This is not a technical paper, rather, some ruminations for the sake of intellectual benefit and food for thought. Theology and Life Theologians affirm that God possesses the attribute of “life” — that is, God…
Category: Kalam
Zayd and Imāmah: Answering Objections
A reply was written by Muhammad Sharifi, a Zaydi brother, to my recent article on Zayd b. Ali (peace be upon them). I am happy to see intellectual exchange take place, but etiquette should always…
Did Zayd not know the Imāmah of his father?
Zayd, the son of Imam al Sajjād (peace be upon them), is a landmark figure in Islamic history. He led an uprising against the government to avenge the blood of his grandfather, Imam al-Husayn (p).…
Understanding Repentance and Intercession in the Context of Embodiment of Deeds and Psychological Punishment
How can repentance (tawbah) and intercession (shafāʿah) be understood in the context of the theory of embodiment of deeds (tajassum al aʿmāl) and psychological punishment? 1 Introduction What does Hell look like? Why does God…
The History of Adam and the Case for Prehistoric Humans in the Scripture and Ḥadīth
بسمه تعالى Current scientific literature dates the appearance of modern human species, namely the Homosapiens, to anywhere between 65,000[1]-300,000[2] years ago.[3] Do these findings contradict religious teachings about the creation of Adam (p)? In answering…
Is God unjust for placing people in different families and environments?
(The main ideas of this writing are derived from a lecture given by Sayyid Munīr al-Khabbāz with additions and deletions. The last section was produced after critical remarks brought forth by TheMuslimTheist) Why does God…
Why do Prophets and Imāms ask for forgiveness if they are infallible from sin?
This dilemma puzzled me as a child: from one side, we are taught that Prophets and Imams did not commit any sins and from the other we read of their conversations with God that are…
Salvation of non-Muslims in the view of contemporary Imami scholars
In this writing, I will present the views of Imam Khomeini, Shahid Mutaharri and Sayyid Munir al-Khabbaz on this matter. Imam Khomeini (d. 1989): Deficient disbelievers (qāṣir) are those who did not subscribe to God’s…
An inquiry into the possibility of ‘ilm al-ghayb (unseen knowledge)
(Reading time: ~10 minutes) With the grace of Allah (s), we will cover the following headings (click to navigate): Defining ‘ilm al-ghayb The problem of ‘ilm al-ghayb in the Qurʿān The problem of ‘ilm al-ghayb…