Ahl al-Bayt (as) Teachings

Ahl al-Bayt (as) Teachings

An Anthropological Critique of the Modern Subject in the Teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt Based on ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s Reading

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mansure Sherkat Tavasoli 1
Irandokht Fayyaz 2
1 PhD Student in Philosophy of Education, University of Allameh Tabataba’I, Tehran, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy of Education, University of Allameh Tabataba’I, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/jatj.2026.597390.1111
Abstract
This study critiques the foundations of the “self-grounded modern subject” through the anthropological teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt, drawing upon the exegetical-philosophical framework of ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī. The central problem examined concerns the ontological and epistemological crises arising from the subject’s claim to autonomy and self-grounding throughout the development of Western humanism. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology with a critical orientation, this library-based study first outlines the core pillars of the modern subject and subsequently evaluates them through the textual traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) within Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s anthropological framework. The findings indicate that within the epistemic system of the Ahl al-Bayt—in contrast to the autonomous modern subject—human identity is defined through relationality and essential poverty. The analysis demonstrates across three dimensions that: (1) in the ontological sphere, “povertial contingency” (imkān-i faqrī) refutes the Cartesian independent substance; (2) in the cognitive sphere, the Hadīth conception of the “worshipping intellect” (ʿaql-i ʿābid), elucidated via Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s theory of conventional perceptions (idrākāt-i iʿtibārī); and (3) in the teleological sphere, authentic human autonomy and purpose are realized solely through annihilation in the Absolute Reality (fanāʾ fī al-ḥaqq) and self-sufficiency attained through servitude (ʿubūdiyyah). Ultimately, this three-dimensional critique not only resolves the impasses of the modern subject but offers an alternative paradigm grounded in “self-knowledge within the station of servitude.”
Keywords
Teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt
Philosophical Anthropology
ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī
Modern Subject
Humanism
Subjects
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Ahl al-Bayt (as) Teachings
Volume 4, Issue 2
Summer 2026
Pages 67-90

  • Receive Date 01 September 2026
  • Revise Date 17 September 2026
  • Accept Date 28 September 2026
  • First Publish Date 28 September 2026
  • Publish Date 23 August 2026