Transformation of the Concept of Universal Love in Suhrawardī’s Illuminationist Philosophy: From Peripatetic Love to a Luminous Ontology
Subject Areas : Comparative studies of Illuminationist/ Oriental philosophies
1 - Professor at the Islamic Philosophy and Wisdom Department, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: universal love, beauty, love, dominance, Illuminationist philosophy, Suhrawardī,
Abstract :
The concept of “universal love” in Shihāb al-Dīn Suhrawardī’s philosophy represents an analytical transition from Peripatetic models to an ontological framework within Illuminationist (Ishrāqī) philosophy. Employing an analytical-descriptive method and examining Suhrawardī’s Peripatetic and Illuminationist works, this study explains the transformations, foundations, and functions of this concept. The findings of this study demonstrate that, during his Peripatetic period, Suhrawardī accepts the Avicennian definition of love (ʿishq) as “delight in the conception of the presence of perfection”; however, in his Illuminationist period, he links it with a luminous ontology and considers love as the organizing principle of the cosmos. Within this system, every level of being, based on its luminous-dark (nūrī-ghāsiq) relation, possesses “love” toward the higher level and “dominance” or “subjugating power” over the lower level. The movement of celestial spheres, the transformations of the natural world, and the spiritual journey of the human being are all explained in light of this dialectic of love and dominance. Moreover, Suhrawardī regards the criterion of happiness and misery as dependent upon the direction of love, such that the love of the lower for the higher leads to perfection and happiness, whereas love of the higher for the lower results in degradation and misery. This study demonstrates that universal love in Suhrawardī’s school is not merely a psychological proposition, but rather a cosmological and ontological principle that reveals the organic link between light, beauty, love, domination, and the hierarchy of being. This transition indicates Suhrawardī’s movement from Peripatetic formalism toward Illuminationist intuitionism, which laid the groundwork for profound influences on the Transcendent Philosophy and Islamic gnosis. Emphasizing the connection between luminous knowledge and a love-based ontology, the author shows how Suhrawardī understands love as the driving force of being and presents an integrated model for explaining the journey from multiplicity to unity.
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