Unity

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1 - The Problem of Essential Oneness and its Relationship with the Representativeness of the Unity of Concept Based on the Unity of Referent
Seyyed Majid Mirdamadi

In this paper, while demonstrating the representativeness of the concept of the one based on the single referent and rejecting the possibility of abstracting the single concept from multiple referents, the writer refutes Ibn Kamuneh’s paradox regarding the argument of t More

In this paper, while demonstrating the representativeness of the concept of the one based on the single referent and rejecting the possibility of abstracting the single concept from multiple referents, the writer refutes Ibn Kamuneh’s paradox regarding the argument of the oneness of the Divine Essence and explains the essential unity of Almighty Truth. His paradox holds true based on the principiality and heterogeneity of existences and the principiality of quiddity; however, it is refuted based on the principiality and particular gradation of existence. This study was carried out following the descriptive-analytic method and a critical approach. Its most important conclusions include: 1) Concept and referent are essentially one; 2) Abstracting a single concept from multiple referents in terms of multiplicity is impossible; 3) Common truth is the origin of abstracting a single concept; 4) The unity of concept represents the unity of the referent; 5) Attributing the title of the necessity of existence to its truth is the same as attributing an essential entity to the essential thing, and the concept of the necessity of existence is derived from the innermost of the necessary existence without a determining and causal mode; 6) Ibn Kamuneh’s paradox regarding the argument of the Oneness of the Necessary being is rejected based on the impossibility of deriving a single concept from multiple referents, and 7) If the Necessary Being is considered to be pure existence or simple, no objection will be leveled. Manuscript profile

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2 - Simple Human Intellect in Mulla Sadra
Furugh al-Sadat Rahimpoor Maryam Fakhr al-Dini

In this paper, through examining the meanings of the “simple intellect” in Mulla Sadra’s view, the writers have tried to clarify its specific meaning in relation to the human soul. He maintains that unity and simplicity are among the characteristics of the simple human More

In this paper, through examining the meanings of the “simple intellect” in Mulla Sadra’s view, the writers have tried to clarify its specific meaning in relation to the human soul. He maintains that unity and simplicity are among the characteristics of the simple human intellect, and that the general acquisition of intelligible forms by the simple intellect is a particular attribute which distinguishes it from other levels of perception. The simple human intellect is a name coined for the level of acquired intellect in order to, firstly, explain the specific features of this level, that is, simplicity and unity, and secondly, to emphasize the ontological harmony of the acquired intellect with the “Active Intellect”, which is the origin of the emanation of intelligible forms and is in unity with the acquired reason. Mulla Sadra also uses the term “the simple intellect” to clarify the process of the descent of revelation and considers the descent of the Qu’ran to be the product of the union of the simple intellect of the human soul with the Active Intellect or the “Holy Spirit”. It is through this union that the “Divine Pen” or the same Active Intellect portrays intelligible forms on the tablet of the prophet’s rational soul. Manuscript profile

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3 - Community of Names in Ibn Arabi’s Philosophical System
Fatemeh Mohammad

One of the important subjects which Ibn Arabi has tried to explain based on his own gnostic principles is the relationship between unity and plurality or the mode of the emanation of the plural from the one. While dealing with the levels of the world and referring to th More

One of the important subjects which Ibn Arabi has tried to explain based on his own gnostic principles is the relationship between unity and plurality or the mode of the emanation of the plural from the one. While dealing with the levels of the world and referring to the place of presences and the degrees of being, he discusses the names and attributes of the Truth. Then, through explaining the emanation of names from essence and the relationships among them, he tries to explain the quality of the emanation of multiple names and the creation of existence from the simple essence of the one under the two titles of “community” and “opposition”. Given the depth and range of the discussion, the present paper shortly examines the problem of the community of names in Ibn Arabi’s philosophy following a descriptive method and under the subcategories of the meaning and plurality of names, community of names, and types of community and finally ends with a conclusion section. It is hoped that this endeavor can cast a light on the discussed issue. Manuscript profile

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4 - Ontological, Anthropological, and Epistemological Concomitants of the Theory of the Union of the Intellect and the Intelligible
Seyyed Morteza Hosseini Shahroudi Zohreh Salahshur Sefid Sangi

The principle of the union of the intellect and intelligible is one of the important discussions in Islamic philosophy. The background of this principle in Islamic philosophy goes back to the translation of the book Uthulugia, and Mulla Sadra explained it based on some More

The principle of the union of the intellect and intelligible is one of the important discussions in Islamic philosophy. The background of this principle in Islamic philosophy goes back to the translation of the book Uthulugia, and Mulla Sadra explained it based on some of his own philosophical principles such as the principiality of existence, gradation of existence, and the trans-substantial motion of the soul. He considers knowledge acquisition by the soul to be similar to the emergence of corporeal forms for matter. The soul unites with its cognitive forms in the same way that matter and form unite with each other. Through demonstrating the union of the intellect and the intelligible, Mulla Sadra presented a new theory of ontology, anthropology, and epistemology and, in this way, provided some new responses to the problems and questions before Muslim philosophers. It was in the light of this principle that he presented a new philosophical explanation for some problems such as the ontological perfection and gradation of the soul, embodiment of acts, the simple intellect, supra-intellectual immateriality of the soul, the unity of the soul with the active intellect, and the issues related to mental existence. Manuscript profile

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5 - Unity of Being, Unity of Intuition, and Speaking of God
Ghasim Kakaie Tayyebeh Masoumi

One of the most important discussions in Islamic philosophy, kalam, and gnosis is speaking of God. The “unity of being” and “unity of intuition” have been proposed as two approaches to the quality of the relationship between the wayfaring gnostic servant and God and spe More

One of the most important discussions in Islamic philosophy, kalam, and gnosis is speaking of God. The “unity of being” and “unity of intuition” have been proposed as two approaches to the quality of the relationship between the wayfaring gnostic servant and God and speaking of Him. Each of these approaches has some representatives in the tradition of Islamic gnosis and each has specific beliefs regarding gnostic unity. In this paper, through explaining the theories of the unity of being (based on Ibn Arabi’s ideas) and the unity of intuition (based on ‘Ala al-Dawlah Semnani’s views), the writers initially discuss their differences concerning unity. Then they explore the concept of “personal God” as one of the necessities and basic principles of the theory of the unity of intuition as opposed to the Absolute God of the theory of the unity of being. Manuscript profile

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6 - Contexts and Causes of Posing Inconsistent Philosophical Theories in Mulla Sadra’s Works
Saeed Anvari

In his various works, Mulla Sadra has presented different views concerning certain philosophical issues which cannot be gathered in a single philosophical system. In this paper, with reference to such issues, the writers have examined the causes of these different views More

In his various works, Mulla Sadra has presented different views concerning certain philosophical issues which cannot be gathered in a single philosophical system. In this paper, with reference to such issues, the writers have examined the causes of these different views. For a more thorough study of the related cases, they have investigated different theories including the trans-substantial motion, the mediating movement, the cause of time, the nature of knowledge, God’s knowledge of particulars, divine activity, the cause-effect relation, the criterion for the dependence of possible beings on the Necessary Being, meanings of quiddity, the quality of attribution of existence to quiddity, unity of being, immateriality, and createdness of the soul. A study of these issues indicate that the existence of different views in Mulla Sadra’s works is rooted in one of the following factors: 1) a change in his philosophical theories and ideas over time (initially, he believed in the principiality of quiddity, then in the principiality of existence and gradedness of being, and finally in the individual unity of existence); 2) observing the instructional aspect in expressing his views, 3) posing his theories based on different principles (people, graded unity of being, and individual unity of existence); 4) trying to compose a pseudo-encyclopedic series of books on philosophical discussions. Manuscript profile

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7 - A Critique of “the Methodological Role of the Principle of Nothing Proceeds from the One but the One”
Mahdi ‘Azimi

“The Methodological Role of the Principle of Nothing Proceeds from the One but the One” is the title of an article the writer of which believes that the explanation of this principle is limited to a number of problems in the field of metaphysics in its particular sense. More

“The Methodological Role of the Principle of Nothing Proceeds from the One but the One” is the title of an article the writer of which believes that the explanation of this principle is limited to a number of problems in the field of metaphysics in its particular sense. Therefore, any reference to it “in order to demonstrate logical and natural problems and some problems in metaphysics in its general sense” is unjustified. In this paper, in response to the above claim, the writer shows: 1) this idea was initially proposed by Mulla Sadra and later evaluated and developed by Hakim Sabziwari (although the article mentioned above refers to Mulla Sadra’s view and Sabziwari’s evaluation and development of this view, it does not provide any response to it); 2) the origin of this view neglects the limit of modal unity; 3) all through this article the true One is mixed with the one truth; 4) in the mentioned article, the original principle and its opposite are intermingled, and the claim of the original principle also effects its opposite, and 5) the writer of the same article considers the “impossibility of inferring a single concept from multiple referents” to be one example of the false applications of the principle of “Nothing proceeds from the One but the One”, whereas philosophers have not resorted to this principle in this regard. It seems that this error originates in equating the relationship between the concept and the referent with causality. Even if we assume that it is correct, it is better to say that this problem is based on the opposite of this principle rather than its original form. However, the claim made in the article, if assumed correct, entails the original principle and not its opposite. Moreover, the mentioned problem is not even based on the opposite of the principle. Manuscript profile

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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

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9 - A Study of ‘Allamah Tabataba’i’s Argument on Referring the Theory of “Gradation of Existence” to the Theory of the “Individual Unity of Existence”
Hossein Kalbasi Ashtari Mehdi Sa‘atchi

The theory of the individual unity of being is the basis of gnostic ontology. Therefore, a number of gnostic researchers have tried to demonstrate this theory in order to defend and explain their standpoint in this regard. The contemporary philosopher and gnostic, ‘Alla More

The theory of the individual unity of being is the basis of gnostic ontology. Therefore, a number of gnostic researchers have tried to demonstrate this theory in order to defend and explain their standpoint in this regard. The contemporary philosopher and gnostic, ‘Allamah Tabataba’i, has also adduced some arguments in his works in order to prove this claim. In one of these arguments, through analyzing the argument of muta’allih philosophers concerning the congruent unity of being and its gradedness, he has demonstrated gnostics claim as to the individual unity of existence. This is an innovative and noteworthy argument regarding its way of reasoning, its dealing with the peripheral issues and different consequences of the problem and, particularly, its role in clarifying the relationship between the theories of gnostics and philosophers. After referring to each of these theories, the writers explain and analyze the above argument in this paper and examine some of its consequences. Manuscript profile

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10 - Problem of Correspondence in Mulla Sadra’s Ontological Epistemology
Shahnaz Shayanfar

The correspondence theory of truth is one of the most ancient and important theories concerning the knowledge of truth. Muslim philosophers share the same interpretation of the above theory and consider it as the correspondence of the subject and object, which is a pure More

The correspondence theory of truth is one of the most ancient and important theories concerning the knowledge of truth. Muslim philosophers share the same interpretation of the above theory and consider it as the correspondence of the subject and object, which is a purely quiddative kind of correspondence. In line with early philosophers, Mulla Sadra speaks of the quiddative unity of the subject and object in relation to the discussion of mental existence and the other issues related to knowledge. The present paper intends to provide an answer to the question of how we can speak about the ontological correspondence of the subject and object in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy based on its internal capabilities. Here, through explaining some of the exclusive features and principles of his philosophy, such as his ontological view of knowledge, the distinction between knowledge and mental form, the graded unity of existence, man’s previous beings and, following it, the presential perception of phenomena the writer has tried to explicate the ontological correspondence of the subject and object. The results of the conducted research indicate that quiddative correspondence comes after ontological correspondence. In other words, if we agree with quiddative correspondence, we should initially and necessarily agree with ontological correspondence as a basis for the former. Manuscript profile

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11 - Mulla Sadra on Oneness of Being
Seyyed Morteza Hosseini Shahroudi Mohammad Ali Vatandoust

In the process of development of his philosophical thoughts, Mulla Sadra managed to move from graded unity to the individual unity of existence based on his own philosophical principles. Through interpreting causality as epiphany, he limited the truth of existence to Al More

In the process of development of his philosophical thoughts, Mulla Sadra managed to move from graded unity to the individual unity of existence based on his own philosophical principles. Through interpreting causality as epiphany, he limited the truth of existence to Almighty Necessary and considered other than Him to be the emanations and different forms of the Necessary Single Existence. The writers of this paper intend to present Mulla Sadra’s ultimate theory on the oneness of being and reveal the identity of the oneness of being in the Transcendent Philosophy with gnostics’ idea of this concept. Manuscript profile

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12 - Explanation of Gnostic Theophanic Locutions in the Epistemology of the Transcendent Philosophy
Mohammad Nejati

Ambiguity and contradiction of expression are among the most important features of gnostic theophanic locutions in the field of epistemology. In Mulla Sadra’s view, the clarity or ambiguity of gnostic intuition is directly related to the extent of the gnostic’s soulish More

Ambiguity and contradiction of expression are among the most important features of gnostic theophanic locutions in the field of epistemology. In Mulla Sadra’s view, the clarity or ambiguity of gnostic intuition is directly related to the extent of the gnostic’s soulish gradedness and sincerity of innermost in the process of the union of the intellect and intelligible and Shar‘i ascetic practice. Accordingly, he sees the rise of ambiguity in intuition as a product of the lack of gradedness of the gnostic’s soul and also the lack of Shar‘i ascetic practices, which leads to possible manipulations of affirmation and errors and diversions in this process. Regarding the problem of contradiction, based on his ontological principles, Mulla Sadra considers theophanic locutions a contradictory category due to their inclusion of their claims of immanence and unity with God’s essence, which necessitate duality in the essence of external objects. Based on the features mentioned above, he explicitly introduces theophanic locutions as the plight of religion and religious beliefs. However, based on his own epistemological principles, he tries to exonerate the gonstics believing in the Unity of Being, such as Bayazid and Hallaj, from this charge. On the basis of the tasha’un (modes) relationship between the Truth and creation, Mulla Sadra believes that these gnostics’ experience of annihilation means forgetting themselves and their I-ness or egoism and paying their complete attention to God’s Essence. The probable shortcoming of theophanic locutions lies in the fact that these gnostics have experienced the highest level of the union of the intellect and intelligible, which necessitates the same union by essence and by accident. However, such an experience cannot be qualified with unity and immanence, which are the basic features of sufis’ theophanic locutions. Manuscript profile

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13 - Mulla Sadra: From General Gradation to Particular Oneness
Abdolali Shokr Morteza Hamedi

The term “gradation” was used first in logical discussions. Later some thinkers such as Ibn Sina and Suhrawardi employed it in the realm of philosophy as well. A study of the collection of Ibn Sina’s works indicates that he only treaded on the path of general gradation. More

The term “gradation” was used first in logical discussions. Later some thinkers such as Ibn Sina and Suhrawardi employed it in the realm of philosophy as well. A study of the collection of Ibn Sina’s works indicates that he only treaded on the path of general gradation. Suhrawardi, who paved the way for particular gradation in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy, considered existence to be mentally-posited. Thus he turned to gradation in essence and quiddity; a theory which was not accepted by Mulla Sadra and Peripatetic philosophers. If principiality, unity, and gradation of existence constitute the three main pillars of the Transcendent Philosophy, particular gradation and particularly particular gradation complete the Sadrian school of philosophy and signify the peak of its excellence. Mulla Sadra initially proposed particular gradation in order to reject general gradation and the theory of the difference of beings. Then he tried to provide a new interpretation for it in comparison to the Illuminationist particular gradation. While rejecting this kind of gradation and through being inspired by gnostic thoughts and the revealed Qur’anic verses, he introduced a particularly particular gradation to justify the multiplicity of existents and provide a new interpretation of oneness which is in line with gnostic oneness. Manuscript profile

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14 - Mulla Sadra’s Gnostic Explanation of the Theory of the Individual Unity of Existence
Monireh Sayyid Mazhari

Mulla Sadra’s profound philosophical deliberations, which were accompanied by his intuitive contemplations, regarding the truth of being, finally led him to the theory of the individual unity of existence. In line with gnostics, he explicitly acknowledges the necessity More

Mulla Sadra’s profound philosophical deliberations, which were accompanied by his intuitive contemplations, regarding the truth of being, finally led him to the theory of the individual unity of existence. In line with gnostics, he explicitly acknowledges the necessity of believing in this theory in some of his works, particularly, in his gnostic treatise of Iqaz al-na’imin. In order to provide a gnostic explanation for this theory in the realm of ontology, Mulla Sadra resorts to ontological terminology, describes the relationship between existence and quiddity, and discusses the validity of quiddities in terms of both their fact-itself individuation and ontological descent. In doing so, he initially propounds the theory of the graded unity of existence and states some delicate points in relation to its content. Then, based on the eternal and pre-eternal non-existential nature of possible things, he uses a gnostic language to clarify the individual unity of existence. Finally, he concludes that the unity or oneness of existents in their ontological essence is of an individual and permeating type rather than a specific one. In his view, true existence is exclusively limited to the existence of the Almighty, and all possible beings are the manifestations, appearances, and modes of the attributes of the existence of the Truth and enjoy a shadow-like existence in comparison to Him. Manuscript profile

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15 - Particular Gradation of Being in the View of Aqa Ali Mudarres and its Difference from other Kinds of Particular Gradation
Seyyed Shahriyar Kamali Sabziwari

In the Transcendent Philosophy, the basis of particular gradation is the return of the shared element to the distinguishing factor. This is a general rule and criterion for particular gradation, based on which at least three types of such gradation can be defined. In th More

In the Transcendent Philosophy, the basis of particular gradation is the return of the shared element to the distinguishing factor. This is a general rule and criterion for particular gradation, based on which at least three types of such gradation can be defined. In the first type, plurality dominates oneness so that all beings and plural things in the world merely share the aspect of being in existence. In the next type, oneness dominates plurality so that all the multiple beings of the world comprise the stages of a single being. The third type of particular gradation is midway between the other two types. Based on the particular gradation discussed by Aqa Ali Mudarres in the book of Bidayah al-hikam, oneness dominates plurality among possible multiple beings because all of them comprise the different grades of a single and absolute being. However, between the Almighty Necessary and the collection of possible multiple things, it is plurality which dominates oneness. Manuscript profile

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16 - The Relationship between the Graded Unity of Existence and the Theory of Perfect Man in Mutahhari
Reza Safari Kandsari

Different philosophical and gnostic schools have each presented some theories regarding the perfect Man relying on their own specific worldviews. Believing in a worldview based on the “individual unity of existence”, gnostics maintain that it is only the Truth which exi More

Different philosophical and gnostic schools have each presented some theories regarding the perfect Man relying on their own specific worldviews. Believing in a worldview based on the “individual unity of existence”, gnostics maintain that it is only the Truth which exists, and what is other than the Truth is only among the modes and manifestations of the Truth. In the view of this group, the perfect Man is a human being who has attained supreme glory. Such a person is indeed the locus of the manifestation of essential and nominal perfections of the Truth rather than having a different existence from the Truth. In his critique of gnostics’ theory of perfect Man, Mutahhari, based on the theory of the graded unity of existence, believes that the perfect Man is a human being who, while actualizing all goals and values to the level of moderation in oneself, has a single goal in mind which is the same proximity to God. According to the gradedness of existence, multiple goals and a single goal are the same but are different in their levels. In multiple goals, the intentions and the ultimate levels of divine proximity are also different. In other words, in the view of Mutahhari, as the graded unity of existence dominates the truth of being, a human being who has attained the graded goal is the same perfect Man. In this paper, the writer explains that none of Mutahhari’s criticisms of gnostics’ views are justified, and explicit references in the related texts demonstrate the falsity of his objections. Therefore, gnostics provide a more complete explanation of the perfect Man, and the existence of this human being is consistent with the individual unity of existence. Manuscript profile

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17 - Natural Causality and Metaphysical Causality: Homonymy or Polysemy in Mulla Sadra
Maryam Heydari Hamid Reza Ayatollahy‬‏

Causality is one of the most important philosophical problems which has undergone vast semantic changes in the course of history. This process has sometimes occurred in the mould of empirical explanation and sometimes in the mould of philosophical explanation. The vastn More

Causality is one of the most important philosophical problems which has undergone vast semantic changes in the course of history. This process has sometimes occurred in the mould of empirical explanation and sometimes in the mould of philosophical explanation. The vastness of such changes has led some thinkers to believe that there is a large semantic gap between metaphysical and natural kinds of causality, and the relationship between them is merely of the type of homonymy. The spread of this view among some philosophers and scholars has made any kind of agreement among them impossible. As a result, no comparative study can be carried out in these two fields concerning their shared concepts. Although some of the followers of the Transcendent Philosophy advocate the same view, the philosophical principles of Mulla Sadra have removed any kind of breach or borderline between these two fields and defines them in the same way. Accordingly, it can be claimed that natural causality is the degraded form of metaphysical causality and, thus, the unison of the two fields, their proximity to each other, and any interaction between them will be inevitable. Manuscript profile

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18 - 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

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19 - 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

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20 - A Critical Study of the Objections against Ḥakīm Ghomsheī’s Argument on Demonstrating the Necessity of God’s Existence
Reza Hesari Mojtaba Mirdamadi Abolfazl Rezai

Several arguments have been adduced on demonstrating the individual unity of being. Most of these arguments, which have been presented by such gnostics as Dāvood Qayṣarī, Ḥamzah Fanārī, and Ibn Turkah, suffer from some defects in terms of a confusion of concept and refe More

Several arguments have been adduced on demonstrating the individual unity of being. Most of these arguments, which have been presented by such gnostics as Dāvood Qayṣarī, Ḥamzah Fanārī, and Ibn Turkah, suffer from some defects in terms of a confusion of concept and referent. In his glosses on Tamhīd al-qawā’id (the section on the arguments on the demonstration of the individual unity of existence), Ḥakīm Moḥammad Rezā Ghomsheī has presented an argument which demonstrates the pre-eternal necessity of God. However, three criticisms have been advanced against it. The first concerns the meaning of the absolute nature of being, which has been stated ambiguously. The second criticism questions the confusion of concept and referent. The first part of the third criticism targets the whole argument, based on the presupposition of the realization of the essence of nature, and its second part objects to the consistency of the realization of the essence of the nature of existence with limited existences, as acknowledged in Ghomsheī’s argument. Finally, the fourth focuses on the absence of any kind of innovation in this argument. Following an analytic-comparative method, this paper examines all these criticisms and responds to the first three of them. Accordingly, the authors acknowledge the truth of Ḥakīm Ghomsheī’s argument by presenting a detailed discussion in this paper. Manuscript profile

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21 - A Critical Analysis of Ḥakīm Gharawī Isfahānī’s View of the Levels of Divine Manifestations
Mostafa Azizi Alavijeh

One of the epistemological innovations of Ḥakīm Gharawī Isfahānī entails his gnostic and intuitive approach in practice and theory. Based on the fundamental principles of the Transcendent Philosophy, Muḥaqqiq Isfahānī has proposed an innovative view regarding the levels More

One of the epistemological innovations of Ḥakīm Gharawī Isfahānī entails his gnostic and intuitive approach in practice and theory. Based on the fundamental principles of the Transcendent Philosophy, Muḥaqqiq Isfahānī has proposed an innovative view regarding the levels of the determinations and manifestations of Almighty Truth. He emphasizes the “graded unity of existence” instead of the “individual unity of existence”, “copulative existence and illuminative relation” instead of “manifestations and epiphanies”, and “simple truth and pure existence” instead of “absoluteness of the source of division”. Ḥakīm Isfahānī introduces three specifications for the truth of existence: the “negatively conditioned” level of non-existential limits or pure existence, the level of “non-conditioned” from contingent limits or holy blessing, and the level of “conditioned-by-something” in the sense of the act of Almighty Truth. This division is different from the related division in theoretical gnosis. In this study, the author initially analyzes the levels of manifestations in the view of Muḥaqqiq Isfahānī and then evaluates them. Manuscript profile

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22 - 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

23 - Anthropological Explanation of Death in Mullā Ṣadrā’s two Systems of Graded Unity and Individual Unity of Existence
Abdollah Salavati Fatemeh Kookaram

This study discusses the problem of death based on Mullā Ṣadrā’s two systems of graded and individual unities of existence and intends to explain death relying on anthropological principles. The most important of such principles include Man’s multi-dimensional nature, o More

This study discusses the problem of death based on Mullā Ṣadrā’s two systems of graded and individual unities of existence and intends to explain death relying on anthropological principles. The most important of such principles include Man’s multi-dimensional nature, ontological gradedness, corporeal origination of the soul and its spiritual subsistence, the problem of the soul and its relationship with the body, human stations, and being the manifestation of divine names. Mullā Ṣadrā divides death into three natural, premature, and voluntary types. In his view, the soul plays an active and key role in death. The main question of the present study is what the principles of the anthropology of death are in Mullā Ṣadrā’s view. He believes that death is an ontological affair in the sense of the soul’s voluntary, forceful, or generative desertion of the world of sensibles. In Mullā Ṣadrā’s two philosophical systems, death has two different faces; in his system of graded unity, it means severing the relationship with the body in the light of ontological gradedness and, in the system of individual unity, it means cutting the relationship with a name and joining another name in the light of various manifestations. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

24 - A Study of Ḥakīm Khājūī’s Objections to the Gnostic Theory of Oneness of Being
Mahmud Seydi Mohammad Javad Pashaei

20.1001.1.15600874.1400.27.1.3.9

As the basis of theoretical gnosis, oneness of being has provoked several debates among thinkers in the history of Islamic philosophy. Mullā Ismā‘īl Khājūī, one of the thinkers and Mutikallimun of the Safavid period and post-Sadrian era, has criticized this theory and c More

As the basis of theoretical gnosis, oneness of being has provoked several debates among thinkers in the history of Islamic philosophy. Mullā Ismā‘īl Khājūī, one of the thinkers and Mutikallimun of the Safavid period and post-Sadrian era, has criticized this theory and challenged it from different aspects. Khājūī rejects this theory based on the ontological differences between the Necessary Being and possible beings, absence of absoluteness in the Necessary Being, the lack of a rational argument for demonstrating the oneness of being, and the inefficiency of the arguments of some gnostics and mystics on proving this oneness. However, the present study postulates that Khājūī’s criticisms originate in confusing the different meanings of certain key terms in philosophical sciences and kalām with those in theoretical gnosis. Nevertheless, it seems that in certain cases, such as gnostics’ failure in adducing a rational argument for demonstrating the oneness of being, his criticism is justified. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

25 - A Study of Ibn Sīnā’s Argument on the Accidental Nature of Unity in Ilāhīyyāt al-Shifā’
Mihammadhadi Tavakoli

20.1001.1.15600874.1402.28.3.5.6

According to Aristotle, a number of philosophers in ancient Greece theorized that the “one” is an independent substance that performs a causal role in relation to other substances. Through clarifying the predicative nature of the “one” and referring to the false consequ More

According to Aristotle, a number of philosophers in ancient Greece theorized that the “one” is an independent substance that performs a causal role in relation to other substances. Through clarifying the predicative nature of the “one” and referring to the false consequences of the above theory, he tried to reject it. Ibn Sīnā has extensively investigated the theory of the one’s being a substance and Aristotle’s related criticisms in the ilāhīyyāt section of al-Shifā’. Unlike Aristotle, he has not merely referred to the one’s being a predicate and, rather, through a lengthy and complex argument, has tried to demonstrate that unity, as the source of the derivation of the one, is a necessary accident. Ibn Sīnā’ argument is prone to criticism from different aspects, the most important of which is the confusion of categorical and analytic accidents with each other. Unity is merely an analytic accident, and Ibn Sīnā’s argument is incapable of demonstrating its being a categorical accident. Manuscript profile

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