The development of the epistemology in medieval Islamic "kalām"

Abstract

In this study I will deal with epistemology, especially in terms of classification and definition of the sources of knowledge among the theologians of rationalist Islamic schools (mutakallimūn), which appeared at the beginning of the Abbasid caliphate (half of the 10th century). What kind of knowledge was considered as valid for the exegesis of the sacred text became one of the most important and polemic topics in mediaeval Islamic theology. The debate around different types of knowledge gave rise to highly controversial philosophical questions, among which figure the following: “How do we know the existence of God and his unicity?” “Which is the knowledge that allows us to discern between the true and the false and between the acceptable and the reprehensible?” With the aim to tackle this issue, I will deal with the models of classification and sorts of knowledge, both among the mutakallimūn who devoted themselves to philosophy and those devoted to jurisprudence. Within these groups, I will stop to comment their internal differences and opinions on this matter.