Ali Akbar Rashad (born 1955) is an Iranian philosopher and Islamic scholar who pioneered the Ibtina Theory, a theory for explaining the process and mechanism of "religious knowledge" formation.

The has presented articles and delivered speeches at conferences and scientific and philosophical conventions and conferences in different countries including Germany, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, England, Bosnia, Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, France, India, and Greece among others.

Then, he went to Qom to further his education in 1970, and was admitted to Grand Ayatollah Golpayegani's Islamic Seminary school, which was considered the first scheduled educational center conducted on the new seminary methodology.

He also took Ayatollah Shabzendehdar Shirazi's exegesis and Islamic doctrine lessons, and religions (Judaism, Christianity, Baháʼí Faith and the secretary of Wahhabism, ) lessons presented by Abd-ol-Gha'em Shooshtari during the very same period.

[3] Rashad has been teaching higher levels of principles of jurisprudence, philosophy of religion, philosophy and mysticism in the "Islamic seminary of Tehran" as well as the philosophy of religion and discourse and logic of Understanding Religion at university of Tehran and university of Mashhad for the past thirty years.