Al-Daleel

This study investigates the ontological relationship between divine action and cosmic causes within both physical and metaphysical frameworks. Adopting a descriptive-analytical methodology, it seeks to examine and critically analyze the explanatory models advanced by scientific and philosophical thought concerning this relationship. The study proceeds from the premise that many intellectual approaches have been shaped by an implicit assumption that divine action and natural causes belong to the same causal order. This assumption has frequently resulted either in diminishing the role of divine action or in denying the reality of the natural causal order altogether. In light of this, the study classifies the major positions into three principal theoretical models: The first is the causal closure of nature model, represented by both God-of-the-gaps theology and naturalistic deism. The second is the exclusive divine causality model, exemplified in the Asharite doctrine of divine custom (al-aadah al-ilahiyyah) and Malebranches occasionalism. The third is the multi-level causation model, which affirms the genuine efficacy of natural causes while maintaining their continual ontological dependence upon the First Cause. The study argues that conceptions which place divine action alongside natural causes as coexisting causes within the same causal domain inevitably lead either to reducing divine action to a provisional explanatory mechanism invoked to fill the gaps in scientific knowledge, or to stripping the natural order of its authentic causal structure. By contrast, the model of two-tier causality provides a more coherent and philosophically robust metaphysical framework. It enables the relationship between God and the world to be understood as one of continuous ontological grounding and existential sustenance, such that natural causes operate within a genuine causal order while remaining perpetually dependent for their existence upon divine action, without ever attaining ontological independence from it.

This study critically examines the methodological and epistemological challenges posed by the hermeneutic project of Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, specifically his approach to the religious text. The research focuses on his controversial application of historicity and the humanization of the text to the Holy Quran; concepts that attempt to shift the understanding of the text from a transcendent, divine paradigm to a relative, human framework bound by contextual realities and reception. A central focus of this study is the tension between the immutability of the Quranic text - understood as a sacred, linguistically and spiritually stable structure - and Abu Zayds hermeneutic assertion of historical meaning. By framing the Quran as a cultural product shaped by its socio - historical conditions, Abu Zayds approach creates a profound paradox between the absolute authority of the divine text and the relativity of human understanding. Employing a critical-analytical methodology, this paper deconstructs the epistemological foundation of Abu Zayds project. It identifies a fundamental methodological conflation between two distinct realms: the Quranic text as transcendent revelation, and Islamic heritage as a human, historically contingent product. The study argues that this unjustified conflation inappropriately extends the critique of human heritage to the divine text itself. Ultimately, the research concludes that erasing the methodological distinction between divine revelation and human intellectual heritage subjects the Quran to the exact same historical and hermeneutic mechanisms used to analyze general Islamic history. This erasure collapses the epistemological boundary between the sacred and the profane, thereby introducing profound methodological issues regarding the limits of textual historicity and the nature of scriptural authority.

This study critically examines the assertion of environmental shaping regarding the Quranic text - a concept frequently framed by modernists under the rubric of the historicity of the Quran This thesis posits that the Quran is fundamentally a product of the geographical, social, and cultural milieu of its revelation. The present research seeks to deconstruct the methodological, historical, and epistemological premises underpinning this claim, particularly as it permeates contemporary analyses heavily influenced by modern Western methodologies. Employing a critical - analytical methodology grounded in an inductive survey of Quranic texts, the study evaluates the validity of this hypothesis. It further utilizes historical and linguistic frameworks to assess the internal coherence of the environmental determinism proposition. The findings reveal a profound methodological flaw at the core of this claim: the conflation of the texts pragmatic engagement with its context of revelation (a historically grounded interaction) with strict environmental determinism (a purely material reductionism). The research demonstrates that the Quran possesses intrinsic epistemological and legislative properties that transcend material conditions, thereby affirming its supremacy over environmental constraints by virtue of its divine origin. Consequently, the environmental approach is relegated to merely an auxiliary hermeneutical tool for understanding the circumstantial context of the revelation, entirely devoid of the capacity to explain the Qurans ontological source or genesis.

This study examines the central challenge of reconciling divine justice-particularly within the framework of the Best Possible Order (al-Nidham al-Aḥsan)-with the reality of human suffering. It begins by establishing a clear conceptual distinction between evil, understood in philosophical terms as the privation of perfection, and pain, conceived as the existential and experiential manifestation of that privation. The study ultimately seeks to demonstrate how suffering, despite its apparent negativity, can be harmonized with absolute divine wisdom by virtue of its developmental and transformative role in human existence. Methodologically, the research adopts an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the conceptual precision of contemporary analytic philosophy with the metaphysical insights of the Islamic philosophical tradition. To move beyond purely abstract theorization, the analysis is further informed by empirical findings from the behavioral and biological sciences. In particular, it draws upon the Universe 25 experiment and the psychological framework of Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) to develop a comprehensive and multidimensional account of suffering and its significance. The study advances several major conclusions. First, it establishes a fundamental ontological distinction between evil and pain: whereas evil possesses only a privative and accidental mode of existence, pain constitutes a positive existential reality that fulfills indispensable protective, cautionary, and survival-oriented functions. Second, it argues that existential mutual hindrance (tazaḥum) is a structural and unavoidable law of the material world, such that its complete elimination would entail the dissolution of the material order itself. Third, the emergence of moral evil is interpreted as an inevitable existential consequence of granting human beings real free will. Finally, through an epistemological analysis of the Quranic narrative of al-Khiḍr (peace be upon him), the study underscores the inherent limitations of human cognition in apprehending the totality of divine purposes and wisdom. The narrative thereby serves to justify the eschatological horizon as an epistemological necessity-one indispensable for resolving the problem of absolute justice and for understanding the manner in which the human soul attains growth, elevation, and perfection through the crucible of suffering.

This study examines the Big Bang Theory from an epistemological and theological perspective, seeking to challenge attempts to invoke the theory as evidence in support of atheism. It proceeds from the premise that physical laws and scientific theories are incapable of explaining the origin of existence from nothingness. Owing to their methodological nature, such laws and theories describe the processes through which the universe evolves and develops, rather than addressing the ultimate cause or purpose underlying its existence. The study argues that the Big Bang Theory neither inherently disproves nor establishes the existence of a Creator; rather, it remains neutral with respect to the question of divine existence. It surveys a number of philosophical interpretations concerning the origin of the universe and then advances an epistemological critique, emphasizing that the theory remains a scientific hypothesis rather than a matter of absolute certainty. Particular attention is given to the concept of a state characterized by \"zero volume and infinite density, which, according to the study, appears to conflict with fundamental rational principles such as the law of causality, the principle of affinity (sinkhiyyah), and the principle rejecting an infinite regress of causes. The study further examines the claim that intelligence and life could not have emerged from simple particles in the absence of a designer, and calls for a clear methodological distinction between scientific explanations concerned with how phenomena occur and philosophical explanations concerned with why they occur. It concludes by referring to Pascals Wager as a philosophical argument in favor of belief in a Creator. Methodologically, the study employs both demonstrative rational inquiry and descriptive analysis. It focuses on identifying the paradoxes and epistemological ambiguities that, in its view, characterize certain scientific and atheistic interpretations, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The significance of the study lies in its attempt to offer a novel methodological framework for critiquing discourses that claim exclusive access to truth without recourse to self-evident rational principles, while proposing an epistemic standard by which scientific theories may be assessed in light of foundational rational criteria.

Recent decades have witnessed a serious intellectual debate between the proponents and opponents of Islamic humanities, giving rise to diverse perspectives on the possibility or impossibility of developing domain-specific Islamic philosophies (philosophies of the disciplines). With the introduction of modern disciplines and philosophical inquiries-particularly moral philosophy-into the Islamic world, the feasibility of establishing a distinct discipline of "Islamic moral philosophy" has emerged as a prominent issue in academic circles. Consequently, this article seeks to address a fundamental question: Drawing upon Islamic sources and relevant ancillary disciplines, can we defend the actual realization of an Islamic moral philosophy-rather than its mere theoretical possibility-such that it both aligns with core Islamic principles and values and remains subject to rigorous academic inquiry? Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology, the study first explicates the foundational concepts. It subsequently evaluates the potential for actualizing an Islamic moral philosophy by briefly reviewing its religious and rational foundations. Finally, the article identifies the primary challenges confronting this endeavor, explores its future prospects, and ultimately advocates for the necessity of realizing Islamic moral philosophy in practice, moving beyond the mere discourse of its possibility.

Philosophy is often regarded as a form of verbal sophistry detached from reality, while philosophers are sometimes depicted as individuals confined to ivory towers, observing the world from an abstract distance rather than engaging directly with it. On this view, philosophers are seen as reasoning in ways that diverge from the dominant intellectual frameworks of their societies, thereby becoming estranged from lived experience and from ordinary people. While this characterization may contain a measure of truth-particularly with regard to certain strands of ancient philosophy-it cannot be generalized to philosophy as a whole or to philosophers in general. In fact, philosophy is arguably more necessary today than at any previous point in history, particularly given its increasing engagement with urgent human concerns and the fundamental questions of contemporary life. For this reason, it is no longer plausible to speak of the \"death of philosophy, as some modern thinkers have suggested. On the contrary, its significance is likely to expand further, accompanied by qualitative transformations in its methods, approaches, conceptual frameworks, and language-developments whose early signs are already discernible.Throughout its historical development, education has remained closely intertwined with philosophy. Educational thought has consistently drawn upon philosophical reflection to articulate the foundations of educational systems, define their aims and institutions, and shape the intellectual orientations that underpin educational practice. This philosophical grounding is evident in the structure of educational systems, including the roles assigned to teachers and learners, the organization of school activities, and the broader functions of educational institutions. Accordingly, this study adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology based on a review of existing research and educational literature in order to examine the concept of philosophy, its historical origins and development, its significance, and its relationship to education. It further surveys the perspectives of major philosophical schools and their principal thinkers, the ideas they have advanced, and their implications for educational structures and systems. Ultimately, the study seeks to develop a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between philosophical view and educational structure, as well as to explore ways of integrating this relationship into contemporary educational practice.