The AMI Podcast

Dr Haidar Hobballah and Ali R. Khaki discuss the principle of sad al-dharāʾiʿ (blocking the means) and how Shīʿī legal thought approaches causal reasoning. They unpack the logic behind preventive rulings and explore their modern implications—from bioethics to environmental ethics—offering a rational framework for ethical decision-making in contemporary Islamic contexts.

Mohammad Amin Hessami reinterprets the philosophical legacy of Nāṣir al-Dīn Ṭūsī, uncovering a subtle balance between reason and revelation. Through close reading of Tajrīd al-Iʿtiqād and Akhlaq-i Nāṣirī, he reveals how Ṭūsī navigated competing rationalist and traditionalist schools. The discussion highlights how a medieval thinker’s nuanced model of harmony between intellect and faith remains deeply relevant for modern theological discourse.

Professor Mahmoud Morvarid brings philosophical precision to a core principle of Shīʿī jurisprudence: the authority (ḥujjiyyah) of certainty. Questioning traditional formulations, he argues for a more nuanced approach informed by contemporary epistemology. Listeners will encounter a rigorous exploration of how knowledge, belief, and rational justification shape accountability in Islamic legal thought.

Professor Seyed Mohammad Ghari S. Fatemi examines the very being of reason within Islamic legal theory. Engaging classical Sunni and Shīʿī perspectives, he asks: Is reason a substance, an accident, or a kind of knowledge? This discussion unpacks how uṣūlī scholars understood the nature, scope, and variability of rational faculties, illuminating how metaphysics, epistemology, and theology converge in defining ʿaql.

Professor Devin J. Stewart delves into early Islamic legal thought, tracing how reason (ʿaql) evolved as a recognised source of law among Muʿtazilī and Twelver Shīʿī scholars. Through a historical journey from al-Jaṣṣāṣ to al-Ṭūsī, Prof. Stewart shows how theological debates on rational investigation shaped the very foundations of Islamic jurisprudence, revealing a vibrant intellectual culture negotiating between divine command and human judgment.

Professor Ali Fanaei compares the logic of juristic reasoning with everyday rationality, arguing that misunderstanding this relationship leads to flawed religious verdicts. He proposes a reconstruction of fiqh grounded in a more accurate model of how humans reason and justify beliefs. This talk bridges analytic philosophy and Islamic jurisprudence to advocate for rational legal reform.

Dr Yaser Mirdamadi reinterprets the Shīʿī legal maxim “accept what contradicts the majority” through the framework of epistemic justice. Rather than a sectarian bias, he argues it functions as an early form of epistemic resistance—amplifying marginalised voices within Islamic tradition. This episode reframes classical jurisprudence as a site for contemporary reflection on inclusion and fairness.

Farzaneh Hosseini Hejazi analyses the clash of three rationalities—religious, revolutionary, and modern state reason—in the legal structure of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Through this critical lens, she explains how philosophical and constitutional contradictions have undermined coherent legal authority, giving rise to a system where mystical authority, clerical rationality, and state pragmatism uneasily coexist.

Professor Mohammad Rasekh investigates a classical theological problem: do divine laws derive from inherent benefits and harms, or from pure command? Engaging Shaykh Anṣārī and the principle of maṣāliḥ wa mafāsid wāqiʿīyya, he dissects the tension between reason and revelation in determining moral reality. His discussion challenges listeners to consider whether religious law is descriptive of truth or prescriptive of obedience.

Dr Karen Bauer examines how the Qurʾān unites intellect, emotion, and moral behaviour in a single vision of human virtue. Rejecting the modern separation between thought and feeling, she shows that Qurʾānic rationality is profoundly moral: to think rightly is to feel rightly and act justly. This podcast invites reflection on how the heart, mind, and ethics intertwine in Qurʾānic spirituality.