A Critical Examination of the Maktab-i Tafkīk’s Opposition to the Translation Movement

Document Type : Research/Original/Reqular Article

Author

Assistant professor, Department of History of Islamic civilization, Faculty of History, Tradition and Islamic civilization, Al-Mustafa international University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

The translation movement, which emerged during the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate, is recognized as one of the most significant scientific developments in the history of Islamic civilization. Diverse perspectives exist regarding its objectives, outcomes, and implications. While many support this intellectual endeavor, others have voiced opposition. Among the latter is the Maktab-i Tafkīk (Separation School), a contemporary intellectual trend critical of the movement. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach, this article explores and critiques the reasons for this opposition. The study finds that the primary objections of the Maktab-i Tafkīk include the perceived self-sufficiency of religion and religious knowledge, the allegedly malevolent motives of the ʿAbbāsid caliphs and translators, and the purportedly harmful consequences of the movement for Islamic society. These objections are open to critique, particularly in relation to the school’s approach to reason and science, its contradictions with religious teachings encouraging intellectual inquiry, its failure to provide adequate evidence for the claimed malevolent intentions of the ʿAbbāsid rulers, the absence of explicit rejections of the translation movement by the Imāms, and the neglect of the movement’s positive contributions to the intellectual flourishing of Islamic civilization.

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References

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Iranian Journal for the History of Islamic Civilization
Volume 57, Issue 2
February 2025
Pages 259-280

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  • Receive Date: 23 June 2024
  • Revise Date: 17 November 2024
  • Accept Date: 08 March 2025

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