Razum i racionalnost u Kur’anu
Reason and Rationality in the Qur’an

Summary/Abstract: This is a translation of a booklet by Ibrahim Kalin that is based on a thorough study of the history of philosophy. Three chapters have been omitted, because they were published earlier, and also because of limitations, however, the textual integrity is not violated at all, which will be noticeable to every attentive reader. This paper analyzes the categories of reason and rationality within the Islamic intellectual context as it was shaped by the foundational theory underlying the Qur’an and as developed by the Islamic theological and intellectual tradition. The text points out that reason, not being a self-standing entity, functions within a larger context of existence, intelligibility and moral thinking. Rationality arises within a context of meaning and significance that goes beyond the internal workings of the individual human mind. Reason by itself is neither a principle nor ground of knowledge, truth or rationality, because our epistemic encounter with the world takes place in a wider context of ontological relations and significance. The Qur’an treats reason and rationality in such a wider context of thinking. Recovering the Qur’anic path of thinking and the traditional meaning of ‘aql is an urgent task for the contemporary Muslim world, that extends to such diverse fields as law, education, science and politics, and which is not limited to the interests and aspirations of Muslim nations alone.

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