Journal Of Islamic Denominations

Journal Of Islamic Denominations

A Critique of al-Shinqiti’s View on the Methodology for Understanding God's Transmitted Attributes

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
leyla fahimi 1
Sayyed Ziaoddin Olyanasab 2
mohsen amigh 3
1 Level-4 seminary student, Women’s Seminary, Fatima al-Zahra Specialized Center, Khorasgan, Isfahan, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith, Hazrat Masoumeh University, Qom, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Center for Islamic Studies and Persian Literature, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
10.22034/jid.2025.484726.2528
Abstract
Achieving religious knowledge requires considering all available methods, sources, and conventional human cognitive tools alongside the revealed texts. Restricting interpretation to a single method or source can hinder a proper understanding of the Qur’an’s meanings and the truths of religion. This study examines and critiques al-Shinqiti’s views on the epistemological sources and methods for understanding the truths of the Quran, with a focus on the ṣifāt khabariyya (God’s transmtitted attributes). The research follows a narrative and analytical approach. Al-Shinqiti’s reliance on the apparent meanings of scriptural texts, and his mistrust of other human cognitive faculties in religious epistemology, exposes his interpretation to significant challenges. These include falling into epistemological relativism regarding reason’s role, producing self-contradictory propositions, and embracing methodological exclusivism in the pursuit of religious knowledge. Such issues are evident in his Aḍwāʾ al-Bayān exegesis of the QUran.
Keywords
religious epistemology
cognitive tools
epistemic sources
transmitted attributes
al-Shinqiti
Aḍwāʾ al-Bayān
Subjects
The Noble Quran.
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