Knowledge sources of Shia kalam (The example of al-Aharîf al-Murtadâ)

Shia, which came to the stage of history as a result of discussions centered on the Caliphate, has somehow continued its existence with the physical and intellectual struggle it has given and has managed to reach the present day. Separated from other Islamic sects in principle, Shia has followed a unique course with the various thoughts and beliefs it contains. The divine meaning they attributed to the imamate had a profound effect on many ideas and beliefs of the sect. Kalam has been one of the branches of science that has felt this effect the most due to the fact that it is a science that examines the principles of faith. This study, which aims to understand the reasons for the radical separation of Shia theology from other Islamic sects on epistemic foundations, aims to reach a conclusion on the axis of Sharif al-Murtazâ, one of the most important figures who directs the methodical understanding of the sect. In addition to his exceptional contribution to Shi'ite procedural thought, his being the first author to deal with knowledge issues in his works that have reached the present day played an important role in this choice. Murtazâ, who spent his entire life (d.355/966)-(d.436/1044) in Baghdad, the center of the Abbasid caliphate of the period, combined the opportunities offered to him by coming from a deep-rooted family with the support of the members of the Buwayhid dynasty, and by using the power he gained quite effectively, he was deeply rooted in Imâmiyya theology opened the door to transformations. He succeeded in perfectly adapting the rationalist thought system of the Basra Mu'tazila to the Shia theology. Due to the rational method he applied uncompromisingly in his works of method and kalam, he rejected many ideas that he thought were not scientific. In his system, he glorified knowledge based on comprehension, reason and mutawatir news, which he believed to be scientific. This rational discourse that Murtazâ borrowed from the scholars of the Basra Mu'tazila settled in Shia through the students he trained and became the dominant thought of the sect for about two centuries. Keywords: Shia, kalam, knowledge, Sharif al-Murtadâ, reason