In the Islamic traditions...

In the Islamic traditions, the intellect is described as the “inner apostle” [ rasūl-e bāṭin ]. Nevertheless, such an expression should not make us negligent of its definitional scope and limitations. Attention to the scope and limitation of the intellect and its function is the basis of the theological proof [ burhān-e kalāmī ] for the necessity of prophethood.

Some of its limitations are as follows: It is true that the intellect is capable of identifying the general principles underlying good and bad actions, but it is incapable of identifying particular cases in which a person is more involved in his…