Part of a series on Shī‘ah Islam
Ismāʿīlism
Concepts
The Qur'ān · The Ginans Reincarnation · Panentheism Imām · Pir · Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq ‘Aql · Numerology · Taqiyya Żāhir · Bāṭin
Seven Pillars
Guardianship · Prayer · Charity Fasting · Pilgrimage · Struggle Purity · Profession of Faith
History
Shoaib · Nabi Shu'ayb Seveners · Qarmatians Fatimids · Baghdad Manifesto Hafizi · Taiyabi Hassan-i Sabbah · Alamut Sinan · Assassins Pir Sadardin · Satpanth Aga Khan · Jama'at Khana Huraat-ul-Malika · Böszörmény
Early Imams
Ali · Ḥassan · Ḥusain as-Sajjad · al-Baqir · aṣ-Ṣādiq Ismā‘īl · Muḥammad Abdullah /Wafi Ahmed / at-Taqī Husain/ az-Zakī/Rabi  · al-Mahdī al-Qā'im · al-Manṣūr al-Mu‘izz · al-‘Azīz · al-Ḥākim az-Zāhir · al-Mustansir · Nizār al-Musta′lī · al-Amīr · al-Qāṣim
Groups and Present leaders
Nizārī · Aga Khan IV Dawūdī  · Dr. Burhanuddin Sulaimanī  · Al-Fakhri Abdullah Alavī  · Ṭayyib Ziyā'u d-Dīn
v t e

‘Aql (Arabic: عقل‎, meaning "intellect"), is an Arabic language term used in Islamic theology or philosophy to the intellect the rational faculty of the soul or mind. It is the normal translation of the Greek term nous. In jurisprudence, it is associated with using reason as a source for sharia "religious law" and has been translated as "dialectical reasoning".^[1][2][3][4]

While predominantly expounded by Shī‘ī thinkers, Sunni Muslims such as Barelvis and Sufis share similar beliefs.

Shī‘ah Legal Implementation[link]

In Shī‘ah jurisprudence, ‘aql is the process of using intellect or logic to deduce law. Legal scholars in both Sunni and Shī‘ah Islamic traditions share Quranic interpretation, the Sunnah, and Ijma‘ "consensus" as sources of Islamic law and judicial decisions (ḥukm). However, Twelvers of the Ja‘farī school of law utilize ‘aql whereas Sunnis use qiyas "analogical reasoning" as the fourth source of law.

Among Twelvers, Akhbārīs (associated with exotericism and traditionalism and theological schools in Qom) and Usulis (associated with esotericism and rationalism and theological schools in Baghdad) were contending subschools: the former reject ijtihād outright; the latter advocate ijtihad and have been predominant for the last 300 years.^[2][5]

In Shī‘ī Islam, "the gates of ijtihād" were never closed and with the use of ‘aql, Shī‘ī mujtahids "practitioner of ijtihād" and faqīhs "legal specialists" are able to respond as issues arise that were not explicitly dealt with in the Qur'an or Sunnah.

History[link]

In Islam, the term ‘aql was heavily elucidated by early Shī‘ah thinkers; it came to replace and expand the pre-Islamic concept of ḥilm (Arabic: حلم‎) "serene justice and self-control, dignity" in opposition to the negative notions of ignorance (jahl) and stupidity (safah).^[2]

The "possessor of ‘aql", or al-‘āqīl (plural al-‘uqqāl) realises a deep connection with God. Jaʿfar aṣ-Ṣādiq (d. 765, notably an Imām) described this connection as a realisation that God loves some, that God is Truth and that only ‘ilm "sacred knowledge" and its development can help humanity fulfil its potential.

His son, Imām Mūsà al-Kāżim (d. 799), expanded this exegesis by defining ‘aql as the "faculty for apprehending the Divine, a faculty of metaphysical perception, a light in the heart, through which one can discern and recognize signs from God."^[2] He further noted that where the A'immah (Imāms) are the ḥujjatu ż-żāhirah "External proof [of God]", ‘aql is the ḥujjatu l-Bāṭinah "Secret proof".^[2]

While in early Islam, ‘aql was opposed to jahl "ignorance", the expansion of the concept meant it was now opposed to safah "[deliberate] stupidity" and junūn "lack of sense, indulgence". Under the influence of Mu‘tazilī thought, ‘aql came to mean "dialectical reasoning".^[2]

Notes[link]

References[link]

Aql may refer to:

• 'Aql, an Islamic term
• Aquila (constellation), constellation abbreviation, as standardized by the International Astronomical Union

AQL may refer to:

• Acceptable Quality Limit, the worst-case quality level, expressed as a percentage of defects in a population, that is still considered acceptable.
• Association québécoise de linguistique, the Quebec Linguistic Society.

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Ahmad Rafique Akhtar

Ahmad Rafique Akhtar (born April 15, 1941) is a Sufi Islamic scholar from Pakistan.^[1] He is from Gujar Khan. A graduate of Government College, Lahore, he has been associated with teaching for years.

He started the journey of his mental investigation from doubt and denial. The center of attention and the direction of his study and meditation took eight years of his life. He dedicated all his investigation and struggle to find a reason to deny the existence of God.

His thesis was very simple, "If a man commits thousands of mistakes he still remains a human being, but if we find even one mistake of God, He can not be a God."

Bibliography[link]

Books in English language

• Mystery Behind the Mystic- June 30, 2000

References[link]

External Links[link]

• Prof. Ahmad Rafique Akhtar, Books in Urdu language
• Ahmad Rafique Akhtar, Books in Urdu language