Asrar al-Ayat wa Anwar al-Bayyinat was Published by the Sadra Islamic Philosophy and Research Institute   

24.01.2011

One of the important questions and problems of Muslim scholars and even the followers of Ibrahimi religions concerns the relationship between “religion and philosophy” or “revelation and the intellect”. Muslims have also referred to it as the “intellect and tradition” relationship. This issue has led to several debates and even various responses.

Mulla Sadra, too, has tried to respond to the propounded questions in this regard in his Asrar al-ayat wa anwar al-bayyinat based on his own method. By writing this book, Mulla Sadra demonstrated some truths: first, revelation and the intellect, which are both signs and proofs of God and responsible for guiding human beings, are not in contrast to each other. Second, the Holy Qur’an itself is the founder of a philosophical school containing the main features of human thought and the most important cosmological problems comprising philosophy and wisdom. Third, among Qur’anic teachings, there are some truths that the human intellect cannot perceive and have not been expressed in traditional philosophies developed by human beings. However, they have been stated in the Qur’an and by the People of the Prophet’s Household. Besides, the Transcendent Philosophy and the ‘Alawi gnosis (the school of the teachings of Imam Ali (a), the Commander of the Faithful) held the responsibility to state them.

 The explanations given above are a part of the Preface to Mulla Sadra’s treatise of Asrar al-ayat wa anwar al-bayyinat written by Professor Seyyed Mohammed Khamenei.

In a part of his Preface, Professor Khamenei speaks about the reason for the denomination of this work as follows: “The Qur’an is not a simple book so that its depth can be discovered based on the principles of surface structure and the knowledge of Arabic words and literature; it contains some secrets hidden among its verses, and a secret keeper is required to illuminate the way.”

One of the features of this book is that it explains some of the philosophical universal truths that cannot be contained in non-Qur’anic philosophies. In fact, it is only the Transcendent Philosophy that (in the light of the Qur’an and inspirations of the writer of this book) can reveal the depth of its truth so accurately, wisely, tastefully, and delicately.

 Professor Khamenei also suggests the lovers of philosophy and wisdom not to treat this useful and profound work simplistically and superficially. This is because it can provide them with a background that can be used for extracting and inferring the main teachings of the Qur’an and developing an indestructible philosophy. According to the Holy Qur’an, “As for those who strive in Us, We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good” (Chapter al-Ankabut: 29).

The first edition of this book consists of two treatises entitled Asrar al-ayat wa anwar al-bayyinat and Mutashabihat al-Qur’an by Mulla Sadra. Muhammed Ali Jawadan and Seyyed Muhammed Reza Ahmadi Burujerdi have done the required research work for this book and edited it. Professor Seyyed Mohammed Khamenei has written the Introduction to this book and supervised its process of completion.

This book has been published by the Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute in 557 pages at the price of 125000 rials and is now available to lovers of Islamic philosophy and wisdom.

 

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