An Evaluation of al-Kāfī Commentators on the Ontology of the ‎Intellect in Terms of Compatibility or Incompatibility with ‎Hadiths: Assessing the Independent Approach to the Intellect

Document Type : The Quarterly Jornal

Author

The academic staff of the Ahl al-Bayt Kalam Research Institute, the Quran and Hadith Research Institute

Abstract

An account of the existence of the intellect as an entity independent from the existential realms of humanity is one of the approaches taken by the commentators of al-Kāfī. This perspective arises from the texts of frequently transmitted hadiths and rational arguments, which can be divided into two theories. These two theories are presented in the commentary on the first narration of al-Kāfī. This research evaluates these two theories using an analytical-descriptive method, focusing on textualism. The theory of "the intellect as the first created being" is formulated based on interpretative approaches and philosophical rational argumentation. Consequently, it is inconsistent with the results of a textual analysis of the narrations regarding the identification of the first created being with the intellect and its disconnection from the realm of human existence. In contrast, the analysis of the intellect as a separate essence, akin to the Active Intellect, is rooted in textualism; however, an attempt has been made to provide a rational explanation for it, resulting in greater compatibility with the narrations. Thus, in acknowledging its independent existence, the unity in multiplicity, acceptance of movement, and interaction, along with a distinction from human identity while remaining connected to the human realm, as well as an illuminative relationship with the rational soul, align with the narrations. Nonetheless, since philosophical rational foundations are employed in formulating this theory, the concept of a gradational existence, the influence of the intellect on the levels of the rational soul, and the nature of the multiplicity and diversity of intellects are inconsistent with the narrations.

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References

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