ali akbar nasiri; amir hamze miradi
Abstract
A large portion of discussions about God’s names and attributes is devoted to narrative attributes of God, i.e. divine attributes referred to in the Quran and Hadith. From the early days of Islam, Muslims asked questions as to whether God has limbs similar to other creatures. After the Holy Prophet ...
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A large portion of discussions about God’s names and attributes is devoted to narrative attributes of God, i.e. divine attributes referred to in the Quran and Hadith. From the early days of Islam, Muslims asked questions as to whether God has limbs similar to other creatures. After the Holy Prophet of Islam passed away, the Ummah became divided into different groups holding different views about the narrative attributes of God: Ashā'irah, Karāmiah, and Ekhbāriah who accepted the divine attributes without interpretation and opposed the intervention of reasoning in that (supporters of tashbih); mystics and some philosophers, including Mulla Sadra who believed that God is essentially single and thus Munazzah; still, He reveals Himself through the attributes of creatures, and is, thus, Mushabbah (supporters of tashbih-tanzih) and finally Shiites and Mu’tazilah who interpreted the narrative attributes of God (supporters of ta’vil). The third group holds the right view. This article addresses the principality of existence, gradation and modulation of existence and unity of existence. It is recommended that a new system based on the principality of essence, rejection of congruity, spiritual commonality, and gradation and modulation of existence replace the existential theories of Transcendental Philosophy in order to better explain the theory of pure tanzih.
parvin nabian
Abstract
This study aims to find answer to the question of “what are the limits of human knowledge of God, the Truth?” In response to the above question most scholars admit that God, in His very Essence, is not the object of our knowledge; yet, they agree that we can basically know Him through His ...
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This study aims to find answer to the question of “what are the limits of human knowledge of God, the Truth?” In response to the above question most scholars admit that God, in His very Essence, is not the object of our knowledge; yet, they agree that we can basically know Him through His attributes. Accordingly, to discuss man’s knowledge of God, a group of them adopt assimilation, as an approach; another opt for dissimilation and the third group a way in-between. This paper reviews the above approaches and demonstrates the insufficiency of each. The contention here is that due to the identity between God’s Essence and His attributes, His Attributes, too, fall out of the reach of human perception. Thus the extent to which human being can come to know God is only determined through His acts which are manifestations of His attributes. Beyond doubt, the most perfect knowledge of God can be achieved through His most perfect act, i.e. the Perfect Man, or ideally speaking: Imam. Thus, Man’s true knowledge of God, within the measure of his ability, is only possible as a result of the evolutional movement, manifestation of God’s attributes, attaining to the station of the devoted and the realization of the intuitive wisdom (not just argumentative wisdom). The man who, on the basis of the unity of Being, has reached the unity of intuition can be a mirror capable of showing the Truth in the most perfect manner and can therefore characterize the Truth with his existence (not merely by his words). This is confirmed by His Divine Words in the Holy Quran, saying: “Purity is to Allah from the matters they fabricate. Except the chosen bondmen of Allah.”. According to the above verses, only the purest and the devoted have the permission to describe Him.