The Criterion for Extremism from Sayyid Murtada’s Viewpoint

The study of extremist tendencies is necessary in the study of religious schools of thought because such studies can determine their extent of excess and defect. Particularly in Islam, the followers of every denomination, even the ones who are considered extremist by others, judge extremist tendencies in religion as inappropriate; of course their definitions of the nature of extremism in religion vary, and in many cases they appeal to this term in order to disrepute each other.

This research focuses on Sayyid Murtada’s viewpoints. He was one of the firm opponents against extremism in denominations. He has criticized the important cases of extremism through appealing to the beliefs, conducts and narrations from the infallible imams about reasoning, consensus and the Qur’anic propositions. He considered isolated traditions as the origin of some extremist beliefs, and criticizes them as lacking credible documents. According to Sayyid Murtda, the examples of exaggeration in the religion are the belief in: divinity of the imams, incarnation, transmigration, entrusting, being omniscience and some other virtues related to the imams ^PBUT.

     Keywords: exaggeration, criterion for exaggeration, the principles of criticizing exaggeration, accusation of extremism, Sayyid Murtada