امام ابنِ تیمیہؒ کا منہجِ تعبیر: عقل و نقل کے باہمی توازن کا تحقیقی و تنقیدی مطالعہ

Imam Ibn-e-Taymiyyah’s Hermeneutical Methodology: A Critical and Analytical Study of the Balance between Reason and Revelation

Abstract

Ibn Taymiyyah (661–728 AH) occupies a central position in Islamic intellectual history due to his distinctive approach to the enduring question of the relationship between reason (`aql) and revelation (naql). This study critically and analytically explores Ibn Taymiyyah’s hermeneutical methodology, arguing that his thought represents neither rigid literalism nor a rejection of rational inquiry, but rather a coherent and integrated epistemological model. Drawing primarily upon his seminal works, including Dar’ Ta‘āruḍ al-‘Aql wa al-Naql, Majmū‘ al-Fatāwā, and Muqaddimah fī Uṣūl al-Tafsīr, this article demonstrates how Ibn Taymiyyah systematically challenges the presumed conflict between reason and revelation. He contends that authentic rational knowledge can never contradict sound transmitted texts, and that apparent contradictions arise only from flawed reasoning or misinterpretation of revelation. Through an examination of key theological and epistemological issues, such as divine attributes, causality, and the sources of certainty, this study highlights Ibn Taymiyyah’s insistence on the primacy of revelation alongside a disciplined and subordinate use of reason. The article further situates his methodology within the broader Islamic intellectual tradition, distinguishing it from both speculative theology and uncritical traditionalism. By reconstructing Ibn Taymiyyah’s balanced framework, this research reveals its enduring relevance for contemporary Islamic thought, especially in addressing modern challenges related to rationalism, scientism, and interpretive pluralism. Ultimately, the study presents Ibn Taymiyyah’s hermeneutics as a dynamic and intellectually rigorous paradigm that offers valuable insights for harmonizing faith and reason in the modern Muslim world.