The argument from fiṭra in Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb

In this dissertation, the nature of the fiṭra argument as found in Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb and its place within the discipline of kalām are examined. The primary aim of this study is to identify the position of the concept of fiṭra within Rāzī's systematic thought and to present his approach to this concept in a coherent framework. In this context, both the lexical and technical meanings of fiṭra are clarified; its usage in the Qurʾān and ḥadīth, as well as its theoretical framework within the classical kalām tradition, are discussed. The study further investigates how the fiṭra argument was assessed by major kalām schools such as Ashʿarism and Māturīdism, and demonstrates its relationship to fundamental theological issues such as predestination, free will, faith, and epistemology. Taking into account Rāzī's theological thought, his perspective on the reason–revelation relationship, and his epistemological framework, his approach to the fiṭra argument is analyzed in depth. The dissertation also aims to show that Rāzī evaluates the concept of fiṭra not only in the exegetical context but also from philosophical and psychological perspectives. He interprets fiṭra not as an innate passive disposition but rather as an active faculty of awareness and cognition that manifests under certain conditions. Through this study, the goal is to situate Rāzī's distinctive approach to the fiṭra argument within the classical kalām literature, while also evaluating in a theoretical framework how this approach may contribute to contemporary discussions in philosophy of religion and epistemology.