kheradnameh55

This small book is one of Mulla Sadra's best philosophical works and is about existence and ontology. In fact, it is a good response to some Western writers who believe that he is a theologian and has no work on ontology. Fortunately, this book has been translated by Henry Corbin into French. He has also written an extensive Introduction to it.

Both the followers and opponents of Mulla Sadra have written commentaries on this book (about 13 commentaries) and interpreted it.[1] One of its characteristics is that here, unlike what he usually does, Mulla Sadra has not referred to his other works, unless in general terms. For example, he says, "We have had an extensive discussion in this regard in our other books."[2] Moreover, again, unlike his own method, in this book he has rarely referred to Qur'anic verses and hadiths when reasoning.

In addition, when discussing the unity of the beings of the intellect and the intelligible, he says, "due to the argument and reason that was emanated to me by God". In the glosses on this point in the book, we read that the time of this emanation was 1037 AH, when the writer was 58 years old.

Therefore, we can conclude that this book was written after 1037 AH in the last decade of Mulla Sadra's life (unless the glosses were later added to it). We can conclude from the collection of proofs that he wrote it for his students in Qum when he was moving from that city to Shiraz (before 1039 AH). In this book, he addresses his students and friends, not philosophers and theologians. This is because he writes in its Introduction, "My gnostic brothers, who set foot on God's path in the light of gnosis, learn my way of traveling along this path... It is neither similar to theologians' theological debates, nor to ordinary people's imitations, nor to Sufis' fantasies and imaginations."

It also appears that his addressees were his students in Qum, as we read in this book, "My brothers, I have provided invaluable premises of the lights of wisdom for you in my books and treatises."

Moreover, according to Henry Corbin, the writer has not kept his promise set out in the classification given at the beginning of the book. This can be a sign of his hurry to bring the book to an end, which must be mainly due to the beginning of his journey from Qum to Shiraz.

He writes in his al-Zurriyyah (21/37) that he wrote al-Masha'ir during one of his journeys to Hajj in Basrah. This is an acceptable possibility, and some other pieces of evidence also support this point.

Mulla Sadra has written, following his own method, an independent treatise on demonstrating corporeal resurrection. In its Introduction, he says, "I have written this short treatise on corporeal resurrection; therefore, the title, 'Corporeal Resurrection' is good for it." However, it is famous as Zad al-salik, Tahqiq al-ma'ad, and, mainly, Zad al-musafir.

This treatise was written after al-Asfar because in its Introduction we read, "our books on the intellect, particularly al-Asfar". Based on a study of the date of writing al-Asfar and the fact that its 9^th volume was written in the last decade of his life, it seems that this treatise was written in Shiraz. Perhaps, we can infer from this work's brevity that Mulla Sadra wrote it for someone on one of his journeys. This person might have been interested in learning philosophy, as we read in the Introduction of Zad al-musafirin, "Here, in order to encourage the hearts of truth-seekers and to satiate the thirst of the wayfarers of the mystic path, we suffice to referring to those issues in a narrative form."

Moreover, Mulla Sadra says, "I spent a long and good time of my life training myself in accurate thinking and developing profound views... until my efforts came to fruition and I attained the truth." This refers to the philosophical demonstration of corporeal resurrection, which he did at the end of his life during his old age. We can infer from this statement that he possibly finished writing this book during his second stay in Shiraz.

This is a small treatise or book on some important philosophical issues such as existence and its external reality, some discussions on the essence of the Necessary Being, an extended discussion on existence in the mind, and some points on the soul. Of course, these are the same issues that have been frequently discussed in al-Asfar and his other philosophical books.

In the beautiful Introduction to this book, Mulla Sadra explains that all of its contents consist of his internal contemplations and "intuitive divine contingencies"; the realities obtained in a state of clear-sightedness due to freeing the soul from the body. They do not comprise a collection of professional and scholastic (Madrasi) discussions and have been received through presence and intuition.

Therefore, they are the same holy issues and divine principles. They have, indeed, entered the heart of this humble servant, Muhammed, the son of Ibrahim Qawami Shirazi, through intuition at a time when I had lost my interest in all bodily things and senses, and my soul had lost its interest in its corporeal body and moved beyond all stages of the intellects and souls towards the last end, i.e. Almighty Origin. Finally, after union with the True Beloved and several observations of Him, I united with the active intellect.

Mulla Sadra has confessed in this treatise that, in order to hide his spiritual and mental relation with the active intellect and the unveiling and clear intuitive perception of these realities by means of the eye of his heart, he has referred to such issues between the lines of other philosophical discussions so that the alien eyes of non-theologian philosophers, who are foreign to unveiling and intuition, do not see them, and they remain deprived of the joy of tasting it. This treatise was written in order to make the gist of divine wisdom and lordly issues available to those who deserve it.

We understand from the above that he wrote this work for some of his elite students. At the end of the treatise, he maintains that the points and discussions of this book have been extensively explained in his "great book", i.e. al-Asfar. Apparently, he wrote this book after al-Asfar and even after finishing it (as we said, during the last decade of his life). The reason is that the soul-related issues in al-Asfar are, presumably, related to the same decade.

It is worth mentioning that the editor of the latest edition of this book[3] maintains that the phrase "the Transcendent Philosophy", which Mulla Sadra has used in al-Shawahid al-rububiyyah ("We have provided an extensive discussion in al-Asfar books and some explanations in the Transcendent Philosophy in this regard") refers to the same treatise. He has also given some explanations of medium length in this respect, which we previously proved to be wrong, because the Transcendent Philosophy was the name that Mulla Sadra had given to his al-Mabda' wal-ma'ad, which was written long before this treatise. On the other hand, the brevity of this work is not in agreement with "some explanations of medium length" mentioned above. [4]

This is a small book on the meaning of decree and ordinance in the books on the Transcendent Philosophy. Mulla Sadra has demonstrated the "possible world" is the same best and unique existing system, which abounds in goodness. He has also explained the philosophy behind evil and other beings, discussed man's will, and finally elaborated on the genetic effect of prayer.

The content of this treatise is also seen in al-Asfar, and he himself has referred to al-Asfar in this work. [5] It appears from the Introduction to the book that he accepted the request of some of his special students who were among the people of intellectual intuition (dhawq) and mystic wayfaring to write a concise but comprehensive treatise. It is possible that this request was made during his stay in Qum and during one of his journeys. This might have also been due to the fact that they had no access to his al-Asfar. The issues of decree and ordinance in al-Asfar (vol. 6) go back to the time of Mir Damad (before 1041 AH).

This work is a small treatise on man's pre-destination and free will and mainly deals with the ideas of the Mu'tazilite and Ash'arite in this regard. In its Introduction we read, "God is pure from all ugliness, and nothing happens in His realm but what He wishes." Here, the first sentence belongs to Qadi Abduljabbar Mu'tazili, and the second to Abu Ishaq Asfarayeni Ash'ari.[6]

In this treatise, Mulla Sadra has hidden his own idea and propounded the issue following the famous method of Shi'ite theologians. From the words at the end of the treatise and his complaint against the ignorance of his contemporaries, it appears that he wrote it during his first journey and also in Shiraz.

This is a treatise on the distinctive ontological characteristics of an individual which determine his individuality. Mulla Sadra believes that it is the same as object's external existence. His purpose of writing this treatise was to provide a response to opposing ideas and not complying with someone's request. There is no reference to the names of his other books; therefore, it was seemingly written in the years before 1020 AH.

This is a treatise on the relation between existence and quiddity and a response to the paradox of attributing quiddity to existence is the sign of the realization of the former before the latter (according to the principle of presupposition). The ascription of this treatise to Mulla Sadra is certain because of both its content and the reference made in it to al-Asfar. Since the issues of existence and quiddity of al-Asfar were written before 1020 AH, this treatise must have been written in later decades. It appears from its tone, the haste in its Preface, and its brevity (about 10 pages), that he wrote it hurriedly and in response to the request made by one of the scholars of the time and, perhaps, during one of his journeys. It is mainly similar to the works that he wrote during the middle years of his stay in Qum.

Mulla Sadra wrote this treatise on the principiality of existence demonstrating that creation and making principially belong to existence not quiddity. The name of the writer has been directly given in this treatise, and its content is similar to that of al-Masha'ir. It seems to be unfinished. This book was probably written before al-Masha'ir and after same of his important books such as al-Asfar, al-Mabda' wal- ma'ad, and al-Shawahid al-rububiyyah. This is because in the Introduction of the book, he refers to these books, which have discussed the issue of existence extensively, with the following sentence: "We have explained it extensively in our other books."

Hence, we can say that he wrote it during the decades of his stay in Qum, and the form of this treatise can indicate that he wrote it by necessity on a journey.

The name of this book has not appeared in any list of Mulla Sadra's works; however, he himself, when discussing the principiality of existence in his interpretation of al-Fatihah chapter writes, "A lot of research has been done on this point, which has been mentioned in the glosses on al-Tajrid." Apparently, the book of glosses is his, unless he is referring to others' glosses on al-Tajrid.

This is a collection of poetry, prose, gnostic and dhawqi (related to theological intuition) materials, which were apparently written during his teenage years and youth. They indicate his vast knowledge, great taste, profound religious beliefs, and character when he was young.

Mulla Sadra has not left a comprehensive diwan (poetry book), and what is at hand now is a collection of verses in the form of couplets (rhythm of Mathnawi). Some quatrains have also been quoted as being his.

This is a collection of scattered philosophical, scientific, etc. notes which has been published recently along with a list of his books "possibly related to the time he was a seminary student." In a part of this book, reference has been made to al-Mabda' wal- ma'ad, which was written in 1019 AH; hence, it must have been written after his 40's and possibly consists of the notes he wrote on his journey.[7]

Only a few letters from this philosopher to his master, Mir Damad, are extant. They must have descended to Mir Damad's offspring as a part of his legacy, and, fortunately, they were not destroyed during the catastrophic and Mongol-like events caused by Mahmud and Ashraf Afghan and the decline of the Safawid era. We have discussed the contents of these letters extensively in the first volume of Mulla Sadra's Life, Character, and School.[8]

Apart from what was discussed above, some other treatises have been attributed to this distinguished philosopher some of which are famous and have appeared in most inventories. They are as follows:

This is a small treatise which is different from his book al-Shawahid al-rububiyyah. Here, he has referred to and counted his specific principles and ideas, which might be an inventory of his intuitive revelations, up to 180 entries.

It is said that a copy of this work has been seen in the library of the writer of Rawzat al-jannat (Khwansari). The original book is a commentary on the hadiths narrated by Shi'ite Imams.

Mulla Sadra has a specific argument concerning the feature of al-Baruj region in a particular situation in the sphere. He has also discussed this issue in al-Shawahid al-rububiyyah; however, there is no reference to this book in this treatise. It might have been written in the third decade of the 11^th Hegira century.[9]

This is a collection of notes or a so-called Preface in about one page which has remained in his name. It is said that he wrote it for the book of his master, Mir Damad, and might have written it at the back of the above-mentioned book.

This is a note written on one of Mulla Sadra's sweet ecstasies and recorded by his son, Ibrahim.

This is a treatise on the reality of man's temperament. This issue has also been discussed in al-Asfar (vol. 5); however, no reference has been made to this point in the treatise. It was apparently written during his stay in Qum.

Some other booklets and treatises have also been attributed to him; nevertheless, some were certainly not written by him, and for some we have no clear proof to make such a claim. For example, we can refer to the following:

1. Hashriyyah or Risalah fil ma'ad:[10] A treatise called Hashriyyah has also been attributed to Mulla Sadra which explains the situation after man's death, from the grave to the day of resurrection, punishment, and reward. It begins with a part of the "5^th chapter of the 9^th volume" of al-Asfar, and some selections of the after-death events from Mulla Sadra's various books can be seen in it. This work might have been compiled by the writer himself or one of his students. Unlike Mulla Sadra's usual method, this treatise has no preface or introduction and makes no reference to the name of the writer. Neither does it have an appropriate ending, nor have any of the writers of the inventories of his works referred to this treatise. Hence, it seems not to have been written by Mulla Sadra.

2. al-Alwah al-imadiyyah: Abu Abdullah Zanjani has attributed this book to Mulla Sadra; however, it has not been mentioned in any inventory of the names of his books.[11]

3. Unique Jewel: This is a treatise in Persian, apparently, written by one of Mulla Sadra's children.

4. Jazr asam: It has been called Mughalatah Kalami[12] in some copies and is on the issue of the liar paradox. It was apparently written by Sadr al-Din Dashtaki.

5. al-Risalah al-qudsiyyah fi asrar al-nuqtah al-hissiyyah: This treatise is by Mir Seyyed Ali Hamedani.

6. Commentary on Tabi'iyyat al-shifa: This book is said to have been a part of Qutb al-Din Razi's Muhakimat.[13]

7. Commentary on Shamsiyyah: This book was, seemingly, written by Sadr al-Din Dashtaki Shirazi.[14]

8. Risalah al-wujud: In spite of being attributed to Mulla Sadra in some inventories, it is said to have been the same al-Feysal beyn al-tafraqah wal-zandaqah treatise written by Muhammed Ghazzali.[15]

9. Harakat jawhariyyah (The Trans-substantial Motion): Some believe that this treatise belongs to Mulla Sadra.[16] However, it is not famous and its name has not appeared in valid inventories.

10. Fi al-imamat: In A Comprehensive Bibliography of Mulla Sadra reference has been made to this work; however, it is not certain that it is Mulla Sadra's.[17]

11. Khutbat al-bayan: This treatise has also been attributed to Mulla Sadra; however, the attribution is not certain.[18]

12. Fi tahqiq al-kulliyyat: The prose of this treatise is not similar to Mulla Sadra's, and the reference to "the universal existence in the outside" made in this book is against Mulla Sadra's idea in this regard.[19]

13. (Tahqiq al-khalafat al-kubra) Bi barahin 'aqliyyah: This is a small treatise that has no similarity to Mulla Sadra's works. No reference has been made in it to him or his book, thus attributing it to him is unjustified.[20]

14. Sarayan nur wujud: The small treatise Sarayan nur wujud al-haqq fi al-mawjudat wa sirri mu'ayatah is a philosophical gnostic work that the writer wrote in response to the request he had to comply with because of "Shari'ah and justice". It is demonstrated in this treatise that true existence (existence of the truth) is single and individuated, and all possible things are its shadows.

He has referred to Dawani and 'Ayn al-Qudhat, and frequently to Ghazzali and quoted from them. This bears some similarity to his method in his first period of research and writing. However, there is no reference to al-Asfar and his other books except one treatise which he has referred to as fi b'az al-rasa'il.

Some believe that this treatise is by Muhaqqiq Fayz; however, this is not true because he never believed in the principiality of quality, and because it has been written following the method of dhawq al-ta'alluh (intellectual intuition of the devout and pious). Mulla Sadra believes that this treatise represents all the principles of Muhaqqiq Dawani. Obviously, he wrote it during his youth when he believed in the principiality of quiddity. [21] In some copies, such as those existing in Radhawi Library: no. 599, West Hamadan Library: no. 4752, Malik Library: no 1176, and Sepahsalar Library, it is said that this treatise was written by Nizam al-Din Ahmad Dashtaki (born in 1085 AH), one of Mir Damad's students.[22]

There are also some treatises attributed to Mulla Sadra which do not seem to have been written by him but have been derived from his books:

1. Alfaz mufradah: This treatise has been attributed to him; however, it has been adopted from Mafatih al-qayb (1^st miftah). [23]

2. Interpretation of al-Amanat Chapter: This treatise, which is also called Tahqiq al-haqayiq al-maknunat fi ayat al-amanat, [24] is on the interpretation of al-Ahzab chapter: 72. We read in the Introduction to the treatise: "This is a treatise from the master of scholars." This work has been adapted from al-Mashad al-rabi' fil nubuwwat in Asrar al-ayat.

3. Interpretation of Tari al-jibal verse: This treatise is on the interpretation of the verse, "You see the mountains and think that they are motionless and solid, while they are in motion like clouds", which has been mentioned in al-Asfar (the part on the trans-substantial motion). [25] However, there is no evidence to confirm this attribution, and it might have been written by one of his succeeding philosophers or students.

4. Commentary on Hadith al-nas yanam: There is a hadith narrated from Imam Ali stating, "People are in sleep and will be alert after death." Mulla Sadra has referred to this hadith on an occasion in his interpretation, [26] and it is possible that he wrote a treatise in this regard. However, the content of this treatise, most probably, consists of the notes one of his students took from his lessons.

5. Commentary on al-Nas ma'adin hadith: We read in hadith that people are like mines of gold and silver. A treatise on the interpretation of this hadith has been attributed to Mulla Sadra, which like the commentary on the previous hadith, is not certain. Mulla Sadra has referred to this hadith in his interpretation on certain occasions.[27]

6. Commentary on "The Creation of Souls..." hadith: In his books, in the parts related to the soul, Mulla Sadra has referred to the hadith "creation of souls before the bodies..." and written a commentary on it. It is said that he has a treatise in this regard; however, like the previous two treatises, it is not certain that this work was written by him.

7. Commentary on Kant kanzan makhfiyyan: This is a treatise on the interpretation of the hadith, "[God said] I was a hidden treasure and wished to be known, so I created people to be known." Since it has been named in some copies of al-Asfar and al-Shawahid al-rububiyyah, it is assumed to have been written by Mulla Sadra: In the parts on quiddity in al-Asfar (Chapter 24, al-marhalah al-khamisah) and some of his other books, he has referred to this hadith.

There are some other treatises or articles that have been attributed to Mulla Sadra. Nevertheless, they are not famous and, almost certainly, do not belong to him.[28]

Ali Shirwani

In this paper, by intuitive philosophy, the writer means an ontological system which is based on a rational-inferential method in the individuation of which intuitive findings play a significant role. In other words, it is a metaphysical philosophy which, while depending on rational arguments in the affirmation and rejection of its propositions, benefits from intuitive findings in the formation of its teachings.

In contrast to those who believe that intuitive philosophy is a controversial combination of various theories and, as a result, an impossible issue, the writer has tried to show that intuition can have a significant effect on an ontological system without damaging its conceptuality - i.e. methodological reliance on rational reasoning when judging its propositions. In doing so, he has referred to various ways of a philosopher's use of his or others' intuitive findings (such as determining the direction of research, opening new horizons, posing new problems, helping in the formulation of philosophical hypotheses, etc.), which are all out of the domain of the judgment and evaluation of the truth or falsity of philosophical propositions.

Moreover, by presenting some examples of the above-mentioned types of the effects of intuition on Suhrawardi's Ishraqi philosophy and, particularly, Mulla Sadra's Transcendent Philosophy, the writer has considered these two philosophical systems as actual examples of intuitive philosophy. He has also referred to the superiorities of this kind of philosophy to a purely discoursive one, which is void of intuitive perceptions and findings.

Amir Shirzad

One of the most important theological principles is the principle of the necessity of the observance of the best to Almighty God. It is in close relationship to the principle of favor. The theological picture of the observance of the best is mainly related to God's servants and their religious affairs. Its arguments are also based on essential and rational goodness and evil. Both the Ash'arites and philosophers have criticized this theory from different angles. The former do not consider goodness and evil as the criteria for divine acts, and the latter, while accepting the essential goodness and evil of acts, believe that this theory applies to divine acts. Philosophers have also criticized the picture making of the principle of the best, which lacks a comprehensive view of creation. In this paper, the writer will first deal with the picture of this principle and its arguments and then criticize and examine it.

Nadia Maftooni

Aristotle's definition of imagination is the beginning of philosophers' conceptualizations of this issue. Farabi, Ibn Sina, and Suhrawardi have greatly extended this concept. Farabi defines imagination with three types of function: preserving the pictures of sensibles, manipulating them, and imitations of sensibles and intelligibles by pictures. Ibn Sina conceptualizes what Farabi called imagination and imaginal faculty in four distinct faculties called the faculty of imagination, imaginal faculty, the faculty of estimate, and memory. Suhrawardi believes that imaginal perception is a kind of Ishraqi presential knowledge and clarifies it based on the observation of suspending images. The most perfect theology of imagination for the conceptualization of creativity is that of Farabi, based on which the four different levels of the creativity of imagination are definable. However, these levels are also realized in Ishraqi or Illuminative imagination, which differs from Peripatetic imagination only in the way it is clarified.

Mahdi Neku'i Saman

The issue of being as the best order has always attracted the attention of many thinkers and Islamic philosophers and theologians in particular. Moreover, for a long time, there have been several extensive discussions in this regard between two groups of thinkers: those who deny it, and those who agree with it. This subject is also the center of attention today considering man's philosophical and scientific growth concerning the complicated and accurate order of the world of being. The discussion of the best order, on the one hand, depends on the knowledge, wisdom, and purpose beyond divine acts and, on the other, can be a response to the ambiguities regarding the defects and evils that we observe in the world of being. Therefore, research in this respect can play an essential role in the growth and promotion of religious knowledge and a rational view of religion. Moreover, the necessity of believing in divine perfection, knowledge, and power pushes rational and religious defenders to respond to the various questions which are posed concerning the existence of evils, defects, and shortcomings of the system of creation relying on rational and philosophical principles, as well as clarify and demonstrate the philosophical and the best order of creation and the justness of the order of being and Shari'ah by means of rational arguments.

The writer of this paper, through a study of the concept of "the best order", has paid attention to the necessity and background of propounding this discussion in philosophy, explained Mulla Sadra's view in this regard, and examined the reasons of those who are for and against this theory. This is because this issue is of great importance from both theological and religious aspects and can also have certain functions in the consolidation of the theoretical bases of Islamic theology as a completely philosophical issue. Besides, it can be of great significance in important theological discussions regarding such topics as the evils, teleological nature of divine acts, the argument of order and cosmology, and the knowledge, power, and wisdom of Almighty Truth. Accordingly, the writer has tried to clarify this issue and pose its philosophical design and basis. In doing so, he has developed and presented some ten reasons and, finally, criticized and examined some of the ambiguities concerning the issue of "the best order".

Muhammed Sa'idimehr and Shahnaz Shayanfar

In the system of the individual unity of being certain seemingly immanent aspects are attributed to God. These include qualifying Him with the attributes of created and contingent beings, and assuming the identity of the Truth with objects, God as the entire world, and the world as the quality, direction, configuration, and mode of the Truth, which imply an immanent relation between contingent beings and the essence of the Truth, such as the immanence of accident for place. In this paper, the objections concerning the ambiguity of immanence in the individual unity of being are quoted from Mulla Sadra, and the writer has tried to provide some responses to them based on some of his ideas and philosophical fundamental principles in this regard. These basic responses include the following: the distinction between the existence of the non-conditioned as the source of division and the non-conditioned divided existence (unfolded existence), the attribution of immanent features to unfolded existence, possible quiddities as the origin of immanent aspects depending on which the unfolded existence, due to its relation with determined existence, develops comparative aspects. Moreover, the impossibility of the generalization of the judgments of possible things, such as the opposition between proximity and distance, to the Necessary is one of the fundamental responses according to which the opposition between proximity and distance, as well as the necessity of proximity and immanence, and the necessity of distance and diversity concerning Almighty Truth are negated, so that His proximity is not in the form of immanence and His distance is not in the form of diversity. In addition, non-associational transcendence, the classical associational transcendence, the individual associational transcendence (or modal transcendence), and epistemological transcendence are introduced as different forms of transcendence, according on which the mode of God's transcendence in relation to possible things in philosophy based on Sadrain individual unity of being is clarified.

Parvin Nabiyan

The present paper intends to provide a correct explanation of the relation between intellectual and traditional sciences by means of studying the semantics of the intellect and its various levels, intellectual sciences, traditional sciences, and its conceptual difference from transmitted sciences. Apparently, many thinkers have talked about the relation between them and demonstrated the incompatibility and contrast between intellectual and transmitted sciences. However, since their conclusions have been reached without paying any attention to the semantic difference between the two terms "transmitted" and "traditional" sciences, they might not be completely correct. This paper explains that, as a result of the personal hearing of the words of the infallible model of religion (not only quoting him without being present at the time he said his words) and benefiting from his teachings, the realm of the intellect is illuminated by the divine light, and in this luminous atmosphere the truth of divine words and transmitted sciences is perceived.

In other words, we can say that traditional sciences are a grace for the actualization of the higher levels of the intellect until reaching the level of intuition (and even observation) and the growth of intellectual perceptions. Reaching the higher levels of the intellect itself is the main factor in the perception of transmitted sciences (the Qur'an, hadith, and narrations) and a higher understanding of traditional sciences. The importance of this issue becomes clear when we do not limit the meanings of the Qur'an, hadiths, narrations, and traditional sciences to their external meanings and believe that it is necessary to understand the internal meanings of these texts and words, as the greatest internal gift given by Almighty God, and as emphasized in the two noble verses of the Qur'an, "Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made his bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both) seen and unseen? Yet there are among men those who dispute about Allah, without knowledge and without guidance, and without a Book to enlighten them!" (Luqman: 20) and "Then, shall ye be questioned that Day about the joy (ye indulged in!)" (al-Takathur: 8).

Nahid Hijazi

Mulla Sadra (979-1050 AH) and Parmenides (510-340 BC) are two of the most distinguished figures in the field of philosophy who have influenced philosophical thought with their innovations concerning the most important philosophical issues.

Although one belongs to the era of the beginning of philosophical thought in ancient Greece and the other rose in a period in which his different thought was in its culmination, their theories of "being" are sometimes very close to and sometimes far from each other.

Here, the writer first deals with the approaches, worldviews, and methods of the two philosophers regarding "being". Then she reveals what the meaning of this issue for each of them is and describes how they sometimes come close to and sometimes go far from each other in this regard. Firstly, both of them agree that "being" is real, base phenomena on "being", and maintain that anything other than it is unoriginal. Secondly, both believe that it is possible to demonstrate the principiality of "being" by means of logical reasoning. Thirdly, although their analyses are different, knowledge enjoys an ontological basis in their philosophies. For them, there is an agreement between thought and being; thought perceives being, which is not an abstract and mental issue. Nevertheless, Mulla Sadra and Parmenides move away from each other when they explain the kind of "being" and the mode of its principiality and actualization. This is because each of them follows a specific purpose.

[1]. Refer to A Comprehensive Bibliography of Mulla Sadra, The Publication Center of the Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute, pp. 217-228.

[2]. al-Masha'ir al-ilahiyyah, p. c, 3, 103.

[3]. Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani, Mashad University Publications.

[4]. Mulla Ali Nuri's glosses on Mulla Sadra's al-Mabda' wal-ma'ad also indicate that The Transcendent Philosophy is another name for this book.

[5]. P. 187, Tas' rasa'il.

[6]. This refers to a famous event whereby 'Abduljabbar entered Sahib Ibn 'Ibad's gathering. When he saw Asfarayeni (who believed in predestination), he said, "God is pure from all ugliness," because according to this idea, all human acts, even prostitution, is attributed to pure God. And Asfarayeni spontaneously says, "Nothing happens in God's realm but what He wishes," because, according to the idea of free will, man, too, has the authority in the world.

[7]. This treatise was collected and written as a result of the efforts of Muhammed Barakat and Majd al-Din Mahallati.

[8]. First volume, p. 109, onwards.

[9]. This treatise, along with the philosopher's Ajwabahs, has been critically edited and published by the Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute.

[10]. Baqiri, The Comprehensive Bibliography of Mulla Sadra, p. 324, The Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute Publications, p. 324.

[11]. Zanjani, The Great Iranian Philosopher, p. 24, The Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute Publications (entry 26, Inventory of Book Titles).

[12]. Baqir, op. cit., p. 329.

[13]. Hamid Naji's Introduction, Collection of Mulla Sadra's Treatises, p. 17.

[14]. Ibid.

[15]. Ibid.

[16]. Zanjani, op. cit., p. 24, entry 20.

[17]. P. 314, The Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute Publications.

[18]. al-Zurriyyah, vol. 2, p. 332.

[19]. Astan Quds Library, Collection of Treatises.

[20]. Ibid.

[21]. Seyyed Jalal Ashtiyani, Mulla Sadra's Biography an Philosophical Ideas, p. 218.

[22]. Hamid Naji, Collection of Mulla Sadra's Treatises, Introduction, p. 16.

[23]. Hamid Naji, Collection of Philosophical Treatises, p. 17.

[24]. A Comprehensive Bibliography of Mulla Sadra, The Sadra Islamic Philosophy and Research Publications, p. 325.

[25]. al-Asfar, vol. 3, chapter 28.

[26]. Interpretation of Ya-seen chapter, p. 239, Bidar, al-Asfar.

[27]. Interpretation of Ya-seen and al-Hadid Chapters, 7/28.

[28]. A Comprehensive Bibliography of Mulla Sadra, pp. 305-331, The Sadra Islamic Philosophy and Research Institute Publications.