Al-Mazahir al-ilahiyyah fil asrar al-'ulum al-kamaliyyah

The word mazhar (manifestation), the plural of which is mazahir, in the sense of Islamic gnosis, refers to any possible existent that has been created by the power and knowledge of Almighty Truth, is the mirror of the manifestation and appearance of God's names and attributes, and makes Him known to us.

Zuhur or epiphany is the same creation of entire being all over the horizons of possible things. It is also called "merciful manifestation" and is the reference of the holy name "He is manifest" of Almighty God.

The chapters and discussions of al-Mazahir al-ilahiyyah, since they analyze the issues of the Origin and Resurrection, are altogether like a mirror of the epiphany of Divine Blessing and merciful manifestation and take wisdom-seekers on a mystic journey through the manifestations of names and attributes.

This book can be considered to be one of Mulla Sadra's best works, not because of the great number of philosophical issues it entails, but because of the delicacy and subtlety that have been used in writing it. Besides, it seems to contain more beauty and accuracy comparing to his lengthier books. While being a concise work, this book contains the contents of al-Hikmat al-muta'aliyyah and al-Hikmat al-'arshiyyah wa qudsiyyah.

Al-Mazahir al-ilahiyyah consists of an Introduction, two parts (or, as the book itself says, two fans) and a conclusion. Each of the fans is divided into eight smaller chapters (and, according to the book, eight mazhars). Among these 16-fold mazhars, there are some smaller parts such as explanation, punishment, note, research, brightness, illumination, supplement, unveiling of the cover, philosophy descended from the Divine Throne, principle, complement, and the like. These parts are sometimes intended to complete the text and sometimes to familiarize readers with the writer's mystical intuitions.

The book al-Mazahir al-ilahiyyah fi al-israr al-'ulum al-kamaliyyah has been published with edition, research, and an extensive Introduction about the development of wisdom in Iran and the world by Professor Seyyed Mohammed Khamenei, along with various indexes of technical terms, names of people, etc., in 188 pages by the Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute.