Project: Isfahani and opposition to philosophy and Sufism in Shia Seminary

Abstract

Mirza Mahdi Isfahani was a scholar of Shia Islam who established his school of theology in the Mashhad seminary in the northeast of Iran in the early 20th century. There are two apparent characteristics in his school of thought:
A. He is opposed to the study of philosophy and Sufism as two [human] knowledge/practice that are not rooted in the Islamic sources and the Shia hadith corpus.
B. He tries to establish a school of thought or theology based on his understanding and interpretation of the Shia Imam's hadith. In this way, he rejects human knowledge. This project seeks to find answers to the following questions to understand Isfahani’s position in the contemporary studies of Shia Islam

Full text

Project:
Isfahani and opposition to philosophy and
Sufism in Shia Seminary
SeyedAmirHossein Asghari
sasghari@iu.edu
Mirza Mahdi Isfahani was a scholar of Shia Islam who established his school of theology in the
Mashhad seminary in the northeast of Iran in the early 20th century. There are two apparent
characteristics in his school of thought:
A. He is opposed to the study of philosophy and Sufism as two [human] knowledge/practice
that are not rooted in the Islamic sources and the Shia hadith corpus.
B. He tries to establish a school of thought or theology based on his understanding and
interpretation of the Shia Imams hadith. In this way, he rejects human knowledge. This
project seeks to find answers to the following questions to understand Isfahani’s position in
the contemporary studies of Shia Islam:
1. How does Isfahani evaluate the authenticity of Usul al-Kafi as a Shia hadith corpus?
1
Has
he discussed this question in his works?
2. Considering his advocacy for the knowledge of Ahl al-Bayt (The household of Prophet
Muhammad), what was his reaction toward modern science and its worldview?
2
How
was his response to theories like Evolution, if he had any?
3. We know that he has established his school in Mashhad after his return from Najaf
Seminary. Did he have disciples in Irfan?
3
Was he promoting any sort of practical
Sufism?
1
It is important to note that there are narrations with philosophical or Sufi nature in this collection. For more on
this aspect see Seyed Amirhossein Asghari, "Ontology and Cosmology of the ʿaql in Ṣadrā's Commentary on Uṣūl al-
Kāfī," Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies 10, no. 2 (2017), https://doi.org/10.1353/isl.2017.0011.
2
For instance, author has discussed the approach that Seyed Hossein Nasr takes in the
discussion of Sacred and secular science. The question is whether Isfahani, as a founder of a
theological school in the Shia seminary, ever takes those kinds of issues seriously. For more see
SeyedAmirHossein Asghari, "Sufism and Challenges of Modern and Secular Philosophy: Nasr’s
Perspective " Türk Kültürü ve Hacı Bektaş Velî Araştırma Dergisi 98 (2021),
https://doi.org/10.34189/hbv.98.011.
3
This question become important when we notice that Isfahani first trained in the Sufi path in the Shia seminary
and later he rejected Sufism. This is while, Halabī, as one of his most prominent disciples claims that he had a sort
of spiritual relationship with SeyedAli Shushtari a significant figure of Irfan in the Shia seminary in 19th century. For
more on this Sufi/Irfānī order in the Shia seminary see Seyed Amirhossein Asghari, "Replacing Sharia, Ṭarīqah and

4. Considering his disagreements with Aristotelian logic, what does he have in common
with others like Ibn Taymīyyah in this view?
5. How did he react to attacks on Shia creeds, if any? In particular, those of Ibn Taymiyya?
4
6. What was his approach in any discussion of metaphysics or the existence of God with
unbelievers? Do we have any instances?
7. He was a disciple of Na’īni, an active scholar in the Iranian Constitutional revolution. Did
he take part in any social and political discussions of his time?
Ḥaqīqah with Fiqh, Akhlāq, and Tawḥīd: Some Notes on Shaykh Muḥammad Bahārī (d.1325/1908)," Journal of Sufi
Studies (Brill) 9, no. 2 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1163/22105956-12341323.
4
I have mentioned some of Ibn Taymīyya’s approach in the following paper, Amir Hossein Asghari Seyed, "Shiʻa
Mystical Theology: Notes on Sayyid Ḥ aydar ĀmulĪʼs Jāmiʻ al-Asrār wa Manbaʻ al-Anwār," Kom Casopis Za Religijske
Nauke 9, no. 3 (2020), https://doi.org/10.5937/kom2003065A.A

Bibliography
Asghari, Seyed Amirhossein. "Ontology and Cosmology of the ʿaql in Ṣadrā's Commentary on
Uṣūl Al-Kāfī." Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies 10, no. 2 (2017): 157-82.
https://doi.org/10.1353/isl.2017.0011.
———. "Replacing Sharia, Ṭarīqah and Ḥaqīqah with Fiqh, Akhlāq, and Tawḥīd: Some Notes on
Shaykh Muḥammad Bahārī (D.1325/1908)." [In English]. Journal of Sufi Studies (Brill) 9,
no. 2 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1163/22105956-12341323.
Asghari, SeyedAmirHossein. "Sufism and Challenges of Modern and Secular Philosophy: Nasr’s
Perspective ". Türk Kültürü ve Hacı Bektaş Velî Araştırma Dergisi 98 (2021): 245-58
https://doi.org/10.34189/hbv.98.011.
Seyed, Amir Hossein Asghari. "Shiʻa Mystical Theology: Notes on Sayyid Ḥ Aydar Āmulīʼs Jāmiʻ
Al-Asrār Wa Manbaʻ Al-Anwār." Kom Casopis Za Religijske Nauke 9, no. 3 (2020): 65-80.
https://doi.org/10.5937/kom2003065A.