Transcendent Philosophy in Mulla Sadra

Perhaps few philosophical schools have been judged so differently or opposed as much as the Transcendent Philosophy in the course of history. The vast domain and influence of this school, as well as its strength and all-inclusiveness, have persuaded several thinkers with different philosophical, gnostic, kalami, and even Qur’anic tendencies to take it into consideration, to describe it from their own point of view, and, consciously or unconsciously, interpret it to their own advantage. Such differences have resulted in the creation of some ambiguity with regard to the truth and nature of the Transcendent Philosophy. For example, the meaning and truth of the word “philosophy” (in Mulla Sadra’s view), which has been given the adjective of “transcendent” is one of such ambiguous cases. In the present paper, in order to clarify this ambiguity, the author has tried to describe Mulla Sadra’s philosophy by referring to his own words. In doing so, after determining the nature of wisdom and philosophy and conducting a comparative study of the common meaning of philosophy and the Transcendent Philosophy and specifying their similarities and differences, it is demonstrated that his philosophy is a particular philosophy with a prophetic and religious origin. It is indeed a divine blessing which is only bestowed upon His special servants; a kind of philosophy which safely brings gnosis and reasoning to the shore of harmony and cooperation in the light of the Qur’an.