soul

Open Access Article

1 - Ontology of Imagination in Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra
Mohsen Habibi

The faculty of imagination is considered to be among the inner faculties of the soul by Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra. Ibn Sina considered it material in nature, while Mulla Sadra maintained that it was immaterial, and both adduced some arguments to support their views in th More

The faculty of imagination is considered to be among the inner faculties of the soul by Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra. Ibn Sina considered it material in nature, while Mulla Sadra maintained that it was immaterial, and both adduced some arguments to support their views in this regard. In considering imagination as material, Ibn Sina had to deal with some serious philosophical problems such as corporeal resurrection and preservation of certain souls. While responding to his arguments, Mulla Sadra provided several arguments in order to demonstrate his own stand on this issue. On evaluating the arguments of these two philosophers, the author finds Mulla Sadra’s position to be more acceptable than that of Ibn Sina. Moreover, by confirming the immateriality of the faculty of imagination, Mulla Sadra had several achievements such as justifying the preservation of memory during old ages and some other meta-psychological problems and demonstrating ascension, corporeal resurrection, and subsistence of simple human souls, which Ibn Sina also sought to resolve. Therefore, it can be concluded that Mulla Sadra’s theory regarding the immateriality of imagination is more functional and can facilitate the process of adducing rational justifications and arguments for some religious beliefs. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - An Analysis of the Meaning and Concept of Spiritual Health in Psychology and Mulla Sadra’s Philosophical Doctrines
Abbas Ahmadi Saadi

The concept of spirituality as opposed to materiality and the material world constitutes the main principle of all revealed and non-revealed religions. True existence is spiritual in all religions. Spirituality means having great faith in the existence of transcendent a More

The concept of spirituality as opposed to materiality and the material world constitutes the main principle of all revealed and non-revealed religions. True existence is spiritual in all religions. Spirituality means having great faith in the existence of transcendent and supernatural truths, which, in Mulla Sadra’s view, have their origin in the unique existence of Almighty Truth. Such a belief grants a specific color and direction to human behaviors and various angles of life, so that individuals will never consider their own being or that of others and the world to be in vain. Rather, it fills them with a pleasant feeling of satisfaction. This concept is not limited to the holy doctrines of a specific religion in psychology, and it is not opposed in this field, either. Based on the principles of his Transcendent Philosophy regarding psychology and the mutual body-soul relation, Mulla Sadra believes that behaviors, physical acts, sciences, and human awareness exercise a profound influence over the human soul and spirit and finally determine their fate in the process of the trans-substantial motion and becoming. Accordingly, one’s spiritual and inner health depends on their awareness and behavior. The science of psychology, particularly humanistic psychology, greatly emphasizes the critical role of spirituality in organizing individuals’ life, character, and behavior. According to some existentialist psychologists, such as Frankl and Jung, mental or spiritual health comprises one of the important elements of a healthy personality. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - A Response to an Old Problem about Mulla Sadra’s Encounter with Suhrawardi’s Arguments on Denying the Pre-Existence of the Soul
Ali Shirvani Mojtaba Afsharpour

There are some disagreements among philosophers on the pre-existence of the soul, that is, the existence of the soul before joining the body, whether it is originated or pre-eternal. Mulla Sadra maintains that the soul – the soul qua soul – originates in the trans-subst More

There are some disagreements among philosophers on the pre-existence of the soul, that is, the existence of the soul before joining the body, whether it is originated or pre-eternal. Mulla Sadra maintains that the soul – the soul qua soul – originates in the trans-substantial motion of the body (corporeal origination) through particular individuation. However, he agrees with its pre-existence and considers it to be a rational one. When discussing this issue, he investigates, criticizes, and rejects Suhrawardi’s arguments on denying pre-existence. The commentators of Mulla Sadra’s words have always asked the question of why he did not agree with Suhrawardi’s arguments on denying the soul’s pre-existence based on his own particular individuation so that they would appear unanimous with respect to this problem. At least, this is what one could understand from Suhrawardi’s words and arguments. Accordingly, some of the early and contemporary commentators criticized him and believed that his objections to Suhrawardi’s words were unfounded. In this paper, while briefly referring to the fundamental principles of Suhrawardi’s arguments and Mulla Sadra’s related criticisms, the writers explain the main reason why Mulla Sadra refused to accept Suhrawardi’s view about the pre-existence of the soul. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - A Critique of a Critical Report on Mulla Sadra’s al-Hashr al-‘ashya’ Treatise
Maqsud Mohammadi

Corporeal resurrection is one of the necessary principles of Islam, and all Muslims, based on the explicit text of Qur’anic verses, believe in the Day of Resurrection. Accordingly, Islamic philosophers have tried to demonstrate this religious principle by means of philo More

Corporeal resurrection is one of the necessary principles of Islam, and all Muslims, based on the explicit text of Qur’anic verses, believe in the Day of Resurrection. Accordingly, Islamic philosophers have tried to demonstrate this religious principle by means of philosophical reasons. Some of them, such as Ibn Sina, have expressed their failure in demonstrating the corporeality of resurrection. However, Mulla Sadra has accomplished this task drawing on the principles of the Transcendent Philosophy, such as the principiality of existence, the trans-substantial motion, and the immateriality of imagination. He has explained his theory of corporeal resurrection not only in his various books but also in an independent treatise entitled al-Hashr al-‘ashya’, which is specifically on this theme. The esteemed corrector of this treatise has questioned some of Mulla Sadra’s statements, which the writer of this paper finds unfounded. Here, he has critically examined these conflicts. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - Necessary Conditions for the Realization of the Union of the Intellect, the Intelligent, and the Intelligible in the Transcendent Philosophy
Mohammad Mehdi Gorjian Mojtaba Afsharpour

The principle of the union of the intellect, the intelligible, and the intelligent is one of the most important principles of the Transcendent Philosophy. It was a philosophical problem long before the history of Islamic philosophy, but Muslim philosophers have adopted More

The principle of the union of the intellect, the intelligible, and the intelligent is one of the most important principles of the Transcendent Philosophy. It was a philosophical problem long before the history of Islamic philosophy, but Muslim philosophers have adopted different approaches in dealing with it. Mulla Sadra, in addition to accepting this principle, made great efforts in order to demonstrate it and, in doing so, benefitted from the divine blessing. Moreover, owing to the fundamental principles of his own system of philosophy, he founded a new approach for explaining this principle at two levels which brought in its wake several important results. The acceptance of the idea that the rational soul wishes to become identical with its own intelligible at the time of absolute intellection initially seems to be impossible, and the human mind hesitates to accept any convincing proof in this regard without some necessary preparation and introductory explanations. That is why the writers have not examined the related proofs and arguments concerning this principle. Rather, they have presented eleven necessary premises before demonstrating it. In doing so, in each section, they have explained the intention of the Sadrian philosophers who believe in the union of the intelligent and the intelligible. After analyzing these premises and necessary conditions, the mind is ready for accepting an argument that can prove the related claim. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

6 - Is the Soul Light or Existence? A Study of Mulla Sadra’s Ontological Interpretation of Suhrawardi’s View of the Soul as Light
Qasim Pourhassan Ali Babaei

In his works, particularly in his glosses on Sharh al-hikmat al-ishraq, Mulla Sadra provides some interpretations of Suhrawardi’s ideas regarding the concept of light which are in line with the teachings of his own school of philosophy. In other words, they are based on More

In his works, particularly in his glosses on Sharh al-hikmat al-ishraq, Mulla Sadra provides some interpretations of Suhrawardi’s ideas regarding the concept of light which are in line with the teachings of his own school of philosophy. In other words, they are based on ontological discussions. One of the most important of these interpretations is the interpretation of the soul or “I” as light in “existence”. Mulla Sadra’s views in such interpretations which also bear upon the soul as light in existence are based on equating light and existence. This is the case while, given the teachings of the Illuminationist philosophy, light in the sense intended by Suhrawardi cannot be equated with existence. In this paper, the writers initially explain Suhrawardi’s discussions and Mulla Sadra’s ontological readings regarding the concept of soul as light and Mulla Sadra’s ontological interpretations in this regard. Then they examine and criticize these interpretations at two stages: first, they investigate and criticize the theory of the sameness of light and existence; second, they examine and criticize the content of ontological interpretations. In addition to their foundationalism, the difference between Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadra’s interpretations of the soul is that in Illuminationist Philosophy, as a unique distinctive feature, philosophy begins with the soul; however, in Mulla Sadra’s school the knowledge of the soul is discussed in the realm of wisdom. When beginning with the soul, the term light is formed, while in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy the term existence, which already existed, is attributed to the soul and then interpreted. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

7 - The Role of the Ideal Level of the Soul in Establishing the Soul-Body Relation in Mulla Sadra’s Philosophy
Mohammad Miri

Unlike his preceding philosophers, Mulla Sadra believes that the distance between the rational soul and the corporeal body is too big to be filled merely with the steam-like soul. In addition to the steam-like soul, he considers the existence of Ideal existence as a lin More

Unlike his preceding philosophers, Mulla Sadra believes that the distance between the rational soul and the corporeal body is too big to be filled merely with the steam-like soul. In addition to the steam-like soul, he considers the existence of Ideal existence as a link between the rational and corporeal levels to be necessary. Mulla Sadra’s graded view of human existence led him, firstly, to introduce Man as having three supreme (rational), low (material), and mid (Ideal) levels. Secondly, he maintained that Man’s Ideal and imaginal level is the link connecting the two higher and lower levels. In order to explain the place of Ideal level in human existence, he resorts to the principle of the “conformity between the macrocosm and microcosm” and considers the two rational and Ideal levels in the human microcosm to be similar to the Heaven and Throne in the macrocosm. As acknowledged by Mulla Sadra himself, he is greatly influenced by gnostics regarding the discussion of Man’s Ideal level. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

8 - A Study of the Effect of Mulla Sadra’s View of the Soul on his View of Revelation
Furugh al-Sadat Rahimpoor Majid Yaryan

Mulla Sadra based his Transcendent Philosophy and psychology on some principles which, before him, had not received much attention as fundamental principles of a school of philosophy. The trans-substantial motion of the soul from matter to kingdom, gradation of existenc More

Mulla Sadra based his Transcendent Philosophy and psychology on some principles which, before him, had not received much attention as fundamental principles of a school of philosophy. The trans-substantial motion of the soul from matter to kingdom, gradation of existence and the gradedness of the soul, the place of the world of imagination and the union of the soul with the Active Intellect are among these basic principles in Sadrian psychology. In this article, the writers explore the place of Mulla Sadra’s psychological principles in the knowledge of revelation and explanation of this process, as well as their impact on this field. From among the consequences of these principles we can refer to the kalami nature of revelation, its being impersonal and error-free, its being parallel with the intellect, and its continuity. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

9 - Spirit of the Theory of Reminiscence in Mulla Sadra’s View of Intellection
Ali Asghar J‘afari Valani

In his explanation of perception, especially intellectual perception, based on his own philosophical principles, such as the principality and gradation of existence, commensurability of existence with knowledge and the trans-substantial motion, Mulla Sadra follows an ap More

In his explanation of perception, especially intellectual perception, based on his own philosophical principles, such as the principality and gradation of existence, commensurability of existence with knowledge and the trans-substantial motion, Mulla Sadra follows an approach different from that of his predecessors. On the other hand, he considers Plato’s theory of the pre-eternity of the soul in line with his own view of the corporeal origination of the soul based on its creation in the world of separate beings. The reason is that this creation in the world of separate beings and immaterial intellects is not in a particular and imperfect form. Rather, in the arc of descent, the soul enjoys corporeal origination along with the body’s trans-substantial motion and returns to the world of intellects in the arc of ascent. This ontological process is the same as an epistemological one. Accordingly, the soul observes the world of intellect through intellectual perception; the same world in which it enjoyed a rational existence at the beginning of the arc of descent. Given the intertwinement of ontology and epistemology in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy, as the development of the human soul in the worlds of existence is followed by its ontological development, moving from each world to the next one is followed by the perfection of perception, from the sense and imaginal perception to the intellectual one. Regarding intellectual perceptions, unlike sense and imaginal perceptions, Mulla Sadra believes in the flow of intellectual concepts from immaterial intellects into the soul and the soul’s contemplating them from a distance. Therefore, although Mulla Sadra does not agree with Plato’s theory of reminiscence, his particular view of intellectual perception can be a kind of reminiscence and recollection. However, given the differences between the philosophical principles of Plato and Mulla Sadra, we cannot consider them to be completely compatible with each other. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

10 - A Comparative Critical Study of the Origination of the Soul in Mulla Sadra and Ibn Sina
Davood Mohamadiany

In the field of psychology in Islamic philosophy, there are two theories on the origination of the soul. Ibn Sina posed the theory of the spiritual origination of the soul and Mulla Sadra propounded the theory of the corporeal origination of the soul. However, contrary More

In the field of psychology in Islamic philosophy, there are two theories on the origination of the soul. Ibn Sina posed the theory of the spiritual origination of the soul and Mulla Sadra propounded the theory of the corporeal origination of the soul. However, contrary to Mulla Sadra’s idea, by the immateriality of the soul at the time of origination, Ibn Sina never meant complete immateriality at the level of practical intellect. Accordingly, it appears that Mulla Sadra’s objections to Ibn Sina are not justified and can be responded to. Likewise, by the corporeality of the soul at the time of origination, Mulla Sadra does not mean that the soul is a body or a type of corporeal thing. Rather, he means that, at the moment of origination, the soul is at the level of potential intellect, at the highest level of corporeality, and at the lowest level of immateriality. There are also some other pieces of evidence that bring the ideas of these two philosophers closer to each other. This paper intends to compare their views regarding the origination of the soul. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

11 - Creativity of the Soul and its Anthropological Principles in the Transcendent Philosophy
Fatemeh Estesnaei Seyyed Morteza Hosseini Shahroudi Jahangir Masoudi

In Mulla Sadra’s view the rational soul has been created in such a way that, immediately after having the knowledge and the will, it can actualize its intention as one of its own modes. However, this ability is of different stronger and weaker grades at different ontolo More

In Mulla Sadra’s view the rational soul has been created in such a way that, immediately after having the knowledge and the will, it can actualize its intention as one of its own modes. However, this ability is of different stronger and weaker grades at different ontological configurations and levels of the souls. In the Transcendent Philosophy, the domain of the soul’s creativity is divided into two inner and outer fields. The inner field refers to the hidden worlds of the soul and the outer field contains nature and metaphysics. A clear example of inner creativity is the making of mental forms, and one example of external creativity is the miracles done by prophets and favorites of God. Some of the anthropological principles of creativity in the Transcendent Philosophy which are examined extensively in this paper include the immateriality of the soul, the immateriality of the imaginal faculty, being a knowing agent, simplicity of the soul, and the soul’s being a supreme paradigm. Accordingly, the human soul, as a divine existent who is the vicegerent and perfect manifestation of God Almighty, in addition to its internal creativity can be everything which is rationally manifested to its mind under its control and grant external existence to mental existents provided that it becomes identical with perfect immaterial things in terms of knowledge and act. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

12 - Depiction of a Pattern for Organizational Management Based on the Interaction between the Soul and Faculties
Seyyed Ehsan Rafiealavy Mostafa Azizi Alavijeh

Since Almighty God has created the human soul as a comprehensive example of all beings in the world, and also because the human soul rules and manages its realm similar to a powerful administrator and leader, this study, inspired by a philosophical approach to the soul, More

Since Almighty God has created the human soul as a comprehensive example of all beings in the world, and also because the human soul rules and manages its realm similar to a powerful administrator and leader, this study, inspired by a philosophical approach to the soul, aims to revisit the patterns of the management of organizational behavior and supreme organizational acts. The reason is that one of the successful methods of portraying valid social structures is to benefit from the truth of the creation-centered fitrah (primordial nature). This paper explains the relationship between the soul and its faculties based on the psychological approaches of the Peripatetic and Transcendent schools of philosophy. Here, the writers clarify the theories of “conquer relation” and “gradation relation” and try to gain a new perspective of the relationship between the soul and its faculties as two models of management and leadership, called “delegated management” and “diffused management” and explain their features. Finally, they try to provide and explain a single model based on an integration of the mentioned models. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

13 - The Relationship between Human Nature and Moral Responsibility in Mulla Sadra
Mohammad Hosseinzadeh Azam Ghasemi Mohsen Javadi Hadi Vakili

The principles of the Transcendent Philosophy as well as empirical observations indicate that people are different from each other in their primary nature. This explains why they are different in terms of their free will and voluntary acts. The present paper investigate More

The principles of the Transcendent Philosophy as well as empirical observations indicate that people are different from each other in their primary nature. This explains why they are different in terms of their free will and voluntary acts. The present paper investigates Mulla Sadra’s view of the effects of human nature on their voluntary acts and examines its role in accepting responsibility. The formation of human nature in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy is different from that in other schools of philosophy. In the Transcendent Philosophy, the human nature originates in the material mode of the soul, and the differences among the natures of different human beings are rooted in the differences among corporeal substances. The attachment of this affair to the necessity of the cause-effect relation is the reason why moral responsibility is not explainable in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy. This problem poses certain challenges to Sadrian practical wisdom, the most important of which is the challenge of explaining the system of duty and recompense. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

14 - Mulla Sadra’s View of Philosophy
Mansure Rahmani Ahad Faramarz Gharamaleki Faramarz Gharamaleki

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philo More

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philosophy reflects the process of the perfection of the human soul in an essential and graded sense in the light of ontological wayfaring rather than in a quantitative or qualitative sense. He maintains that the end of philosophy is to become similar to God, and this similarity is realized through attaining all-inclusive knowledge and becoming separate from corporeal things. Assuming the sameness of philosophy and wayfaring results in pluralism in philosophizing, limitless philosophizing, separation of epistemological promotion from ontological promotion, methodological pluralism, and go togetherness of the purification of the soul and philosophy. Based on equating philosophy with wayfaring, Mulla Sadra tries to organize the structure of the Transcendent Philosophy based on the model of the four-fold journeys. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

15 - Mulla Sadra’s View of Philosophy
Mansure Rahmani Ahad Faramarz Gharamaleki Faramarz Gharamaleki Ghasim Kakaie

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philo More

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philosophy reflects the process of the perfection of the human soul in an essential and graded sense in the light of ontological wayfaring rather than in a quantitative or qualitative sense. He maintains that the end of philosophy is to become similar to God, and this similarity is realized through attaining all-inclusive knowledge and becoming separate from corporeal things. Assuming the sameness of philosophy and wayfaring results in pluralism in philosophizing, limitless philosophizing, separation of epistemological promotion from ontological promotion, methodological pluralism, and go togetherness of the purification of the soul and philosophy. Based on equating philosophy with wayfaring, Mulla Sadra tries to organize the structure of the Transcendent Philosophy based on the model of the four-fold journeys. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

16 - Mulla Sadra’s View of Philosophy
Mansure Rahmani Ahad Faramarz Gharamaleki Faramarz Gharamaleki Ghasim Kakaie

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philo More

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philosophy reflects the process of the perfection of the human soul in an essential and graded sense in the light of ontological wayfaring rather than in a quantitative or qualitative sense. He maintains that the end of philosophy is to become similar to God, and this similarity is realized through attaining all-inclusive knowledge and becoming separate from corporeal things. Assuming the sameness of philosophy and wayfaring results in pluralism in philosophizing, limitless philosophizing, separation of epistemological promotion from ontological promotion, methodological pluralism, and go togetherness of the purification of the soul and philosophy. Based on equating philosophy with wayfaring, Mulla Sadra tries to organize the structure of the Transcendent Philosophy based on the model of the four-fold journeys. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

17 - انگارة‌ ملاصدرا از فلسفه‌
Mansure Rahmani Ahad Faramarz Gharamaleki Faramarz Gharamaleki Ghasim Kakaie

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philo More

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philosophy reflects the process of the perfection of the human soul in an essential and graded sense in the light of ontological wayfaring rather than in a quantitative or qualitative sense. He maintains that the end of philosophy is to become similar to God, and this similarity is realized through attaining all-inclusive knowledge and becoming separate from corporeal things. Assuming the sameness of philosophy and wayfaring results in pluralism in philosophizing, limitless philosophizing, separation of epistemological promotion from ontological promotion, methodological pluralism, and go togetherness of the purification of the soul and philosophy. Based on equating philosophy with wayfaring, Mulla Sadra tries to organize the structure of the Transcendent Philosophy based on the model of the four-fold journeys. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

18 - انگارة‌ ملاصدرا از فلسفه‌
Mansure Rahmani Ahad Faramarz Gharamaleki Faramarz Gharamaleki Ghasim Kakaie

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philo More

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philosophy reflects the process of the perfection of the human soul in an essential and graded sense in the light of ontological wayfaring rather than in a quantitative or qualitative sense. He maintains that the end of philosophy is to become similar to God, and this similarity is realized through attaining all-inclusive knowledge and becoming separate from corporeal things. Assuming the sameness of philosophy and wayfaring results in pluralism in philosophizing, limitless philosophizing, separation of epistemological promotion from ontological promotion, methodological pluralism, and go togetherness of the purification of the soul and philosophy. Based on equating philosophy with wayfaring, Mulla Sadra tries to organize the structure of the Transcendent Philosophy based on the model of the four-fold journeys. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

19 - انگارة‌ ملاصدرا از فلسفه‌
Mansure Rahmani

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philo More

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philosophy reflects the process of the perfection of the human soul in an essential and graded sense in the light of ontological wayfaring rather than in a quantitative or qualitative sense. He maintains that the end of philosophy is to become similar to God, and this similarity is realized through attaining all-inclusive knowledge and becoming separate from corporeal things. Assuming the sameness of philosophy and wayfaring results in pluralism in philosophizing, limitless philosophizing, separation of epistemological promotion from ontological promotion, methodological pluralism, and go togetherness of the purification of the soul and philosophy. Based on equating philosophy with wayfaring, Mulla Sadra tries to organize the structure of the Transcendent Philosophy based on the model of the four-fold journeys. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

20 - Mulla Sadra’s View of Philosophy
Mansure Rahmani Ahad Faramarz Gharamaleki Faramarz Gharamaleki Ghasim Kakaie

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philo More

In the view of some philosophers, philosophy has been reduced to mental wayfaring and conceptual exchanges. In contrast, based on certain practical aspects, some other philosophers consider philosophy to be the same as ontological wayfaring. In Mulla Sadra’s view, philosophy reflects the process of the perfection of the human soul in an essential and graded sense in the light of ontological wayfaring rather than in a quantitative or qualitative sense. He maintains that the end of philosophy is to become similar to God, and this similarity is realized through attaining all-inclusive knowledge and becoming separate from corporeal things. Assuming the sameness of philosophy and wayfaring results in pluralism in philosophizing, limitless philosophizing, separation of epistemological promotion from ontological promotion, methodological pluralism, and go togetherness of the purification of the soul and philosophy. Based on equating philosophy with wayfaring, Mulla Sadra tries to organize the structure of the Transcendent Philosophy based on the model of the four-fold journeys. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

21 - An Analytic Study of Mulla Sadra’s Responses to the Questions of Khwajah Nasir al-Din Tusi and Mulla Muzaffar Hossein Kashani about the Subsistence of the Soul
Abollhasan Ghafari

The subsistence of the soul after its parting with the body is one of the most challenging problems in the field of philosophy. This problem has been discussed by both philosophers who consider the soul to be pre-eternal and immaterial and philosophers who believe in th More

The subsistence of the soul after its parting with the body is one of the most challenging problems in the field of philosophy. This problem has been discussed by both philosophers who consider the soul to be pre-eternal and immaterial and philosophers who believe in the spiritual origination of the soul, and both groups have adduced various arguments in this regard. Khwajah Nasir al-Din Tusi, who is a Peripatetic philosopher, has posed the following question: Why, in the view of philosophers, are the body and bodily preparedness concomitant at the beginning of the origination of the soul but not at the stage of subsistence and separation? He has probed the response to this question in a treatise which he wrote about the subsistence of the soul. At the same time, he asked this question from his contemporary philosopher, Shams al-Din Khusrawshahi, but he did not receive a response. Mulla Muzaffar Hossein Kashani, who was contemporary with Mulla Sadra, asked him the same question, since it seems that the problem of the subsistence of the soul is apparently inconsistent with Mulla Sadra’s theory of corporeal origination. He provided a response to the question of Khwajah Nasir al-Din Tusi and Mulla Muzaffar on the basis of the fundamental principles of his own philosophy and defended the problem of the subsistence of the soul after its separation from the body. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

22 - Shared Model of the Body-Centered Arguments of the Immateriality of the Soul in Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra
Majid Yaryan Furugh al-Sadat Rahimpoor Mehdi Emam Jome

Some Islamic philosophers, such as Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra, have dealt with the characteristics of the soul, including the demonstration of its immateriality, in their anthropological discussions. A study of the works of these two philosophers indicates that the positi More

Some Islamic philosophers, such as Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra, have dealt with the characteristics of the soul, including the demonstration of its immateriality, in their anthropological discussions. A study of the works of these two philosophers indicates that the positive arguments of the immateriality of the soul are all based on the negation of the characteristics of the body and bodily matter. In other words, they denote that the soul lacks bodily features and, hence, demonstrates that it is immaterial. For example, bodily matter enjoys quantity, position, change, divisibility, and finitude of acts; it is vulnerable to weakness, aging, and tiredness. Moreover, the knowledge of the body and its acts is of the acquired type and is conditioned by place and position. These two philosophers demonstrate the immateriality of the soul by negating and denying the above characteristics to it. Thus the knowledge of the soul and demonstration of its immaterial nature would be impossible without the knowledge of the body and disallowing any bodily features for it. In this paper, in addition to revising the arguments of the demonstration of the immateriality of the soul and determining the key place of the body therein, it has been tried to design and provide a general model entailing all such arguments. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

23 - A Comparative Study of Ibn Sina’s and Mulla Sadra’s Philosophical Principles of Intermediary Development Based on Religious Texts
Seyyed Sadra al-Din Taheri امينه احمدي

In religious sources, based on the logic of revelation, the development of the soul in the intermediate world is certain and impeccable. However, the quality of intermediary development and its probable inconsistency certain philosophical principles, such as the necessi More

In religious sources, based on the logic of revelation, the development of the soul in the intermediate world is certain and impeccable. However, the quality of intermediary development and its probable inconsistency certain philosophical principles, such as the necessity for any kind of development to be preceded by potency and motion and allocating them to matter, makes it necessary for this kind of development to be only possible based on religious (Shar‘i) principles. In other words, philosophers might not be able to demonstrate the possibility of the souls’ intermediary development on the basis of rational principles. In this paper, the writers initially examine the traditional proofs for intermediary development based on religious texts and then investigate it in the light of the fundamental principles proposed by two prominent Islamic philosophers, Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra. After a comparative study of their views, the writers conclude that intermediary development is impossible based on both philosophers’ principles regarding motion. However, they also argue that, given Mulla Sadra’s view of the Ideal immateriality of the soul and his belief in the Ideal Otherworldly body, there is a more appropriate, but not sufficient, context for the posthumous development of the body. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

24 - A Critical Study of Hakim Sabziwari’s Innovative Arguments on the Trans-Substantial Motion
Hussein Ali Shidanshid Mohammad Hadi Tavakkoli

Among the various arguments that Hakim Sabziwari has adduced in his Sharh-i manzumah for demonstrating the theory of the trans-substantial motion, five appear to be among his own innovations at first glance. They include reasoning through the qualitative motion of ideas More

Among the various arguments that Hakim Sabziwari has adduced in his Sharh-i manzumah for demonstrating the theory of the trans-substantial motion, five appear to be among his own innovations at first glance. They include reasoning through the qualitative motion of ideas in heavenly souls, reasoning through the renewal of Ideas, reasoning through the unified origination of the world, reasoning through the purposiveness of nature, and reasoning through the shadow-like unity of the soul. The present paper is aimed to report, analyze, and criticize such arguments. The conducted study indicates that four of these arguments can be considered to be among his innovations. The philosophical significance of these four-fold arguments mainly arise from the fact that they manifest the place of the theory of the trans-substantial motion, have mutual interactions with other problems in the field of the Transcendent-Philosophy, promote scrutiny regarding the different aspects and effects of this theory, and demonstrate the harmony and consistency among the various sections of Sadrian Transcendent Philosophy. However, the mentioned arguments are neither simple and explicit nor capable of proving this theory based on a few premises. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

25 - Interpretation of two Arguments of the Theory of Motion in Immaterial Things
Seyed Hosain Hosaini Musa Malayeri

Most Muslim philosophers – including the Peripatetics, Illuminationists, and Sadrians – have rejected the possibility of change and motion in immaterial things based on their own principles. However, during the last two decades, some authorities in the field of philosop More

Most Muslim philosophers – including the Peripatetics, Illuminationists, and Sadrians – have rejected the possibility of change and motion in immaterial things based on their own principles. However, during the last two decades, some authorities in the field of philosophy have opposed this idea and argued for the possibility of motion and change in immaterial thing. This theory has attracted the attention of a number of academic centers, and some papers and books have been written on this subject. The proponents of this view have provided some arguments in its favor, and its opponents have rejected them. Following an analytic approach, this paper defends the theory of the existence of motion in immaterial things at two stages. Initially, the authors provide a response to the criticism targeting the main argument of this theory and defend its legitimacy; secondly, through resorting to the createdness of the soul, they present a new argument in its favor. Finally, they conclude that the mentioned theory is acceptable in the realm of rationality and reasoning and is superior to its counter-theory. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

26 - A Critical Study of Functionalism with a Glance at Mulla Sadra’s Self-Knowledge
Reza Safari Kandsari

The relationship between the body and the soul is one of the complex issues in philosophy. The Cartesian and Platonic dualism is one of the solutions offered for this problem. Descartes and Plato believed that the soul and body are two different substances and enjoy the More

The relationship between the body and the soul is one of the complex issues in philosophy. The Cartesian and Platonic dualism is one of the solutions offered for this problem. Descartes and Plato believed that the soul and body are two different substances and enjoy their own particular domains and features. Contemporary philosophers of the mind have also introduced a number of views in order to resolve the problems of substantial dualism. The theories of behaviorism and the identity of the mind and body deny the substantive nature of the soul and employ the words “mind” and “mental states” instead of the word “soul” and maintain that mental states are the same behavioral and brain-related states. However, while acknowledging the problems of dualism, the behavioral approaches, and the standpoint of the identity of the mind and brain, the advocates of functionalism provide an impartial interpretation of the mind (its being abstract or concrete) and believe that mental states are the same functional states which perform certain functional roles based on mental input and output and other mental states. Islamic philosophers and mutikallimun have also tackled the enigma of the soul and body and Plato’s substantial dualism. Ibn Sina and Suhrawardi deny the priority of the soul to the body (Platonic theory) but consider the essence of the soul and body to be immaterial and corporeal, respectively. Most mutikallimun reject the idea of the soul as an immaterial and self-subsistent substance and view it as a delicate kind of body. In line with functionalists, Mulla Sadra was well aware of the problems associated with considering the soul as an immaterial or corporeal substance and argued that the essence of the soul is not purely immaterial or material; rather, it is initially corporeal and then becomes immaterial through trans-substantial motion. He also stated that, based on the shadowy true unity, the soul is an intermediate world inclusive of both materiality and immateriality and becomes material and immaterial based on the states of its grades. Although both functionalists and Mulla Sadra reject the mind’s (the soul in Mulla Sadra’s view) being purely immaterial or corporeal, Mulla Sadra provided a more accurate explanation of the body-soul relation in comparison to functionalists, who hold a physicalist view of the mind. This is because he does not limit being exclusively to nature. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

27 - A Comparative Study of the Proofs of the Immateriality of the Soul in Demonstrating Imaginal Immateriality in the Views of Muḥaqqiq Ṭūsī and Mullā Ṣadrā
Ahmad Abedi Arani Mohammad Reza Karimi Vala Mohsen Pirhadi

One of the main proofs demonstrating the subsistence of the soul is the immateriality of the soul. However, solving the dilemma of the subsistence of all human souls depends on the analysis of the quality of the immateriality of the soul and demonstrating imaginal immat More

One of the main proofs demonstrating the subsistence of the soul is the immateriality of the soul. However, solving the dilemma of the subsistence of all human souls depends on the analysis of the quality of the immateriality of the soul and demonstrating imaginal immateriality. Muḥaqqiq Ṭūsī has tried to prove the immateriality of the soul and has essentially propounded immateriality as an argument for demonstrating the subsistence of the soul. Although he has not referred to the demonstration of imaginal immateriality, some of the proofs he presents have the potential to be used in proving this kind of immateriality. On the other hand, he believes that the souls which have reached the level of rational immateriality also enjoy imaginal immateriality. Mullā Ṣadrā has also demonstrated the rational and imaginal types of immateriality in order to solve the problem of the subsistence of all souls and, basically, his attempts at demonstrating imaginal immateriality were at the service of demonstrating the subsistence of all souls. Some of Mullā Ṣadrā’s proofs are similar to those of Muḥaqqiq Ṭūsī. Mullā Ṣadrā believes that the application of some of these arguments to imaginal immateriality is perfect and, in addition to them, he also provides some independent reasons in order to demonstrate the rational and imaginal types of immateriality. Hence, through proving that the faculty of imagination is one of the levels of the soul and an immaterial thing by itself, he has managed to reason for the subsistence of the souls which have not moved forward from the level of imaginal immateriality. Here, the authors state that the arguments propounded by Muḥaqqiq Ṭūsī are capable of demonstrating imaginal immateriality and, accordingly, as Mullā Ṣadrā indicates, the subsistence of all human souls is possible in the light of demonstrating the imaginal immateriality of the soul. This has been clearly explained based on Sadrian principles; nevertheless, before Mullā Ṣadrā and in Muḥaqqiq Ṭūsī’s studies, imaginal immateriality can only be witnesses in those souls which have reached the level of rational immateriality. This argument cannot solve the problem of the subsistence of all human souls. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

28 - Human Soul: A Supreme Example of God in the Transcendent Philosophy
Mojtaba Afsharpour Mohammad Mehdi Gorjian Mohsen Qomi

One of the aspects that has been referred to in the Transcendent Philosophy for attaining the knowledge of God through the knowledge of the soul is that the human soul is a supreme example of God. This means that God has created the human soul similar to Himself in term More

One of the aspects that has been referred to in the Transcendent Philosophy for attaining the knowledge of God through the knowledge of the soul is that the human soul is a supreme example of God. This means that God has created the human soul similar to Himself in terms of essence, attributes, and acts so that the knowledge of the soul could function as a means of attaining the knowledge of God in these three realms. However, it is noteworthy that God Almighty is pure from a like. Therefore, an example is different from a like. A careful study of Mullā Ṣadrā’s works reveals that he followed this theory seriously and tried his best to grant it a demonstrative nature. However, he never introduced it in a coherent and well-defined manner in a book or a chapter but dealt with its different dimensions in different chapters and works in relation to other discussions. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce this theory and the related interpretations in a coherent form. After some preliminary explanations regarding the Sadrian supreme example theory, this paper examines and analyzes the most important dimensions of the soul as an example of God and the related analyses in order to identify the most significant aspects of this feature of the human soul. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

29 - Applications of Mullā Ṣadrā’s Psychological Principles in Education
Mahdi Rezaei

20.1001.1.15600874.1400.27.2.2.0

The basis of education, in general, and Islamic education, in particular, is the human soul (psyche). In order to educate the soul and psyche, there are some principles that are employed to achieve the predetermined goals and objectives. Given the religious approach of More

The basis of education, in general, and Islamic education, in particular, is the human soul (psyche). In order to educate the soul and psyche, there are some principles that are employed to achieve the predetermined goals and objectives. Given the religious approach of this study and the potentials of the Transcendent Philosophy in this regard, the author has tried to identify and examine the applications of the principles of educating the soul (psyche) based on Mullā Ṣadrā’s philosophical thoughts. Some of these principles include the substance of the soul’s immateriality, the corporeal origination and spiritual subsistence of the soul, and its graded trans-substantial motion in its process of development. Following this, he has dealt with the educational principles inferred from the mentioned principles and the purposes of this study, such as graded transcendence and graduation and transformationalism, reform, and recreation in the process of educating the soul (psyche). This study was conducted following a combination of descriptive-analytic and inferential methods while using library resources in order to describe the concepts and analyze and clarify the problem. The author has specifically referred to Mullā Ṣadrā’s books (particularly al-Asfār, VIII and IX) and the works of some of his commentators in order to extract and infer the related principles employed in the education of the soul. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

30 - Ontological Functions of the Corporeal Dimension of Man in Mullā Ṣadrā’s View
Hadi Jafary Ali Arshad Riahi

20.1001.1.15600874.1401.27.3.1.5

Man’s corporeal dimension is of great significance from various angles in Mullā Ṣadrā’s anthropology. In this paper, the authors deal with one of its important dimensions, that is, its ontological functions. Mullā Ṣadrā has not allocated any independent section to the f More

Man’s corporeal dimension is of great significance from various angles in Mullā Ṣadrā’s anthropology. In this paper, the authors deal with one of its important dimensions, that is, its ontological functions. Mullā Ṣadrā has not allocated any independent section to the functions of Man’s corporeal dimension in his works and has not even directly referred to it. However, these functions can be inferred from his views. A study of his works indicate that Man’s corporeal dimension performs some important functions from an ontological perspective. In this regard reference can be made to the following functions: developing belief, promotion and evolution of Man, having free will, performing opposite acts, completing mental and rational acts, constructing and improving the world, realizing the noblest order, granting identity to the soul, and developing the identity of the perfect Man and some apparently contradictory roles such as becoming the source of evil and the source of freedom from evil. This study, which has been conducted following the library and content analysis methods, in addition to demonstrating the significance and necessity of Man’s corporeal dimension in the world of creation, illustrates that the functions of this dimension have various aspects from an ontological viewpoint and pertain to a number of important realms in the world of being. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

31 - A Comparison of the Body-Soul Relationship in Philosophical Behaviorism and Sadrian Philosophy
Naeimeh Najmi Nejad Morteza Rezaee

20.1001.1.15600874.1400.27.2.6.4

The discussion of the relationship between the soul and body has always been a challenging problem. The most important problem with this discussion is the quality of the relationship between the soul as an immaterial existence with the body as a material existence. Many More

The discussion of the relationship between the soul and body has always been a challenging problem. The most important problem with this discussion is the quality of the relationship between the soul as an immaterial existence with the body as a material existence. Many thinkers have presented some theories in response to this problem. Following a descriptive-analytic approach, the present study examines and compares behaviorism, which provides some of the important theories in the philosophy of the mind, with the view of Mullā Ṣadrā as the most prominent Islamic Philosopher. The findings of the study indicate that both behaviorist and Mullā Ṣadrā believe in the oneness of the soul and body. However, behaviorists conceive of the soul and mental states as nothing but external human behavior. This approach in fact rejects the immateriality of the soul and its mental states, while Mullā Ṣadrā considers the relationship between the body and the soul as integration through unification based on some of his own principles including the graded trans-substantial motion and the soul’s corporeal origination. In his view, the soul, while being a single substance, enjoys both a material and corporeal level and different levels of immateriality – including Ideal and rational types – because of its graded nature. In other words, there is a single conjunctive truth that appears in the form of the body at lower levels and as the soul at higher levels. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

32 - A Critical Study of Ibn Sīnā’s Arguments on the Materialism of Particular Perceptive Experience with an Emphasis on the Problem of “Explanatory Gap”
Ahmad Va’ezi Mehdi Karimi

20.1001.1.15600874.1400.27.2.7.5

By doubting the materiality of perceptions based on the problem of explanatory gap, a rational basis is provided for criticizing Ibn Sīnā’s arguments regarding the impossibility of the immateriality of particular perceptions, the demonstration of possibility, and also t More

By doubting the materiality of perceptions based on the problem of explanatory gap, a rational basis is provided for criticizing Ibn Sīnā’s arguments regarding the impossibility of the immateriality of particular perceptions, the demonstration of possibility, and also the necessity of the immateriality of different types of perception. The material interpretation of particular perceptions – whether sensory or imaginal – is among Ibn Sīnā’s views in the ontology of perception. Through providing some arguments on the impossibility of the immateriality of particular perceptive experiences, he believes that the only possible state with respect to such experiences is their immateriality. On the other hand, hypothesizing the existence of a possible world in which a metaphysical state such as pain can be imagined in the absence of a neural process makes the distinction between mental state and neural process possible. This explanatory gap between them makes the immateriality of perception possible through negating the identity of these two phenomena. Given the distinction between physical and metaphysical states and the necessity of the immateriality of perception based on various philosophical arguments, the materiality of particular perception is debatable. Therefore, Mullā Ṣadrā’s idea of the immateriality of sensory and imaginal perception, similar to rational perceptions, presents a more comprehensive explanation of perception and the soul. This paper focus on a study of the whatness and ontology of particular perceptions, the discussion of which is subcategorized under the problem of the soul-body relation in the process of perception. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

33 - Specificity of Attaining the Station of Perfect Man in Mullā Ṣadrā’s View: Arguments and Consequences
Maryam Ahmadi Sahar Kavandi Mohsen Jahed

20.1001.1.15600874.1400.27.2.8.6

One of the most comprehensive studies in the Sadrian philosophical system pertains to the field of anthropology. Moreover, one of the manifestations of the comprehensiveness of this discussion is dealing with the nature and place of the perfect Man in the order of being More

One of the most comprehensive studies in the Sadrian philosophical system pertains to the field of anthropology. Moreover, one of the manifestations of the comprehensiveness of this discussion is dealing with the nature and place of the perfect Man in the order of being and its referents and worldly and other-worldly functions, which have been explored in several studies. However, what they have all neglected is the attention to the reasons of the specific nature of this station and its consequences in this school of philosophy. It seems that the attention to this point can grant more depth to anthropological discussions in the Transcendent Philosophy and Islamic philosophy. Accordingly, this study aims to provide an analytic account of the reason for the uniqueness of this station in Mullā Ṣadrā’s works. Here, while analyzing the factors affecting the emergence and perfection of human beings through difference of souls within the framework of apriori and aposteriori multiplicity, the authors explain the restriction of this station to quite a few people. The findings of this study indicate that the station of the perfect Man can be attained through the prophet’s invitation, obligation, courtesy, etc. Nevertheless, developing the highest levels of this station is not possible for all, which justifies the quality of the voluntary perfection of the Infallible Imāms (‘a) and the prophets (ṣ). Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

34 - A Critical Evaluation of Descartes’ Theory of Animal Mind Based on Sadrian Philosophy
Armin Mansouri Habibullah Danesh Shahraki zahra khazaie

20.1001.1.15600874.1401.27.4.5.1

Immaterial spiritual life for animals and their possession of mental capabilities have always been a controversial topic for debate among philosophers. The existence of certain similarities between animals and human beings, irrespective of all their differences, has mad More

Immaterial spiritual life for animals and their possession of mental capabilities have always been a controversial topic for debate among philosophers. The existence of certain similarities between animals and human beings, irrespective of all their differences, has made it difficult to provide an accurate explanation of the quality of animal life. Given his belief in the existence of two corporeal and immaterial intellectual substances for human beings, Descartes negates the existence of thought and intellection in animals for three reasons: lack of language, lack of creativity, and lack of awareness in animals. In other words, he only accepts the existence of corporeal life for animals and, thus, views animals as complex machines that lack mental life. This idea of Descartes is known as the “animal machine” notion. However, Mullā Ṣadrā analyzes animals in relation to the three material, Ideal, and intellectual levels of the world. Accordingly, he believes in the ideal immateriality of animal souls and explains mindfulness at the animal level based on this belief. Descartes’ animal machine hypothesis and the related three reasons are rejected based on the Ideal immateriality that Mullā Ṣadrā proves for animal souls. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

35 - A Comparative Judgement of the Views and Principles of Mullā Ṣadrā and Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī on the Problem of Corporeal Resurrection
Seyyed Ali Razizadeh Seyyed Abbas Zahabi

20.1001.1.15600874.1401.28.1.1.4

Both Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī and Mullā Ṣadrā believe in corporeal resurrection; however, they follow different approaches in this regard. A comparison of their views shows similarities in some of their principles but fundamental differences in some others. The origin of their More

Both Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī and Mullā Ṣadrā believe in corporeal resurrection; however, they follow different approaches in this regard. A comparison of their views shows similarities in some of their principles but fundamental differences in some others. The origin of their difference is their philosophical principles and, particularly, the discussions of “identical restoration of the non-existent” and “immateriality of faculties”. The rational demonstration of Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī’s corporeal resurrection was based on his belief in identity with the identical restoration of the non-existent, which has led to some incorrect conclusions such as the materiality of the immaterial dimensions of the soul in the process of resurrection. On the other hand, in contrast to Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī’s claim as to philosophers’ lack of belief in corporeal resurrection, Mullā Ṣadrā tried to prove it philosophically for the first time. Although his philosophical approach gave rise to some criticisms against him, the same approach was the secret behind his immunity against repeating the same mistakes committed by mutikallimun, including Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī. Mullā Ṣadrā rejected the theory of the restoration of the non-existent and believed in other worldly and not elemental corporeal resurrection. Therefore, to demonstrate the restoration of individuals’ acts, he did not have to resort to mutikallimun’s theory of the “return of dispersed components” of human beings. One of the other differences between the views of these two philosophers concerns the problem of the multiplicity and immateriality of faculties. Both thinkers believed in the immateriality of the soul, but Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī maintained that soulish faculties lack multiplicity and tried to bring it in line with the idea of the identical restoration of the non-existent. However, Mullā Ṣadrā believed that the solution to the problem of corporeal resurrection, similar to many other problems, must be sought in the specific method of the soul’s knowledge, particularly, the immateriality of imagination. This paper aims to explain and evaluate the fundamental differences between the views of Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī and Mullā Ṣadrā regarding the problem of corporeal resurrection. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

36 - Manifestation of Sadrian Philosophy in Imam Khomeini’s Glosses on Qayṣarī’s Introduction
Gholamreza Hosseinpour

20.1001.1.15600874.1401.27.4.7.3

The fourth chapter of Qayṣarī’s Introduction to Ibn ‘Arabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam discusses substances and accidents following a gnostic approach and is mainly intended to explain the merciful soul. However, there is also an extensive discussion of gnostics’ merciful soul usi More

The fourth chapter of Qayṣarī’s Introduction to Ibn ‘Arabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam discusses substances and accidents following a gnostic approach and is mainly intended to explain the merciful soul. However, there is also an extensive discussion of gnostics’ merciful soul using a philosophical language. Imam Khomeini has criticized Qayṣarī’s explanation in a commentary based on the Transcendent Philosophy. At the end of the same chapter, Qayṣarī has mentioned some points about the meaning of individuation and its types. In another commentary, Imam Khomeini has provided an accurate explanation of different types of individuation using a gnostic language. This meaning of individuation and its types as discussed by Qayṣarī has been almost completely propounded in the third chapter of the fourth level of general affairs in al-Asfār, which reflects the great influence of Ibn ‘Arabī’s gnostic tradition, in general, and Qayṣarī’s Introduction, in particular, on Mullā Ṣadrā’s philosophy. In Qayṣarī’s view, accidents must function as the differentia of substances while, in the view of Mullā Ṣadrā and, following him, Imam Khomeini, Substance is the differentia of substance and not accident. Qayṣarī believes that sometimes individuation is the same as essence and sometimes an addition to it. Nevertheless, Imam Khomeini maintains that individuation does not essentially apply to the essence of Almighty Truth because it is among the effects of attributive manifestations. However, what enjoys the oneness of all individuations is the supreme name and perfect Man. The main purpose of this paper is to provide an accurate explanation, analysis, and criticism of Qayṣarī’s Introduction and Imam Khomeini’s commentary on this work. Imam Khomeini has criticized Qayṣarī in one commentary based on the Sadrian philosophy and, in another one, has discussed his own standpoints based on, in fact, a part of al-Asfār. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

37 - Trans-Substantial Motion of the Soul and its Consequences in the Sadrian Study of the Soul
Rouhollah Souri Hamed Komijani

20.1001.1.15600874.1401.28.1.5.8

The soul goes through elemental, natural, mineral, vegetative, animal (Ideal immateriality), and rational (intellectual immateriality) stages in the cradle of its fluid existence. Therefore, the soul’s belonging to the body is a part of its identity and, thus, it can be More

The soul goes through elemental, natural, mineral, vegetative, animal (Ideal immateriality), and rational (intellectual immateriality) stages in the cradle of its fluid existence. Therefore, the soul’s belonging to the body is a part of its identity and, thus, it can be said that the soul is a material-immaterial substance. Given the existential fluidity of the soul, Mullā Ṣadrā has reinterpreted its various characteristics. Accordingly, the soul’s faculties are levels of its continuous truth that flourish one after each other. Moreover, natural death is the result of the soul’s ontological gradedness and losing interest in elemental body. At some stages of this ontological becoming, the soul attains immateriality and, hence, its survival after death become necessary. Because gradedness and, as a result, attaining immateriality are essential to the soul, its incarnation and return to elemental body is unjustifiable. Therefore, after death, the soul begins its purgatorial life in an Ideal body that is created based on its moral habits, and the natural form that is created in the matter of elemental body opens the path towards purgatorial perfection before it. One of the most important consequences of the soul’s trans-substantial motion is its entrance into divine worlds and annihilation in active, attributive, and essential oneness. Interestingly enough, based on the trans-substantial motion, this significant achievement is possible at the moment of the soul’s belonging to elemental body and is not necessarily limited to the moment of occurrence of natural death. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

38 - A Comparative Study of Muṭahharī’s Theory of Fiṭrah and Kant’s Practical Reason
Omid Arjomand Ghasem Kakaie

20.1001.1.15600874.1401.28.2.2.7

Murtaḍā Muṭahharī, one of the prominent thinkers in the field of Islamic Philosophy, and Immanuel Kant, one of the great thinkers of Western philosophy, have presented some innovative theories in the realm of philosophy. The “theory of fiṭrah” is one of the most signifi More

Murtaḍā Muṭahharī, one of the prominent thinkers in the field of Islamic Philosophy, and Immanuel Kant, one of the great thinkers of Western philosophy, have presented some innovative theories in the realm of philosophy. The “theory of fiṭrah” is one of the most significant theories in Muṭahharī’s philosophical system. He maintains that Man possesses three levels of nature, instinct, and fiṭrah (primordial nature) and also divides fiṭrah itself into two parts: “fiṭrah of knowledge” and “fiṭrah of interest”. Most of Muṭahharī’s innovative ideas, particularly when explaining some topics “such as God, eternity of the soul, and ethics, have been presented in his discussions related to fiṭrah of interest.” On the other hand, as a distinguished and influential philosopher, Kant has criticized metaphysical issues, particularly problems in connection to God, immortality of the soul, and freedom, and transferred them to the realm of “practical reason” from theoretical reason. Muṭahharī’s theory of fiṭrah and, particularly, the discussion of fiṭrī interests and the related issues, such as demonstration of God, immortality of the soul, and ethics, are completely comparable to Kant’s theory of practical reason, specifically the discussion of the essential principles of practical reason, including freedom, eternity of the soul, and God. The purpose of this study is to compare Muṭahharī’s theory of fiṭrah and Kant’s theory of practical reason and to explain their common features, that is, the similarity of infinite perfection with supreme good, the similarity of their methods of demonstrating the eternity and God, and the similarity of their views as to status of philosophy of ethics. The author has followed a descriptive-analytic and comparative approach in order to conduct this study based on the data collected from these two thinkers’ works. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

39 - Corporeal Resurrection Based on Ibn ‘Arabī’s Gnostic Principles
Hadi Jafary Ali Arshad Riahi

20.1001.1.15600874.1402.29.2.5.7

Ibn Arabi is one of the gnostics who has paid particular attention to Man’s corporeal resurrection and its quality in his works. When demonstrating corporeal resurrection, he mainly relies on unveiling and intuition rather than rational demonstration. However, the autho More

Ibn Arabi is one of the gnostics who has paid particular attention to Man’s corporeal resurrection and its quality in his works. When demonstrating corporeal resurrection, he mainly relies on unveiling and intuition rather than rational demonstration. However, the authors of this paper believe that Man’s posthumous corporeal dimension in purgatory and the hereafter can also be proved based on Ibn ‘Arabī’s gnostic principles. Apart from the quality of corporeal resurrection, the question is whether corporeal resurrection itself can be demonstrated relying on such principles or not. This study, which was carried out following the method of content analysis, aimed to provide a convenient response to this question and, thus, concluded that corporeal resurrection is demonstrable based on some of Ibn ‘Arabī’s principles such as Man’s distinction and determination in the process of ascent, the relationship between the macro-anthropo and micro-anthoropo, the theory of contrasting names, nobility of sensory faculties, creation of Man in God’s face, gnostic knowledge of the soul, Man’s level of comprehensiveness and moderation, and repetition in epiphany and renewal of likes. The authors also conclude that the idea that Man is originally an incorporeal existent and finally returns to his incorporeal birthplace is absurd. They argue that the human face must possess a body; hence, even if Shari’a has not spoken of corporeal resurrection, it can be proved based on gnostic principles. Manuscript profile

Current Issue

Published Issues

Menu

Browse

List of Articles soul