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William of Ockham proposed a form of fideism, which stressed the independence of faith from reason. He believed reason could not attain to certain theological truths, which must be accepted by faith alone.

Al-Ghazali believed that while reason is useful, it has its limits, and it must ultimately submit to the truths of divine revelation as contained in Islam. The ultimate knowledge of God comes through mystic experience rather than rational deduction.

Tertullian emphasized the transcendence of faith over reason by saying that the divine must necessarily be beyond human comprehension, and thus reason can be seen as an obstacle to true faith.

Those who assert that faith should influence ethical decisions often base their arguments on the idea that moral law is grounded in divine command and thus faith provides the necessary framework for understanding ethical behavior.

St. Anselm argued that belief in God is the starting point of philosophy; reason then seeks to understand this belief. This makes faith a prelude to reason.

Those in favor of reason being necessary for faith may argue that without reason, faith can become blind and potentially dangerous. Reason helps in discerning true revelation from false.

Arguments for compatibility often reference Aquinas's idea of faith supplementing and perfecting reason, where reason can take us to a certain point and faith can bring us to a full understanding of divine truths.

Proponents of reason leading to faith argue that through the natural pursuit of truth and understanding, one may be led to recognize a higher divine order that faith asserts.

The belief that faith can be irrational stems from the perspective that faith often involves acceptance without evidence or contrary to evidence, which is at odds with the principles of reason and logic.

Averroes (Ibn Rushd) maintained that there is no conflict between faith and reason and that philosophically derived truths and the truths of the Qur'an are ultimately harmonious. Rational understanding complements and deepens spiritual belief.

Thomas Aquinas taught that there are certain 'preambles of faith' - truths about God that could be arrived at through reason, like His existence, which could then lead one to faith in revelation.