الهیات گفتمانی، جلد 1 | کتابخانه مجازی الفبا

Table of contents :
Foreword 1
Preface 3
Lesson 1 11
Why Should We Know God? 11
1. The Need for Preventing Serious Losses 11
2. The Need for Gratefulness to the Benefactor 12
3. Sense of Curiosity 13
The Benefits of Knowing God 13
Knowledge of God as the Fountainhead of All Knowledge 14
Review Questions 15
Lesson 2 17
The Ways of Knowing God 17
The Rationalists 17
The Intuitionists 20
Assessment 20
The Sensualists 21
Assessment 22
The Literalists 23
Assessment 24
Review Questions 30
Lesson 3 31
Natural Disposition (Fiṭrah) and Knowing God 31
Definition of Fiṭrah 31
The Distinctive Features of Fiṭrah 31
Fiṭrah in the Domain of Knowledge and Sensory Perception 33
Intrinsic (fiṭrī) Knowledge 33
Instinctive Inclinations 33
Fiṭrah and Search for God 34
Fiṭrah and Inclination to God 34
a. Love for Absolute Perfection 35
b. Hope for a Superior Power in Moments of Danger 36
Reply to Two Objections 37
What Scholars Say 38
Fiṭrah and Religion from the Perspective of Revelation 41
Review Questions 44
Lesson 4 45
Order in the Universe and Knowing God 45
The Definition and Types of Order 45
The Order of Outcome and the Argument of Design 46
It is Design and Not Accident! 47
Imām al-Ṣādiq (‘a) and the Proof of Order 48
Review Questions 50
Lesson 5 51
Assessment of Hume’s Objections to the Argument of Design 51
First Objection 51
Reply 52
Second Objection 53
Reply 53
Third Objection 54
Reply 54
Fourth Objection 54
Reply 55
Fifth Objection 55
Reply 55
Sixth Objection 56
Reply 56
Review Questions 57
Lesson 6 59
The Argument of Contingency 59
Objection 60
Reply 61
The Second Principle of Thermodynamics and the Universe’s Contingency 62
Bertrand Russell’s Objection 63
Reply 64
Review Questions 65
Lesson 7 67
The Argument of Possibility and Necessity 67
The Argument’s Premises 68
Bertrand Russell’s Misgiving 69
Reply 70
Review Questions 72
Lesson 8 73
The Unity of God’s Essence and Attributes 73
1. The Unity of the Divine Essence 74
Types of Compositeness 74
Trinity or Polytheism in the Essence of God 75
2. The Unity of the Divine Attributes 77
The Unity of the Divine Attributes in the Traditions 78
Insufficient Formula 80
The Essence that cannot be found from the existence-bestower, 80
Who can become the existence-bestower? Review Questions 80
Review Questions 81
Lesson 9 83
The Unity of God in Creation 83
Reason and the Divine Unity in Creation 83
The Qur’an and the Divine Unity in Creation 83
Traditions and the Divine Unity in Creation 84
The Interpretation of the Divine Unity in Creation 85
1. Imāmiyyah Theologians and Muslims Theosophers 85
2. ‘Ashā‘irah 85
3. Mu‘tazilah 86
Examination and Criticism 86
The Dualists and the Misgiving of Evils 87
Reply to a Question 88
The Divine Unity in Creation and the Problem of Ascribing Evils to God 89
Review Questions 91
Lesson 10 93
The Divine Unity in Lordship 93
Cosmic and Legislative Lordship 94
Lordship in This World and the Hereafter 94
The Proofs of the Divine Unity in Lordship 95
Human Being’s Deviation Relative to the Divine Unity in Lordship 96
The Divine Unity in Legislation 98
The Divine Unity in Sovereignty 98
The Divine Unity in Obedience 99
Review Questions 101
Lesson 11 103
The Divine Unity in Worship 103
What is Worship? 106
The Wahhābīs and Polytheism in Worship 108
Review Questions 113
Lesson 12 115
The Attributes of God 115
Name (ism) and Attribute (ṣifah) 115
Classifications of the Divine Attributes 116
1. The Attributes of Beauty and the Attributes of Glory 116
2. The Attributes of Essence and the Attributes of Action 117
3. The Real and the Relative Attributes 118
4. The Transmitted Attributes 119
Are the Names of Allah Tawqīfī? 120
Review Questions 123
Lesson 13 125
The Knowledge of God 125
1. God’s Knowledge of His Essence 125
2. God’s Essential Knowledge of the Creatures 126
2.1. Shaykh al-Ishrāq’s View 126
2.2. Mu‘tazilah View 126
2.3. Ibn Sīnā’s View 127
2.4. Ṣadr al-Muta’allihīn’s View 127
God’s Present Knowledge of the Creatures in the Present 129
The Divine Proofs 129
The All-hearing, the All-seeing and the Perceiver 130
Review Questions 132
Lesson 14 133
God’s Power and Will 133
The Essence of Power 133
The Proof of God’s Power and Will 134
The Extent of God’s Power 136
Power and Potentiality 137
Reply to Some Misgivings 137
Review Questions 139
Lesson 15 141
Life, Pre-existence and Eternity 141
Divine Life 141
The Essence and Classifications of Life 142
The Essence of Life with Respect to God 144
The Proof of Divine Life 144
Pre-existence and Eternity 145
Review Questions 147
Lesson 16 149
The Divine Will and Decree 149
Some Views on the Essence of Will 150
Assessment of the Views 151
An Examination and Analysis 152
The Divine Will as Described in Traditions 154
Review Questions 156
Lesson 17 157
The Divine Speech and Word 157
1. The Ahl al-Ḥadīth and Ḥanbalīs 157
2. Justice-Oriented Theologians 158
3. The Ash‘arīs and Māturdīs 159
4. Muslim Philosophers 161
The Word of God in the Qur’an and the Traditions 162
The Contingency of God’s Word 163
The Immaculate Imāms (‘a) and the Issue of Contingency of God’s Word 163
The Absence of Lie in God’s Word 164
Review Questions 166
Lesson 18 167
The Attributes of Khabariyyah 167
Literalism and Anthropomorphism 168
Ta’wīl Approach 169
Theological Foundation of Ta’wīl 170
Singular and Synthetic Appearance 172
Postponement (Tawaqquf) and Delegation (Tafwīḍ) 172
Bases of the Proponents of Tafwīḍ 173
Transmitted Attributes in the School of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) 175
Review Questions 177
Lesson 19 179
Negative Attributes (Al-Ṣifāt al-Salbiyyah) 179
The Proofs of Impossibility of Physically Seeing God 182
Proof of the Proponents of Ru’yah 183
Argument on the Occurrence of Ru’yah and the Objection to It 185
Review Questions 187
Lesson 20 189
The Divine Justice and Wisdom 189
The Literal and Technical Meanings of Justice 189
Justice in the Parlance of Theologians 190
The Literal and Technical Meaning of Wisdom 192
Wisdom in the Parlance of Theologians 193
1. Theoretical Wisdom 193
2. Practical Wisdom 193
Conclusion 194
Manifestations of the Divine Justice and Wisdom 195
The History and Motive for Discussing Justice 197
The Position of Justice in ‘Adliyyah Theology 200
Review Questions 202
Lesson 21 203
Rational Goodness and Evil 203
An Elucidation of the Rule of Rational Goodness and Evil 203
Theoretical Reason and Practical Intellect 204
The Affirmers and Negationists 205
Appreciation and Condemnation, Reward and Punishment 206
Incumbent upon Allah 207
The Proofs Substantiating Rational Goodness and Evil 208
Rational Goodness and Evil in the Qur’an and the Traditions 210
Review Questions 213
Lesson 22 215
The Proofs of Divine Justice and Wisdom 215
1. The Proof of Essential Necessity 215
2. The Proof of Special Attention (‘ināyah) 216
3. The Omniscience and Self-sufficiency of God 217
4. The Lack of Claimant and the Existence of Ṣārif 218
5. Signs of the Divine Justice and Wisdom in Nature 219
Design and Perfection as Viewed by Scientists and Scholars 222
Design in the Plant Kingdom 223
Factors that Contribute to the Suitability of the Earth for Living 224
Review Questions 226
Lesson 23 227
The Creation as Goal-oriented 227
The Justice-oriented Argument 227
The Ash‘arī’s Objection 228
Reply 228
Another Objection 229
Reply 229
The Goal of Action and the Goal of Agent 230
The Third View 230
The View of Theosophers 231
Motive and Exigency 231
The Qur’an and the Goal-orientedness of the Universe 232
The Perfect Man as the Philosophy behind Creation 234
Review Questions 236
Lesson 24 237
Evil and the Best Order 237
The Skepticism on Evil and the Best Order 238
Reply [to the Skepticism] 238
The Non-discernment of Evil in the Realm of Nature 238
The Beauty of the Totality or the Perfect System 242
Objection 243
Reply 243
Second Objection 243
Reply 244
Evil and the All-encompassing Power of God 244
Review Questions 247
Lesson 25 249
Evil and the Justice of God 249
General Welfare and Public Good 249
Unpleasant Things and Understanding the Sweetness of Doing Good 250
Undesirables and the Blossoming of Talents 251
Painful Incidents or Warning Signs 253
Istidrāj and Ibtilā 254
The Role of Sins in the Occurrence of Painful Incidents 256
The Saints of God’s Account as Separate 257
Evil and Retributory Justice 259
Pains and Rewards 260
Concluding Points 261
Review Questions 263
Lesson 26 265
Man and Freewill 265
The Theologians’ Opinions on the Interpretation of Freewill 267
1. The Theory of Tafwīḍ 267
Examination and Criticism 269
2. The Theory of Kasb 271
The Interpretation of Kasb 271
A Criticism of the Theory of Kasb 272
The Theory of the “Position between Two Positions” (amr bayn al-amrayn) 273
A Historical Survey of the “Position between Two Positions” 273
A Manifestation of the Divine Grace 274
Known Only to the True Men of Learning 275
An Illustrious Example 275
A Firm Principle 276
Imām al-Hādī (‘a) and the Interpretation of Amr Bayn al-Amrayn 277
The Philosophical Interpretation of Amr Bayn al-Amrayn 279
A Study of the Book of the Self 280
Review Questions 282
Lesson 27 283
Misgivings of the Predeterminists 283
The Divine Decree, Predestination and the Eternal Knowledge of God 283
The Correct Interpretation of Qaḍā and Qadr 284
Reinforcement of the Free-will on the Basis of the Principle of Qaḍā and Qadar 287
God’s Will and Man’s Free-will 288
Is Will a Voluntary Action? 288
The Divine Unity in Creation and the Issue of Predetermination 289
Reply 289
The Universality of the Divine Power and Man’s Freewill 290
The Divine Guidance and Misguidance and Man’s Freewill 290
Elements of Guidance 293
Elements of Misguidance 294
Review Questions 296
Lesson 28 297
The Mandatoriness of Obligation 297
Definition and Classification 297
The Philosophy behind Obligation 299
Obligation and Power 301
The Ash‘arīs and the Permissibility of Unbearable Obligation 301
Review Questions 305
Lesson 29 307
The Necessity for Grace 307
The Definition and Classification of Luṭf (Grace) 308
The Conditions of Grace 310
Reasons behind the Necessity for Grace 310
The Qur’an and the Rule of Grace 313
Divine Grace and Sayings of the Imāms (‘a) 315
Reply to the Objections 316
Review Questions 318