The Intellectual Evolution of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari

Abstract

Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari is one of the most prominent religious reformist thinkers in contemporary Iran who, through his transition from traditional jurisprudence to the realm of modern theology, has played a pivotal role in the development of a hermeneutical interpretation of religion. The present study, adopting an analytical–philosophical and theological approach, examines the trajectory of Shabestari’s intellectual evolution from his seminary education to his period of theorizing on “faith, freedom, and the human interpretation of revelation.” The article focuses on two fundamental dimensions: first, his epistemological transformation from juridical reasoning to philosophical hermeneutics, and second, his explanation of revelation, faith, and religious interpretation in relation to reason and freedom. Drawing upon Shabestari’s major works, including Hermeneutics, the Book, and the Tradition; Faith and Freedom; and A Critique of the Official Reading of Religion, as well as critical discussions by Abdolkarim Soroush, Arash Naraghi Dabbagh, and Mostafa Malekian, it is demonstrated that Shabestari’s thought occupies a position at the intersection of existentialist faith-oriented theology and philosophical hermeneutics. Inspired by the works of Hans-Georg Gadamer, Paul Ricoeur, and Friedrich Schleiermacher, he concludes that religious understanding is possible only within a historical and human horizon and that revelation should be reinterpreted as a “dialogue within the Prophet’s human experience.” Consequently, the “official reading of religion,” which claims direct access to divine truth, gives way to a “historical and human understanding of the divine message.” The findings of this study indicate that Shabestari’s intellectual evolution represents not merely a personal transformation but also, to a significant extent, a manifestation of the broader transformation of religious knowledge in contemporary Iran. This transformation reexamines the foundations of traditional theology in light of modern rationality and provides a theoretical defense of faith, freedom, and the critique of religious authority.