across different research projects to the extent that it has now become a cliché preventing researchers from a descent observation. In this way the constructive role of the Akhbārī thought and the necessary function performed by Akhbārī ulama in the history of Shi’ite jurisprudence is being neglected.    Putting anti-rational theme at the centre of the study and in order to open up a new horizon for Akhbārī literature, this paper is devoted to an evaluation of the works of eight scholars who actively took part in the formation of Akhbārī literature. In doing so, the article attempts to challenge the existing style of interpretation dominant over studies concerned with Akhbārīsm.