Comparative Theology
Year:2016 | Volume:7 | Issue:16 |Papers Count:13

The negative and positive theologies are two intellectually compaction positions that have attracted most Islamic thinkers since the early Islamic period. Tashbih and tanzih means likening and cleansing or purifying respectively. These two technical words in theology describe human encounter with God. Accordingly Asharites tends towards Positive theology and Mutazale and Shiite tend towards Negative Theology. There are some Shiete thinkers, however, to compromise this situation. Based on different assumptions and presuppositions we can discern the following compromised versions:1. Mild Anthrophomorphism: based on the communality of God and human attributes and reflections on Human contingency and God's necessity2. Prevalence of existence and its unity: based on Ibn Arabi's mystical philosophy3. Gradation of existence: based on Sadra's transcendental philosophy By looking at the most over-looked fundamental principles of Transcendental Philosophy, I will take a look the possible reconciliations of Negative and Positive theology in this paper. At the end, I will argue for its most plausible version.

One of the crucial concepts that was nurtured and coined as a mystical expression in the Ibn Arabi's school of thought is the Five Realms of Existence (Hazarat-e Khams). These realms are general levels of existence, referring to levels and ranks of Absolute Existence, wherein these levels are manifest. These levels are: 1. Lahoot (Realm of Divinity), 2. Jabaroot (Realm of Omnipotency), 3. Malakoot (Angelic Realm), 4.Nasoot (Realm of Humans), which is also called Molk, and 5. Perfect man. The present study comprehensively examines the essential dimensions of this concept and its characteristics in Islamic mysticism, following a comparative approach on the views of two of the most prominent mystics of Islam, namely Davood Gheisari and Imam Khomeini.

Death has been an everlasting human question. It has been regarded as one of the existential and human epistemic concerns both in religions and various philosophical and theological schools. The question of death in the works of Saint Augustine has been largely dismissed by scholars. Scrutinizing his oeuvre indicates that compared to his predecessors and based on hisapproach to Christianity, specifically to St. Paul’s doctrines, Augustine is more attentive to the relation between death and sin. In his works, he justifies death based on the original sin as well as those everyday sins that committed by human being throughout her life, identifying sin as the cause of death.

Since the old times, resolving and justifying the issue of "Evil" has been among humankind’s perpetual and difficult questions in the path towards making sense of the universe. The background and history of "Evil" in the literature and religion indicates its role in humankind's worldview towards its Existential roots, and this is among the important reasons why theological-philosophical traditions pay great attention to it. Philosophers and theologians have always been aware that justifying Evil in terms of religious beliefs is a huge task; therefore, their endeavors did not always lead to success. Justifying this issue has sometimes lead to duality and polytheism and sometimes it has actually caused theoretical conflicts. According to Mani - whose viewpoint is grounded in some Iranian ancient religious and ceremonial traditions - evil (darkness) resides in the nature of terrestrial creatures.

Unity of Existence is one of the key issues of human knowledge that has been discussed by great thinkers in various forms since long time ago. Some have dealt with this issue in pure rational or intuitive terms while some others have tried to combine the two elements of reason and intuition in their discussions. This issue has been discussed by ancient Greeks, neo-Platonists and Persian sages under a variety of titles that range from Intuitive Unity and Gradational Unity to Personal Unity and this shows the importance of this issue. Muhammad Mahdi Naraqi better known as Muhaqiq-e Naraqi is a Muslim mystic, philosopher and theologian who has discussed this issue at various points of his works and critically assessed the ideas of te mystics and philosophers.

Discussion on the reason and the law, and their functions and relationship in the theoretical and practical field, as well as their role in human understanding of the facts and directing the man in the course towards perfection, are issues that have preoccupied theologians, Philosophers and mystics in centuries, and is still subject of review and reflection for many thinkers. Throughout the history of Islamic civilization and wisdom, in addition to Muslim scholars, among believers in other religions we encounter prominent and well-known philosophers that alongside Muslim scholars, have tried to discuss and comment on these important issues; for example, Maimonides that was a prominent rabbi and sage in the sixth century AD, like the majority of sages regardes "human" as "rational soul", and considers the reason as the most important distinguishing factor of mankind that God has made human a gift of it.

Discussion on the reason and the law, and their functions and relationship in the theoretical and practical field, as well as their role in human understanding of the facts and directing the man in the course towards perfection, are issues that have preoccupied theologians, Philosophers and mystics in centuries, and is still subject of review and reflection for many thinkers. Throughout the history of Islamic civilization and wisdom, in addition to Muslim scholars, among believers in other religions we encounter prominent and well-known philosophers that alongside Muslim scholars, have tried to discuss and comment on these important issues; for example, Maimonides that was a prominent rabbi and sage in the sixth century AD, like the majority of sages regardes "human" as "rational soul", and considers the reason as the most important distinguishing factor of mankind that God has made human a gift of it.

The Immortality of the people of hell and their eternal torment is one of the most important and complex debates, preoccupying religious scholars of different religions and sects. Each of them has taken a different way based on their intellectual principles of belief to solve this problem and the questions thereof, including how the immortality of the inhabitants of hell hellions and their eternal torment is consistent with the mercy and justice of God. How is it reasonable to endure infinite torment for limited and finite sins? Does a Merciful God, born a sinful slave forever in the fire of the hereafter? Or is this not the case and He punishes the sinful people for a limited period of time, whether it is short or long, and then releases them from torture and provides them with comfort.

Is there a domain beyond the illogical intellect whose statements are antirational? This question has always called gnosticism to encounter rationalism. Thus, gnostics, gnosticologists, and religionologists in both Christian west and Islamic east have always paid attention to intellect and the extraintellectual order, and to the possible relationthip between them. Mulla Sadra believed that neither the statements of the intellect are invalid in the extra intellectual order, nor the statements of the latter in the former. Kierkegaard, on the other hand, in his notion of human life stages, has labeled them as esthetic, ethical, and religious. In his view, the religious domain is extra-rational and extra-ethical. In an analytic process, Mulla Sadra has classified the implications and applications of the word "intellect". In his view, intellect is present in overall human domains and no order of humanity is void of the power of reason.

Throughout the history, different schools including both descriptive and non-descriptive ones, have been concerned with revealing relationship between happiness and virtue. As the First and Second teachers, Aristotle and Al-Fāāīcan be named as having very important roles in this sense. So, the main tenet of ethics for these two philosophers is happiness, which is mostly derived from virtue.

The issue of religious diversity, the religious truth and salvation of the followers of religions is one of the important issues of religious studies, especially philosophy of religion. On this issue there are three viewpoints: religious exclusivism, religious inclusivism and religious pluralism. This study reviews Cantwell Smith's viewpoint about the issue of religious diversity.