الْمَوْسُومِ بِالْكَلَامِ
Known by the name of kalām.
Mawsūm means named or designated. Kalām in Arabic refers to speech or discourse. As a discipline, Islamic kalām studies doctrinal principles, their evidence, and reasoned responses to relevant difficulties.
More than one historical explanation is offered for the title. A familiar explanation links it to the prominence of theological debate and argument. The discipline, however, cannot be fully defined by the dictionary meaning of “speech.”
Distinction: Not every religious conversation is scholarly kalām. The discipline calls for a clear thesis, relevant evidence, defensible premises and sound inference.