There are three views regarding the relationship between “essential attributes” and the “Essence of the Truth”. The Ash‘arites believed in the addition of the existence of attributes to the existence of the Essence of the Truth and the differences of their meanings from More
There are three views regarding the relationship between “essential attributes” and the “Essence of the Truth”. The Ash‘arites believed in the addition of the existence of attributes to the existence of the Essence of the Truth and the differences of their meanings from each other and from the Essence of the Truth. However, most philosophers acknowledge the identity of the real co-existence of attributes with the existence of the Essence of the Truth and, at the same time, believe in the differences mentioned above. Moreover, gnostics believe that the Essence of the Truth is free from attributes and maintain that attributes are of the same meaning with the Essence of the Truth. They also emphasize that contrasting attributes exist by accident in relation to the very existence of the Truth and are posterior to it. It seems that, unlike the Ash‘arites and other philosophers, who both suffer from some rational and traditional problems, the truth of gnostics’ view can be demonstrated based on several rational and traditional proofs.
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Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī, one of the prominent Ash‘arī mutikallimun, has raised 18 objections against the law of causality in his al-Maṭālib al-‘alīyah min al-‘ilm al-ilāhī. He has quoted these objections from others; however, it seems that he has raised them himself. Muḥaqiq More
Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī, one of the prominent Ash‘arī mutikallimun, has raised 18 objections against the law of causality in his al-Maṭālib al-‘alīyah min al-‘ilm al-ilāhī. He has quoted these objections from others; however, it seems that he has raised them himself. Muḥaqiq Lāḥijī has responded to some of these objections in his Shawāriq al-ilhām. Nevertheless, most of them have remained unanswered. In the present paper, the author has referred to 15 of the most important questions and provided others’ responses to them. Most of these objections have not been answered while they can be based on the Transcendent Philosophy. Therefore, the author has provided a summary of Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī’s words and then tried to answer them relying on the principles of Sadrian Transcendent Philosophy. Some of these objections cannot be answered based on any of the principles of Peripatetic, Illuminationist, and Transcendent Philosophies and should be answered based on gnostic principles.
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