On Imam Sādiq's School of Thought

In this article, the author tries to prove that Islamic thought is capable of dealing with new trends of thinking and responding to new issues. For this purpose, he refers to the school of thought developed by the Sixth Shiite Imam, Jafar Sādiq (pbuh). The author argues that knowledge in Islam, as it is promoted by the Imams, is tied with reasoning. Deductive and inductive methods play a fundamental role in Imam Sādiq's school of thought, as he recommended his students to pay attention to empirical sciences, and he himself followed a discursive method when responding to his opponents. More importantly, the author criticizes those who try to introduce the Imam as merely a Shiite figure at the expense of restricting his thought to the Shia. Imam Sādiq's thought belongs to all Muslims, as it affected them all, and is inclusive of all Muslims.