ABSTRACT
In Islamic history, ascertaining the right relationship between faith and reason was guided by primarily social, political and legal, not philosophical, individual or rational forces. It was initially motivated by the practical religious question of who wields legal-scriptural authority and was only defl ected into the abstract philosophical dimension when confl icts arose between rival authorities claiming legitimacy. In all faiths, hierarchically organized religious sources gain, maintain or lose authority over time. The authority of Islamic doctrine (‘aqidah) matured only after internal religious and political controversy in the hinterland supplied by the faith-reason tension.
