A Critical Engagement of the Ijtihad Family of Lucknow with Rival Intellectual Currents: An Analysis of Strategies for Preserving Imāmī Theology in the Thirteenth Century AH

Document Type : Original Article

Author

mohammadreza mollanori

Faculty Member of the Department of Shi’a Studies, University of Religions and Denominations

10.22067/epk.2026.97601.1516

Abstract

One of the central tasks of theology (kalām) is to systematically defend doctrinal foundations against external questions and objections. In the thirteenth century AH, the city of Lucknow, as one of the major intellectual centers of Shi'ism, became a site of interaction and confrontation with diverse intellectual currents. During this critical period, the Ijtihad family, particularly Sayyid Dildār ʿAlī, adopted an active approach to defending Imāmī teachings against rivals including Hindus, Ḥanafī Sunnis, Salafis, Sufis, Akhbāris, philosophers, and Shaykhis. The present study aims to explain and analyze the theological strategies and measures adopted by the Ijtihad family of Lucknow to confront opposing intellectual currents and to purify religious knowledge on the basis of revealed texts. Employing a descriptive-analytical method and drawing on primary and secondary sources, the study examines Shi'a theologians' positions toward each of the rival currents in Lucknow, as well as the practical forms of their responses. The findings indicate that leading Imāmī scholars of this period adopted a systematic and multifaceted approach to preserving Imāmī theology, including establishing formal scholarly institutions for training specialists, conducting extensive theological research and producing major works in rational theology, and vigorously confronting heterodox currents and purifying Shi'a thought of erroneous doctrines, particularly by distinguishing Qur'anic knowledge from philosophical and mystical interpretations. This approach contributed to the development of the principles of jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh) and ijtihād and to the entrenchment of a rational and text-centered discourse. Through their intensive theological efforts, the Ijtihad family of Lucknow not only defended Shi'a doctrines but also played a pivotal role in reconstructing religious knowledge on the basis of sound theological principles and in rejecting the conflation of Shi'a thought with incompatible elements. These efforts provided a firm foundation for the continuity of Shi'a theological discourse in the Indian subcontinent.

Keywords

Ijtihad Family of Lucknow

Imāmī Theology

Rival Intellectual Currents

Preservation of Shi'a Thought

Sayyid Dildār ʿAlī

Subjects

• Islamic Philosophy and Kalam

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