نشریه کلام اسلامی
پیاپی 131 (پاییز 1403)

The question of "why religion exists and the epistemic value of religious beliefs" is among the most significant contemporary theological issues. Theories proposed in this regard can be divided into natural and supernatural explanations. Among the natural explanations is the "God gene" theory by Haimar, which can serve as a basis for naturalism and religious non-realism. In contrast, the "innate religiosity of humans" provides a supernatural and realistic explanation of religion. From a naturalistic perspective, however, innate religiosity is reduced to genetic foundations, and in this case, it does not imply supernatural truths, including the existence of God. Given the importance of this issue and its role in the foundational bases of religious belief, this article aims to examine Haimar's perspective and its theological implications, as well as its relationship with the theory of innate religiosity. The research method is library-based for data collection and rational-analytical for judgment. The research finding is that, contrary to the expectations of naturalists, Haimar's genetic perspective does not have reductionist or antagonistic implications toward religious realism. Instead, alongside innate religiosity, it can contribute to a two-level explanation of human religiosity. Nevertheless, the "theory of innate religiosity" carries more significant theological implications, to which Haimar's genetic perspective remains neutral.

The twentieth century marked a turning point in cosmology. One of the central issues in cosmology during this century is the origin of the universe. Various theories have been proposed in this regard, with the Big Bang theory being the most prominent. According to this theory, the universe initially existed as an extremely energetic and dense fireball that underwent a massive explosion approximately 13.798 billion years ago, gradually forming the current universe. This issue has led to numerous theological implications, one of which is the use of this theory in arguments for proving the existence of God, including the argument from contingency. The primary aim of this article is to deepen the believer's faith by explicating arguments for proving God's existence. The method of data collection is library-based and note-taking, and the method of processing is analytical and descriptive. The research finding is that since the Big Bang, at the very least, implies the contingency of the universe's form and does not contradict the law of causality, it can be utilized in the argument from contingency.

The infallibility of prophets is a fundamental belief in the Imami school, playing a central role in explaining the philosophy of prophethood, principles of religion, and human guidance. This doctrine, based on rational, Quranic, and narrational arguments, emphasizes the complete purity of prophets from sin, error, and mistakes in all aspects of their personal, social, and divine mission. The argument of "trust and realization of purpose" is among the most important rational arguments for proving the infallibility of prophets, grounded in ensuring complete human guidance and trust in the divine message. Some writers have raised objections to this argument. This article, organized through a critical-analytical method, presents the argument and responds to its objections.

The knowledge of the Imam and its scope have been subjects of discussion and inquiry since the concept of Imamate emerged in the Islamic world. This topic has been particularly significant among Shiite scholars, approached from various perspectives, leading to diverse and sometimes conflicting theories. This article, using a descriptive-analytical method and by explicating and analyzing the existential dimensions of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and the totality of evidence related to their knowledge and its scope, strengthens the theory that the Imam, in terms of spiritual existence, possesses complete knowledge, encompassing all knowable matters—except the essence of God's nature. However, the Imam's knowledge in the material realm depends on their connection to their luminous and spiritual existence and their utilization of it. In the case of complete connection, their knowledge is complete; otherwise, it is limited to the extent of the Imam's will and intention. Nevertheless, in matters such as religious rulings and knowledge essential to the spiritual and ongoing life of the Imam and the community, their knowledge is consistently and permanently complete.

Life in the intermediate world (Barzakh) is one of the three stages of human existence, and the Quran explicitly reveals its reality. Some scholars, while accepting the existence of the intermediate world, believe that Quranic verses do not directly indicate the intermediate world but, through verses that imply the survival of souls after death, one can infer the existence of this world only indirectly. This study, conducted through a descriptive-analytical method, by examining all verses related to the intermediate world and categorizing them based on their type of implication, concludes that these verses can be divided into two types: some explicitly indicate the existence of life in the intermediate world, while others do so indirectly.

The issue of the "origin of theological arguments" is one of the topics of interest to Orientalists regarding Islamic theology. Some Orientalists argue that the argumentative patterns in Islamic theology are derived from Christian debates and influenced by external traditions. According to them, formal similarities between Christian and Islamic theological debates are considered evidence of direct influence on Muslims from those traditions. This study, aiming to critically evaluate these views, has reviewed their evidence and examined the validity of the arguments presented through a comparative analysis of early Islamic texts. The findings of this descriptive-analytical study indicate that their arguments suffer from serious flaws, including ignoring the role of innate rationality in forming similar structures, overlooking internal religious evidence such as prophetic debates, and incomplete induction based on limited and uncertain evidence. Accordingly, the article concludes that the similarities between Islamic and Christian traditions cannot be regarded as conclusive evidence of Islamic theology's dependence on external influences. Many of these similarities can be explained within the framework of shared revelatory or rational principles. Consequently, the claim of external influence on theological arguments lacks sufficient scholarly rigor.