دانشگاه قم پژوهش‌های فلسفی -کلامی 1735-9791 28 1 2026 03 21 Intellectual Humility and the Ethical Challenge of Teaching Negative Theology in Kalām: A Comparison of Jahm b. Ṣafwān and Ḍirār b. ʿAmr's Models Intellectual Humility and the Ethical Challenge of Teaching Negative Theology in Kalām: A Comparison of Jahm b. Ṣafwān and Ḍirār b. ʿAmr's Models 149 170 3855 10.22091/jptr.2025.13282.3325 FA مصطفی اسلامی دانشجوی دکتری کلام امامیه، گروه فلسفه و کلام اسلامی، دانشکده الهیات، دانشکدگان فارابی، دانشگاه تهران، ایران. 0009-0005-4344-4634 محمدتقی اسلامی استادیار و مدیر گروه اخلاق پژوهشگاه علوم و فرهنگ اسلامی، قم، ایران 0000-0003-2889-351X محمدحسین منتظری استادیار کلام امامیه، گروه فلسفه و کلام اسلامی، دانشکده الهیات، دانشکدگان فارابی، دانشگاه تهران، ایران. 0009-0002-5454-572X Journal Article 2025 07 03 Negative theology in Kalām aims to preserve the unity and simplicity of the divine essence by refraining from affirming the attributes of God. However, teaching such theology raises a moral and epistemic question: How can one cultivate intellectual humility without dissolving meaningful theological discourse? This article investigates this dilemma by comparing the negative theological models of Jahm b. Ṣafwān and Ḍirār b. ʿAmr. Employing a conceptual and comparative methodology grounded in primary sources and virtue epistemology, this study demonstrates that Jahm’s extreme rejection of predication leads to epistemic skepticism and the collapse of theological reasoning. In contrast, Ḍirār’s approach grounds denial in a semantic strategy that preserves meaning and interpretive responsibility, offering a form of dynamic intellectual humility. The article concludes by proposing an educational model of “dialogical authority,” wherein theological expertise and humility mutually reinforce one another. This model fosters a classroom environment in which students are encouraged to ask difficult questions, acknowledge epistemic limits, and participate responsibly in theological inquiry. <br /><br /> Negative theology in Kalām aims to preserve the unity and simplicity of the divine essence by refraining from affirming the attributes of God. However, teaching such theology raises a moral and epistemic question: How can one cultivate intellectual humility without dissolving meaningful theological discourse? This article investigates this dilemma by comparing the negative theological models of Jahm b. Ṣafwān and Ḍirār b. ʿAmr. Employing a conceptual and comparative methodology grounded in primary sources and virtue epistemology, this study demonstrates that Jahm’s extreme rejection of predication leads to epistemic skepticism and the collapse of theological reasoning. In contrast, Ḍirār’s approach grounds denial in a semantic strategy that preserves meaning and interpretive responsibility, offering a form of dynamic intellectual humility. The article concludes by proposing an educational model of “dialogical authority,” wherein theological expertise and humility mutually reinforce one another. This model fosters a classroom environment in which students are encouraged to ask difficult questions, acknowledge epistemic limits, and participate responsibly in theological inquiry. <br /><br /><br /> https://pfk.qom.ac.ir/article_3855_a9c5006c50d42f1f4a7e7d53fe30c5b1.pdf