Religious Language from the Perspective of Qadi Abd al-Jabbar al-Mu'tazili

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Islamic teaching group, Farhangian university

2 Department of Islamic teaching, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

In the present study, we examine the perspective of Qadi Abd al-Jabbar al-Mu'tazili on religious language using a descriptive-analytical method. The primary goal is to analyze Qadi Abd al-Jabbar's theories about the creation of language, the relationship between language and religion, and the attribution of divine attributes to God. Qadi Abd al-Jabbar argues that language emerges through human convention and intention and proper nouns and generic nouns serve solely as referential tools devoid of descriptive meaning. His views on this subject bear some proximity to certain contemporary theories in the philosophy of language. In discussing religious language, he emphasizes the univocality of attributes between humans and God, asserting that this univocality does not lead to anthropomorphism and instead considers metaphorical interpretation as an appropriate solution. His final perspective partially resembles Aquinas’s attributive view in the theory of analogy.

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References

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Philosophy of Religion
Volume 22, Issue 3
October 2025
Pages 177-188

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