God's self-awareness in the statements of Imam Reza (peace be upon him)

Document Type : Research Paper

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faculty member of Research Institute of Hawzah and University

10.22099/jrt.2024.49593.3006

Abstract

The attribute of divine knowledge has always been one of the most controversial attributes of God. The discussion of divine knowledge is divided into several types according to the known nature of knowledge. In the meantime, regarding God's nature as known, brings forward the discussion of God's self-awareness and the issues related to it. The history of this issue can be explored in pre-Islamic philosophies, such as Greek and Alexandrian philosophy, but at least since the beginning of the second century of the Hijri, it has been the focus of Muslims as one of the theological questions. At the end of the second century of Hijri, and before "Metaphysics" and "Theologia" were translated, the issue of God's self-awareness was seen in the statements of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) with a philosophical explanation. The Imam (peace be upon him) negates God's self-awareness by using the word "al-Malamah" (المعلمة). It is clear from the structure of the speech, the way of reasoning, and also from the other aspects of his (peace be upon him) statements, that only one kind of self-awareness has been deprived of God, and this is the acquired knowledge of self, which is realized only because of the presence of "another".

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Journal of Religious Thought : A Quarterly Journal of Shiraz University

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 April 2024

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