The present article reviews and examines Professor Ali Akbar Rashad's "Theory of Ibtna." This theory explains the process of formation and development of religious knowledge as a result of the continuous and dialectical influence and interaction of the "five principles" (source, epistemology, religion, subject, and audience). The most important strength of the theory is its comprehensiveness and systemic approach in covering all areas of religious knowledge, which goes beyond the traditional scope of the science of principles. However, there are about ten objections and ambiguities in the theory, including substantive ambiguity and the confusion between the fields of description and prescription; the theory fluctuates between the "philosophy of religious knowledge" (describing how understanding is formed) and the "logic of understanding religion" (providing a valid method of discovery), and as a result, it does not provide a clear criterion for establishing the authenticity of religious knowledge. Finally, suggestions are made to complete and improve the theory, the most important of which is the precise separation of the two fields of description and prescription. It seems that separating the theory into two separate levels, in such a way that the first level deals with the analytical description of the process of formation of religious knowledge and the second level deals with the extraction of normative criteria and criteria for the authenticity of the true discovery of religious knowledge, provides a greater possibility for this theory to transform from a detailed report into an efficient methodological system.