Univrsity Of Tehran Press Philosophy and Kalam 2008-9422 58 1 2025 04 11 The Concept of Pure Monotheism, its Foundations and Implications in Rajab-‘Ali Tabrizi’s Neo-Peripatetic School The Concept of Pure Monotheism, its Foundations and Implications in Rajab-‘Ali Tabrizi’s Neo-Peripatetic School 29 51 101582 10.22059/jitp.2025.381489.523535 FA Mahmud Hedayatafza PhD, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2024 08 26 The most distinctive feature of Rajab-‘Ali Tabrizi’s Neo-Peripatetic school and his students is their interpretation of divine essence and attributes based on negative theology (tanzīh). This study, using primary sources from Tabrizi and his students and employing a descriptive-analytical method, examines the concept of "pure monotheism" in this intellectual framework. This concept is articulated in their works through an explanation of the arguments for the negation of attributes and its implications for understanding the meanings of God's names. Tabrizi argues that attributes of perfection—such as knowledge and power—are neither identical with the One Essence nor accidental to it. His particular understanding of "attribute" and its distinction from essence paved the way for his assertion of the absolute negation of attributes. To rationally support his position, Tabrizi presents a general argument against the union of two distinct entities and a specific argument against the union of essence and attribute. He also cites textual evidence from Imamī sources, particularly the monotheistic sermons of Imam ‘Alī and Imam al-Riḍā. Furthermore, in the works of Tabrizi and his students, we find responses to potential objections against the negation of attributes doctrine. To address these concerns, they propose a significant framework for understanding the meanings of God’s names in theological statements, based on negative theology, theology of divine actions, and interpretative theology. The most distinctive feature of Rajab-‘Ali Tabrizi’s Neo-Peripatetic school and his students is their interpretation of divine essence and attributes based on negative theology (tanzīh). This study, using primary sources from Tabrizi and his students and employing a descriptive-analytical method, examines the concept of "pure monotheism" in this intellectual framework. This concept is articulated in their works through an explanation of the arguments for the negation of attributes and its implications for understanding the meanings of God's names. Tabrizi argues that attributes of perfection—such as knowledge and power—are neither identical with the One Essence nor accidental to it. His particular understanding of "attribute" and its distinction from essence paved the way for his assertion of the absolute negation of attributes. To rationally support his position, Tabrizi presents a general argument against the union of two distinct entities and a specific argument against the union of essence and attribute. He also cites textual evidence from Imamī sources, particularly the monotheistic sermons of Imam ‘Alī and Imam al-Riḍā. Furthermore, in the works of Tabrizi and his students, we find responses to potential objections against the negation of attributes doctrine. To address these concerns, they propose a significant framework for understanding the meanings of God’s names in theological statements, based on negative theology, theology of divine actions, and interpretative theology. https://jitp.ut.ac.ir/article_101582_3ac58d0bcbe2adf42b28f72df030a291.pdf