The Impact of Islamic Philosophy on the Theological Thought and Method of Maimonides (Focusing on the Methodology of Philosophical Theology in Guide of the Perplexed)

Maimonides was strongly influenced by Muslim sages in his philosophical-theological thought. The present essay aims at proving the claim that Maimonides’s book "Guide of the Perplexed" belongs to the "philosophical theology" movement. In his book, Maimonides intertwines Jewish religious teachings with philosophical rules and tries to explain theological claims in a rational-philosophical method. Inspired by the thought and method of Muslim scholars, Maimonides's philosophical endeavor to organize Jewish theology was effective and brought about a dramatic change in the structure and approach of theology. A critical study of components such as ontological issues and general principles of metaphysics in theological works, applying logical and philosophical rules to explain doctrinal issues, reasoning and application of the argumentative method, use of interpretation as a method, the validity of reason, and the dominance of rationality over narration in proving theological claims are among the most important findings of this research.