A Critical Analysis of Muhaqqiq Khafrī’s View on Divine Power and its Philosophical Implications

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohammad Reza Farhamandkia ¹

Mohammad Ali sajedi ²

¹ Doctoral student of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Theology Faculty, Shiraz University

² Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Shiraz University

10.22067/epk.2024.90580.1382

Abstract

The issue of divine power is one of the central questions in theology and has long been a point of contention among scholars. In his major work, Gloss on the Commentary on al-Tajrīd (Ḥāshiyah bar Sharḥ al-Tajrīd), Muhaqqiq Khafrī attempts to present theologians and philosophers as holding a unified position on this matter, and he introduces an alternative meaning of necessitation (ījāb) through which he seeks to establish divine power. He rejects the philosophers’ understanding of necessitation entirely and even considers it liable to theological condemnation (takfīr). Khafrī raises two major objections against the commentator of al-Tajrīd (Qūshjī) in the discussion of divine power. He also offers responses to objections raised by opponents concerning divine power, though these responses themselves are open to criticism. This study, aimed at a thorough investigation of Muhaqqiq Khafrī’s views regarding divine power, employs an analytical–critical method to examine his positions. The findings indicate that Khafrī’s views are subject to critique on several grounds, including: the nature of truth in conditional propositions, the identity of divine Essence and Attributes, the necessity of the Necessary Existent in all respects, the inseparability of the effect from its cause, the four principles underlying voluntary action, the non-verbal nature of the dispute in this issue, the essential possibility as an attribute of quiddity, and the correct interpretation of necessitation.

Keywords

Divine Power

Muhaqqiq Khafrī

Philosophical Foundations

Shiraz School

Critique and Analysis

Subjects

• Islamic Philosophy and Kalam

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Authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

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