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A Critical Review of Andrew J. Newman’s Perspective on the Compilation Date of Al-Kāfī: With Emphasis on the Alleged Rejection of Rationalism in Its Narratives
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Fatemeh Kazemzadeh   , Seyed Mostafa Malihi1 |
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Abstract: (730 Views) |
| al-Kāfī by al-Kulaynī, as the earliest comprehensive Shīʿī ḥadīth collection, has long attracted the attention of traditionalists, Islamic scholars, and even Western academics. Among contemporary Orientalists, Andrew J. Newman, in his seminal work The Formative Period of Twelver Shīʿism, argues that al-Kāfī was compiled within the intellectual and theological context of Baghdad as a reaction against the dominant rationalist tendencies of the time. Newman contends that al-Kulaynī exhibited a pronounced inclination toward textualism while deliberately distancing himself from rationalist approaches. This article, employing a descriptive-analytical method, critically examines Newman’s assertions and demonstrates that, contrary to his claim, al-Kāfī reflects a rationalist orientation. Based on substantial evidence, this study argues that the work was composed during al-Kulaynī’s two-decade residence in Qom and prior to his relocation to Baghdad. These findings challenge the assumption that al-Kāfī emerged as a polemic against rationalism and instead suggest its compilation within a scholarly environment receptive to reason and textual authority alike. |
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| Keywords: Al-Kāfī, Al-Kulaynī, Andrew J. Newman, Rationalism, Textualism, Twelver Shīʿism. |
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Full-Text [PDF 556 kb]
(415 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/09/13 | Accepted: 2025/09/11 | Published: 2025/09/11
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