Ma`rifat Farhangi Ejtemaei

The issue of the possibility and nature of Islamic humanities, particularly at the epistemological level, is among the most challenging topics in the philosophy of the humanities in recent centuries. Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah Yazdi is one of the thinkers who, by clarifying distinct epistemological foundations, advocates for the production and development of Islamic humanities. This article, using a descriptive-analytical method and emphasizing Mesbah Yazdi’s intellectual foundations, examines the key concepts of knowledge, humanities, and religious knowledge, and identifies the necessary epistemological bases for Islamizing the humanities. Findings indicate that Mesbah Yazdi, by accepting epistemological realism, the inclusiveness of religious knowledge, and the integration of reason, transmitted knowledge, and sensory experience in the process of knowledge acquisition, justifies both the possibility and necessity of religious knowledge. By critiquing epistemic secularism and the theory of “minimal religion,” he emphasizes the capacity and sufficiency of religious data and propositions in establishing Islamic humanities and addresses existing epistemological challenges. In conclusion, Mesbah Yazdi’s epistemological perspective provides a philosophical and jurisprudential foundation for the possibility of Islamic humanities and opens the path for their transformation and localization, offering a framework for aligning human knowledge with Islamic principles while responding to contemporary scholarly and social needs.