The Rule of Distinguishing Realities from Conventions (Iʿtibāriyāt) and Its Application in the Interpretation of Resurrection Verses Based on al-Mizān

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohammad Reza Naghieh ¹

Mostafa Sharifian ²

¹ Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan. Iran

² Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Theology and Ahl ah Bayt studies, University of Isfahan, Iran

10.22067/epk.2025.90794.1387

Abstract

Although Allameh Tabāṭabā’ī addresses conventions (‘i‘tibārīyāt) from an epistemological perspective in his The Principles of Philosophy and the Realist Method, in his other works he also discusses the ontological and anthropological aspects of conventions, distinguishing existence into conventional and real. This approach is elaborated in al-Mizān, where the real and conventional aspects of subjects are differentiated and then interpreted. The outcome of this effort is a methodological principle, referred to in this study as the “Rule of Distinguishing Realities from Conventions.” The present paper aims to identify the applications of this rule and to clarify its implementation in interpreting the verses on resurrection in al-Mizān. Among the achievements of applying this rule are the explanation of the real and conventional aspects of human actions, the description of the Quranic language in expressing eschatological truths, the exposition of the existence and dimensions of the afterlife, the dissolution of worldly relations in the hereafter, the interpretation of the reality of intercession (shafā‘ah), and the illustration of human individuality in the hereafter.

Keywords

Al-Mizān

Philosophical Exegesis

Application of Philosophical Principles

Rule of Distinguishing Realities from Conventions

Resurrection Verses

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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