Kant’s Metaphysical Framework: A Critical Study in the Context of the Islamic Conception of Knowledge and Ethics

کانٹ کا مابعدالطبیعیاتی فریم ورک: اسلامی تصورِ علم و اخلاق کے تناظر میں تنقیدی مطالعہ

Abstract

This study presents a critical analysis of Immanuel Kant’s metaphysical framework, with particular reference to his theory of knowledge, conception of reason, philosophy of religion, and moral philosophy. It examines the relationship between Kant’s epistemology and his understanding of religion, particularly his distinction between theoretical and practical reason and his restriction of the scope of human reason in metaphysical matters. The study argues that Kant’s separation of faith and reason is closely connected with the intellectual context of rationalist metaphysics and Christian theology. In contrast, the Islamic intellectual tradition approaches knowledge through an integrated relationship among reason, revelation, and human nature (fiṭrah). The study further examines Kant’s moral philosophy, particularly his conception of pure practical reason, the categorical imperative, duty, freedom, and moral responsibility. It argues that morality cannot be adequately grounded in abstract rational principles alone, since moral consciousness, the distinction between good and evil, and the capacity for moral responsibility are rooted in the human self (nafs) and its innate disposition. Drawing upon Qur’anic teachings and Islamic intellectual thought, the study proposes that revelation does not negate innate human knowledge but completes and reinforces the moral and intellectual awareness embedded in human nature. The study concludes that the Islamic conception of knowledge and ethics provides an integrated framework in which reason, revelation, fiṭrah, and the human self operate in a mutually complementary relationship, offering an alternative perspective to Kant’s restricted conception of reason, morality, and metaphysical knowledge.