A Review and Clarification of Badaa in View of Mulla Sadra and Imam Khomeini

Badaa idiomatically means “change in an earlier divine ruling” which is a degree of Divine Knowledge. However, misunderstanding and misinterpretation of badaa and its relationship with God will lead to attributing ignorance to the Almighty God. Reviewing Mulla Sadra and Imam Khomeini’s viewpoints on badaa, this paper is an attempt to prove that the relationship between badaa and Divine Knowledge is such that the Almighty God had innermost knowledge which nobody but He knew and He is aware of the past, present and future. And that Knowledge of God of objects never changes from the pre-creation to post-creation stages. What changes is the Taqdir or doctrine of fate indeed, otherwise Qada and Qadar or predestination remains unchanged. According to Mulla Sadra Divine Nature and predestination shall be subject to no change. He says lower ranks of authority available for the prophets and the Imams, known as “Tablet of Effacement and Affirmation”, shall be subject to change. Imam Khomeini, too, says that in a selected science, acquisition of which takes places in the world of sensual perception, badaa shall be attributable. He attributes badaa to the world of the unseen, universal reality, and to principles of jurisprudence. Imam Khomeini believes that badaa is a component of Will and ordinance and it does not mean a change in Divine Will and repentance, rather, it means creation and transformation.