This book is an interpretation of one of the central themes of Mulla Sadra’s philosophy of existence known as ‘transubstantial change’. It provides, for the first time in English, a comprehensive analysis of transubstantial change in light of Sadrian ontology and its impact on some philosophical issues such as identity, values, and truth. As the author elucidates, in transubstantial change nothing is indestructible and everything in the world, including substance, is inconstant renewal.
This book examines and analyses the legitimacy of the widely held claim that Mulla Sadra's philosophy (al-hikmah al-muta'aliyyah) is a synthesis of principles and doctrines drawn from revelation (wahy), gnosis ('irfan/ma'rifah) and discursive philosophy (al-hikmah al-bahthiyyah). In Mulla Sadra's view, these three major sources of knowledge can be brought together without contradiction and accorded their respective roles in the human quest for true and certain knowledge. This book discusses and demonstrates how Mulla Sadra achieves this synthesis as contained in and exemplified by his text, al-Hikmah al-'arshiyyah or Wisdom from the Divine Throne. An evaluation on whether or not Mulla Sadra's synthesis is successful is also undertaken. The criteria used for the evaluation are the internal coherence of his ideas, their conformity to Islamic teachings and impact on Islamic thinkers after him.
Mulla Sadra, known also as Sadr al-Muta'allihin, the greatest Iranian-Muslim philosopher and founding father of the Transcendent Philosophy', was born in Shiraz, Iran in the year 1571 and died in 1641. His writings focus on philosophy and commentaries on the Qur'an and Al-Usul Al-Kafi. His most important philosophical writings include Al-Asfar Al-Arba at Al- Aqliyyah, Al-Shawahid Al-Rububiyya, Al-Hikamat Al- Arshiyya, Kitab Al-Masha ir, and Al-Mabda' wa Al-Ma ad. The present work consists of five chapters, written on two categories: The Transcendent Philosophy and Mulla Sadra's School, and Comparative Studies of Mulla Sadra and Other Philosophers. Several years of work enabled Dr Akbarian to complete some parts of this project, which concerns the relation of Mulla Sadra to the totality of the Islamic tradition, and the characteristics of his Transcendent Philosophy' being used in its original sense. We hope, therefore, that in this form the work will serve as a complete intro¬duction to the teachings of Sadr al-Muta'allihin in philosophy, as well as aid in making better known the doctrine of Mulla Sadra in synthesising between revelation, illumination and ratiocination in a world which is suffering so grievously as a result of it having separated these paths to the Truth from each other. Chapter One of this book discusses the question of what Transcendent Philosophy' is. When we turn to the writings of Mulla Sadra himself, we do not find any passages in which he explicitly designates his own school as Transcendent Philosophy' (al-hikmat al-muta'aliyah). Mulla Sadra expands the mean¬ing of falsafah to include the dimension of illumination and realisation as implied by the ishraqi and also Sufi understanding of the term. For him, as for his contemporaries as well as most of his successors, falsafah or philosophy was perceived as the supreme science of ultimately divine origin, derived from the niche of prophecy', and the hukama' as the most perfect of human beings, standing in rank only below the prophets and Imams. This conception that philosophy deals with discovering the truth concerning the nature of things, and that it combines mental knowl¬edge with the purification and perfection of one's being, has lasted to this day wherever the tradition of Islamic philosophy has continued; it is in fact embodied in the very being of the most eminent representatives of the Islamic philosophical tradition thus far. Both their works and their lives were testimony, not only to over a millennium of concern by Islamic philosophers with regards to the meaning of the concept and the term philosophy', but also to the significance of the Islamic definition of philosophy as that reality which transforms both the mind and the soul and which is ultim¬ately never separated from the spiritual purity and ultimately, the sanctity that the very term hikmah implies in the Islamic context. Chapter Two, "Being and its various polarizations", consists of four sections: 1. Existence as a Predicate; 2. The Metaphysical Distinction between Quiddity' and Existence' (The Fundamental Principle of Ibn Sina's Ontology); 3. The Principle of Primacy of Existence' over Quiddity' and its Philosophical Results; 4. Mulla Sadra's Proof of God's Existence (Burhan-e Siddiqin/The Argument of the Righteous). The question of existence as a predicate' enjoys an outstanding significance from the historical and comparative point of view. Kant, the eminent German philosopher, claimed that existence could not be a real predicate for its own subject since existence is not a concept that could add anything to an object. According to Kant, existence in its logical sense is, merely, copula (rabit) rather than either of the terms. The copula of the proposition on the other hand, does not indicate something that owns a real referent. Its exclusive role is, rather, to establish a nexus between the predicate and the subject. Mulla Sadra accepts existence as an
Transubstantial Motion is a thought-provoking analysis of Mulla Sadra’s innovative theory of transubstantial motion. Expounding on Sadra’s theory and critique of earlier philosophers, Mahdi Dehbashi explains how the theory of transubstantial motion bridged the physical and spiritual aspects of reality and how Sadra solved the philosophical dilemmas of his era. Also included is a translation of the chapters of al-Asfar al-Arba‘ah (The Four Spiritual Journeys) in which Mulla Sadra presents his theory and takes the reader through a rewarding discourse on the nature of space and time – a discourse only fully appreciated in the light of modern physics. In addition to discussing the physical universe, this prescient work provided a new philosophical base for Islamic metaphysics, eschatology, ethics, and the philosophy of the human soul. An essential read in Islamic philosophy.
The puzzling nature of temporality and timing of reality remains controversial. This book offers a collection of studies that seeks a new answer by initiating a novel investigation informed by the ancient wisdom of the Greaco-Arabic-Islamic sources and inheritance, on the one side, and the contemporary discernment of Occidental phenomenology of life, on the other, in a common dialogical effort to unravel this great enigma of existence.
Classical Arabic is the liturgical language used by an estimated 1.8 billion Muslims. As the language of the Qur’an and Hadith, Classical Arabic has served as the lingua franca of Islamic learning throughout the centuries. It is through mastering this language that one gains access to the primary Islamic texts and other treasures of Islamic heritage and civilisation. Arabic Morphology: An Introduction is a translation of Sarf-i Muqaddamati, a Persian work that has been popular with both seminary and university students for decades. The book is often studied as a precursor to its unabridged version, Sarf-i Sadih, the translation of which ICAS Press has published under the title Arabic Morphology Made Simple. With its clear style, helpful exercises, and bilingual glossary of technical terms, this textbook provides students with an excellent start to their learning of Arabic.
Shining Sun is a tribute to the life and thought of the renowned Islamic scholar, Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i, written soon after his death by one of his students. Shining Sun includes an overview of Tabataba’i’s life and transcriptions of discussions between Tabataba’i and his students. These discussions cover history, philosophy, mysticism, theology, and the Qur’an. Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i (1902-1981), commonly referred to as the most learned (‘Allamah), was a prominent Muslim scholar who breathed new life into the Shi‘a seminaries by establishing courses on the interpretation of the Qur’an and by introducing a novel method of Qur’anic interpretation. He was a master of Islamic philosophy and a model of spirituality. "‘Allamah Tabataba’i is undoubtedly the major Shi`a thinker of modern times, and his impact on Persian philosophy and theology is incomparable. Anyone who approaches his work is bound to be impressed by it, and the fertility of his thought can be seen in the considerable contributions that his many students have continued to make to Islamic philosophy. It is wonderful to see the Persian tradition of respecting great personalities in writing continuing in modern times." - Oliver Leaman, University of Kentucky, USA
Mullā Ṣadrā Shirāzī emerges as an original philosopher who had a sure understanding of his Greek and Islamic predecessors. He is worthy of study by scholars concerned with the development of Islamic philosophy because of his attempt to reconcile various currents of Islamic philosophical thought, particularly the peripatetic tradition of Ibn ʿArabī. Modern existentialists will be interested in his basic concern with the reality of existence and the unreality of essences or general notions.
Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence for Beginners is an English translation of al-Mujaz fi Usul al-Fiqh. The science of usul al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence) discusses the fundamental rules for deriving Islamic laws from reliable sources. This primer on the subject deals with the most important topics of usul al-fiqh in a succinct and clear manner. Building on classical works of past scholars, the author provides students with insights into the development of the subject and demystifies the complex, jargon-laden subject of the derivation of Islamic law. This succinct, clear manual explains the fundamentals of this subject and is suitable for academic research, as an introductory course in the traditional Islamic seminary system, or as a companion work to more complex texts. The use of practical examples enables the reader to better understand the issues discussed and opens up avenues for further research. Helpful annotations from the translator make the work even more accessible to the English-language reader.
Sadradin Shirazi (1571-1640), known also as Mulla Sadra, spoke of the primacy of Being and promoted a new ontology, founding a new epistemology. Mulla Sadra's ontology is an important philosophical turn and contribution to the understanding of the development of Muslim philosophy and thought. This comprehensive study of Mulla Sadra's philosophical thought explores his departure from tradition; his turn to the doctrine of the primacy of Being; the dynamic characteristics of Being and the concept of substantial change; comparisons with Heidegger's fundamental ontology; and the influence of Mulla Sadra's ontology on subsequent Muslim philosophy. Of particular value to students of philosophy, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, philosophy of religion, and general readers who seek to understand Muslim philosophy, this book explores the significance of the doctrine of Mulla Sadra and its impact on subsequent debates in the Muslim world.
