 In jurisprudence, it is associated with using reason as a source for "sharia" "religious law" and has been translated as "dialectical reasoning".In Islam, the term ‘aql was heavily elucidated by early Shī‘ah thinkers; it came to replace and expand the pre-Islamic concept of "ḥilm" () "serene justice and self-control, dignity" in opposition to the negative notions of ignorance ("jahl") and stupidity ("safah").The "possessor of ‘aql", or "al-‘āqīl" (plural "al-‘uqqāl") realises a deep connection with God.