Ma`rifat Falsafi

The ethical theory of ‘Proximity to God’, articulated and presented by Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi, is considered one of the most coherent and influential realist perspectives in contemporary Islamic moral philosophy. Due to its philosophical depth and its attempt to address new challenges, this theory has been widely embraced, while simultaneously being subject to extensive scrutiny and critique. In the course of scientific dialogues on this subject, this article examines the paper titled ‘A Critique of a Critique; Re-reading Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi’s Theory of Proximity to God’ (Shahriyari et al., 2024). It is thus written in defense of the proximity theory and in response to the author’s previous critiques. In this paper, we will argue that although the aforementioned article has contributed significantly to clarifying the core principles of Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi’s theory through detailed elaboration, the fundamental kernel of the critiques previously raised by the author remains unresolved across three dimensions: logical, epistemological, and ontological. As to the logical dimension, we will put emphasis on the unity of ‘act’ and ‘title’ and the impossibility of their complete separation in the process of value-judgment. As to the epistemological dimension, we will argue that fundamental moral propositions are not analytical but synthetic, necessitating independent epistemological explanation. Concerning the ontological dimension, while challenging the notion of ‘self-love’ (hubb al-dhat) as the sole source for explaining the reality of moral values, we will contend that ‘love of God’ can function as an authentic and primordial motivation. Furthermore, we will argue that the ‘Perfect Man’ (al-Insan al-Kamil) serves not only as a ‘path’ and a ‘mediator’ but also as an ‘concrete paradigm’ and an ‘intelligible goal’ for human perfection. This article concludes that accepting these refinements does not undermine the proximity theory; rather, by reinforcing the monotheistic perspective and enhancing its practical efficacy, it adds significant depth and robustness to the framework.