Probing the Potentials of Philosophy of Religion within Islamic Kalām: A Comparative Analysis of the Imāmī and Māturīdī Traditions

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Farhangian University, P.O. Box 889-14665, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This research aims to provide a comparative analysis of the structure of religious rationality in the two theological schools of Imamiyyah and Maturidiyyah, examining the layers of rationalism, religious epistemology, and the relationship between reason and revelation within these two traditions. The main issue addressed in this paper is to what extent each of these schools is capable of theorizing and reconstructing Islamic philosophy of religion within its own tradition. The research follows a descriptive-analytical method, utilizing primary theological sources, works of prominent thinkers from each school, and contemporary studies.



The findings of the study indicate that the rationality of the Imamiyyah school, by moving from inferential reason to philosophical reason and then to semiotic reason, presents a multi-layered and systematic model of religious reason, capable of conceptual analysis, reconstruction, and theorizing in philosophy of religion. In contrast, the rationality of the Maturidiyyah school is primarily based on innate and demonstrative reason, adopting a conservative and defensive approach in the field of conceptual analysis and philosophical interpretation of religious teachings. The theoretical contribution of this research is the design of two conceptual models for analyzing religious rationality in each school and the presentation of a final comparative table, which shows that the rationality of Imamiyyah, especially in confronting the challenges of contemporary philosophy of religion, has greater potential for conceptual systematization.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Philosophy of Religion

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 07 September 2025

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