Fundamental Principles of Anthropology in Mulla Sadra

Life shows its true face to those human beings who, in search of a response to the question of “their own ontological philosophy”, come up with an answer which can lead them to the path of growth and transcendence. In the view of Islamic philosophers, the relationship between God and human beings is similar to that between a master and a servant. Accordingly, in addition to His program for and purpose of the creation of creatures, God has the responsibility of training and guiding them. Philosophers believe that, in the process of training human beings, desirable models are those who have succeeded to attain the expected perfection of their own species in the light of divine blessing and, as perfect human beings, have managed to bear the responsibility of guiding others to the right path. In Sadrian philosophy, based on some principles such as the principiality of existence, gradedness of being, and the trans-substantial motion, all existents are moving towards the cause of all causes (genetic worship) on the path of creation, which has emerged in the process of the creation of the world. Here, because of their specific place in the order of being, human beings are capable of stepping on the path of religious law and, by modeling the perfect Man and through benefitting from theoretical wisdom and employing practical wisdom, reach the highest peak of their existential perfection, which is the same divine servitude (meeting the Lord) or religious worship. In Mulla Sadra’s view, the keys to attaining such a station are wisdom and love of freedom.