Sources of Religious Knowledge in Twelver Shiism

Shariatmadari, Hamidreza

doi:10.22034/icwj.2025.504163.1025

Sources of Religious Knowledge in Twelver Shiism

Document Type : Original Research Article

Author

Hamidreza Shariatmadari

Associate Professor, Faculty of Shiite Studies, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran

10.22034/icwj.2025.504163.1025

Abstract

The intellectual quest commences by engaging with sources that bestow knowledge. Thus, it becomes imperative to assess the validity and reliability of these sources. When contemplating a divine religion, where the researcher associates specific perspectives or doctrines with a particular faith, the task becomes doubly challenging. In such attributions, one must ensure the acknowledgment of both intellectual and ethical legitimacy, while also upholding reverence for attributions to the divine legislator. The question of the sources of Islamic doctrines has been a longstanding and contentious matter within the Islamic world. However, this article aims to delve beyond the quest for reliable sources of religious knowledge within Shiite thought. It seeks to demonstrate that Twelver Shiism, in general, aligns with the broader Muslim community regarding the sources of religious knowledge. This highlights an additional point of consensus among Muslims concerning the foundational sources of religious knowledge, which serve as the basis for religious contemplation and deduction. Regarding the specifics of these sources, there are occasionally notable disagreements between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. However, such disagreements should not undermine the shared fundamental basis between them, as similar disputes can also be found within each individual Islamic denomination. Both Shiism and Sunnism concur that the primary four sources for deducing jurisprudential rulings and theological doctrines encompass the Quran, the Sunna (the Prophetic tradition), consensus, and reason (or analogy). However, differences arise when it comes to issues such as the authoritative nature of the apparent meanings of Quranic verses, the ultimate authority of the Quran versus the Sunna, or the evaluation of single-transmitter hadiths (khabar al-wāḥid), and consensus. These nuances are explored within the scope of this article. The root of these disputes can often be attributed to the approach embraced by religious scholars: whether it leans towards rationalism or scripturalism, and within scripturalism, whether it relies heavily on hadith or not.

Keywords

religious knowledge

Twelver Shiism

Quran

Sunna

reason

consensus

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