A Critical Study on Mulla Sadra's Traditional Evidence and Documentation about Priority of the Soul to the Body

Priority of the soul to the body is one of the issues in the studies on the soul concept, long being the subject of debate and contest by Islamic scholars. In addition, many narratives of infallible Imams have been quoted on this topic. Mulla Sadra Shirazi has been of a specific view on this issue. He has rejected the priority of the soul to the body in terms of multiplicity and disjunction and believed soul preceded body in cause level (stage) in an intellectual perspective. He has not accepted the apparent meaning of verses and narrations and has just interpreted them. In this paper, the reasons and statements of Mulla Sadra`s and his interpretation of narratives have been reviewed. The purpose is to find a way by which we can resolve the conflict between the apparent meaning of narratives (which indicate the priority of soul in terms of multiplicity and disjunction) and logic proof so that it doesn’t require regardless and departure from apparent meaning of traditions.