A Comparative Analysis of the Divine Names and Attributes in the Thought of Imām Khomeynī and Maimonides: An Ontological and Phenomenological Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Farhangian University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran,(Corresponding Author)

2 PhD in Theology and Islamic Studies, Field of Study:History and Civilization of Islamic Nations, Islamic Azad University ,Mashhad, Branch Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

The discourse on the asmāʾ wa-ṣifāt (divine names and attributes) constitutes one of the central issues in Islamic theology (kalām), as the knowledge of these names and attributes strengthens faith and deepens human understanding of God and the relationship between humankind and the Divine. This article undertakes a comparative study of the views of two prominent thinkers: Mūsā b. Maymūn (Ibn Maymūn, i.e., Maimonides) in the Jewish tradition and Imām Khomeinī in the Islamic tradition, specifically on the question of the Divine essence and attributes. Employing a comparative-analytical methodology and focusing on the key works of these two thinkers—most notably Ibn Maymūn’s Dalālat al-ḥāʾirīn (Guide for the Perplexed) and Imām Khomeinī’s philosophical-mystical writings such as his Taʿlīqa ʿalā al-Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam—this study addresses the central research question: What are the points of similarity and difference between Ibn Maymūn’s and Imām Khomeinī’s approaches to the Divine essence and attributes, and what doctrinal and methodological foundations underlie these differences? The findings of this study indicate that Ibn Maymūn, relying on negative theology and Aristotelian rationalism, reduces the attributes either to negations of imperfection or to divine actions. By contrast, Imām Khomeinī, synthesizing ḥikmat-i mutaʿāliya (Transcendent Philosophy) with Shīʿī mysticism, interprets the attributes as manifestations of the Divine perfections across the gradations of being. Beyond delineating similarities and divergences, this article proposes a model for comparative research in the philosophy of religion across different intellectual traditions.

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References

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