A Critical Study of Ayatollah Miṣbāḥ Yazdī's View on the Necessary Conditions for a Reasonable and Acceptable Moral Theory

Presenting a moral theory, in light of Islamic teachings, has been one of the concerns of some Muslim thinkers in the last few decades. Ayatollah Muhammad Taqī Miṣbāḥ Yazdī is the first Muslim thinker who has attempted to present a teleological account of Islamic ethics. Before presenting his theory, he listed ten conditions for a reasonable and acceptable moral theory, which includes: 1. Considering moral concepts as being abstract; 2. Considering the truth of moral statements as being traditional (akhbārī); 3. Moral propositions as not being self-evident; 4. The status of reason, experience, and revelation in moral judgment; 5. True perfection as an example of the desired result in moral judgment; 6. The criterion for evaluating moral actions; 7. The role of free will and awareness of moral value; 8. Difference in ranks in moral values; 9. The origin and solution of moral disputes; 10. The relationship between morality and worldview. However, it seems that these conditions cannot be considered the conditions of a reasonable and acceptable theory, but rather their premise is Ayatollah Mohammad Taqī Miṣbāḥ Yazdī's teleological interpretation of the theory of Islamic morality. In other words, since he considers only his own theory to be reasonable and acceptable, he has considered conditions under which, given those conditions, only that theory will be true; whereas the reasonableness and acceptability of the conditions should be without considering any theory. Therefore, in this article, in addition to reporting and analyzing these conditions, we will also criticize them. The results of this research show that many of these conditions have been considered in such a way that they are compatible and consistent with only a specific theory. Of course, in the course of the discussions, some of the shortcomings of his theory also become apparent.