Rereading the views of Iqbal Lahori and Allameh Tabataba'i on the relationship between religion and philosophy, focusing on the book "The Development of Metaphysics in Persia"

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Fardin Jamshidi Mehr

Assistant Professor and Faculty of Gnbad Kavous University, Gonbad Kavous, Iran

10.22067/epk.2026.95747.1488

Abstract

The main issue of this article is the exploration of the relationship between religion and philosophy from the perspective of Iqbal and Tabatabai. This research is conducted through a descriptive and logical analysis approach, focusing on the book The Philosophy of History in Iran.The research shows that the common ground between them lies in their concept of "returning to the self," with the difference that in Iqbal’s thought, the "self" is a historical one, rooted in early Islam and Islamic teachings, whereas in Tabatabai’s view, the "self" is a trans-historical identity. Iqbal, by returning to the historical self, discovers religion but does not recognize philosophy, and ultimately, after numerous contradictions and, tends toward the separation of religion and philosophy. Iqbal not only sees no connection between religion and philosophy but concludes that what he finds is a rupture and separation. In contrast, Tabatabai, by returning to the self, first encounters philosophy. For Tabatabai, philosophy means belief in the existence of the self, the existence of the external world, and the truth of human perceptions in general terms. After passing through the boundary of sophistry and entering the realm of philosophy, the human being seeks to discover the truth and reacts accordingly to what is discovered. When philosophy reaches the proof of the existence of God, "Divine philosophy" comes into being, and when it reaches the proof of absolute monotheism, "Islamic Divine philosophy" is formed. The findings of this article support the view of Tabatabai and critique the perspective of Iqbal.

Keywords

Philosophy

religion

natural sciences

return to self

Iqbal Lahori

Allama Tabataba'؛ i

Subjects

• Islamic Philosophy and Kalam

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