Jafar Morvarid - PhD Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Faculty of Theology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

In this paper, three concepts including soul, the taste of religion and thepurposes of religion would be discussed. Based on the words of jurists andUsulists (Shi‘i Rational Methodology of jurisprudence), I show that althoughthese three concepts are fundamental in understanding the religious texts, theydo not follow common methods (literal and logical inference). Thus, it seemsprobable that making use of hermeneutic methods (and hermeneutical turn)can help understand the three above concepts. This is only a brief draft and itdoes not claim a solid proposition. The meaning of hermeneutics, which ismentioned here is not the conventional meaning of hermeneutics (like those ofSchleiermacher/Heidegger /Gadamer). Rather, it is an illumination of thisframework, the core of which is the idea of the hermeneutical turn. As aresult, my aim here is a dialogue between the disciplines of understanding areligious text among Usuli scholars, and the legacy of hermeneuticapproaches. This does not mean the approaches of Usulis is a kind ofhermeneutic approach in its strictest sense. Based on the discussions of theUsulis on soul, taste and the purpose of religion, I would try to show thepossibilities for such a dialogue.

Hermeneutics, religious text, Shi‘i ijtihad, jurisprudence, justice, hermeneutical turn