Between Kalam & Philosophy
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Nur ad-Din Abu ‘Ubadah ‘Ali ibn Juma’ah wrote, that certain scholars have held there to be a methodological difference between kalam and philosophy, in that the mutakallim , practitioner of kalam , admits or denies various metaphysical principles and then offers proofs in their support, while the philosopher admits no such first principles whatsoever and, in their absence, seeks to reason to a certain aim. For example, the mutakallim may admit the Existence of Allah ( s.w.t. ) from the beginning and seek thereafter to offer proofs for His Existence; but the philosopher begins with no such presumptions and only then tries to demonstratively establish the Existence of Allah ( s.w.t. ). Shaykh Ahmad Amin ( r.a. ) approximated the preceding schema in contrasting the judge, one who begins by adopting a neutral position and then follows the evidence until he reaches a verdict as to the innocence or guilt of the accu...