Abdullah Ansar

This essay investigates the jurisprudential philosophy of the ‘nomian esoteric’ strand within the early Jaʿfarī school, focusing on the constructed image of the Imām as presented by esoteric thinkers. Through a close reading of select Shiʿi ḥadīths, I explore this image of the Imām as the bearer of legislative authority (al-walāya al-tashrīʿiyya), whose rulings are shaped by both epistemic and pedagogical concerns. The essay contextualizes the Imām’s rejection of qiyās (analogical reasoning) and his issuance of varied rulings within broader Jaʿfarī concepts such as dissimulation (taqiyya) and intellectual accommodation (kalām ʿalā qadr ʿuqūl al-nās). Drawing on these traditions, I present the nomian esoteric image of the Imām as a legal demiurge and proto-Uṣūlī thinker who articulates a meta-ethical framework akin to Platonic Moral Realism and Realist Particularism. Finally, I trace the transformation of Jaʿfarī jurisprudence following the Major Occultation, identifying a marked shift in legal epistemology and interpretive authority.

This article explores the essence of the human (insān) as it is understood in Twelver Shīʿī philosophy and mysticism. It presents a Shīʿī philosophical elucidation regarding the possible existence of extraterrestrial intelligent lifeforms and what their relationship with “humanhood” might be. This line of reasoning is presented with a general sketch of how, in Shīʿī Islamic thought, a “human being” is characterized by specific traits and the relationship of human beings with the archetype of the Perfect Human (al‐Insān al‐Kāmil). Following this is a review of Shīʿī Imāmī traditions regarding extraterrestrial intelligent life and the plurality of worlds. This sequence ultimately allows for a unique analysis of humanhood according to the Shīʿī philosophical viewpoint and helps determine if the term “human” can be used for other intelligent beings with similar ontological features and intelligence levels.