It is essential to ask why there is so little attention paid to political philosophy among these scholars? Or, if there is, why does it remain a minor or marginal conversation? Did they consider the discussion on governance under the other areas of their expertise, such as jurisprudence (Fiqh)? And, if yes, what motivated them to do so? Or, at least in Shia Islam, did this arise from their general belief that if there is an Imam, he is the right person to govern the community, and if we are in the occultation era, then our only choice is to wait for the Imam to return? Consequently, there is no need to philosophize an ideal society, an occurrence of which only happens with the presence of an Imam. Clarifying the questions mentioned above requires another investigation. We leave these questions aside here and focus instead on contemporary Shia philosophers to examine their thoughts on political philosophy, Utopia, or any discussion of governance. Our goal is to identify the al-Fārābīan heritage of the Islamic intellectual tradition in a more recent period.

The relation between intellect and revelation is one of the critical questions of theology, with roots extending back to both Muslim, Christian, and Jews. It has been mentioned that “The concept of ʿaql, “intellect,” is one of the most controversial in the history of Muslim thought. Also, it is well known that in Islamic history, there have been different approaches toward understanding religious texts and the correlation between intellect and revelation. Understanding Ṣadrā ’s conception of the relation between intellect and revelation and the way in which he explains their interaction is the concern of this essay.

A document by SeyedAmirHossein Asghari. Click on the document to view its contents.

A document by SeyedAmirHossein Asghari. Click on the document to view its contents.

The relation between intellect and revelation is one of the critical questions of theology, with roots extending back to both Muslim, Christian, and Jews. It has been mentioned that "The concept of ʿaql, "intellect," is one of the most controversial in the history of Muslim thought. Also, it is well known that in Islamic history, there have been different approaches toward understanding religious texts and the correlation between intellect and revelation. Understanding Ṣadrā 's conception of the relation between intellect and revelation and the way in which he explains their interaction is the concern of this essay.