Intellectual Humility and the Ethical Challenge of Teaching Negative Theology in Kalām: A Comparison of Jahm b. Ṣafwān and Ḍirār b. ʿAmr's Models

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate in Imāmiyya Kalām, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Ethics, Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy (ISCA), Qom, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor in Imāmiyya Kalām, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Iran.

10.22091/jptr.2025.13282.3325

Abstract

Negative theology in Kalām aims to preserve the unity and simplicity of the divine essence by refraining from affirming 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, the 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.

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Journal of Philosophical Theological Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 19 October 2025

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