Human Expectations of Religion from the Perspective of Avicenna and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

The question of mankind`s expectations from religion, is an important question in contemporary Islamic thought. In this study the researcher has analyzed the viewpoints of the two influential thinkers in the Islamic world namely Avicenna and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi. This study reveals that Avicenna in his philosophical analysis emphasizes more on legal aspects and social functions of religion. According to Avicenna social interactions and justice require fair laws. He also states that it is not possible for man to establish a just law. He believes that if the matter of legislation is left to mankind, the society would be exposed to chaos, since it is possible for everyone to set social rules based on their own interests nonetheless Nasir al-Din al-Tusi believes that religion is not the only source of laws that protect the human social system. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi states that there are still many non-religious communities whose laws are not based on religion however they are living well. He focuses more on the spiritual and moral aspects of religion. In sum, the findings reveal that neither the spiritual nor the social aspects of religion have been disregarded by both Avicenna and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi.

کلیدواژه ها:

Avicenna ، Nasir al-Din Tusi ، Morteza Motahhari ، religion ، expectation