A Comparative Study of Ibn Sina s and Mulla Sadra s Philosophical Principles of Intermediary Development Based on Religious Texts

In religious sources, based on the logic of revelation, the development of the soul in the intermediate world is certain and impeccable. However, the quality of intermediary development and its probable inconsistency certain philosophical principles, such as the necessity for any kind of development to be preceded by potency and motion and allocating them to matter, makes it necessary for this kind of development to be only possible based on religious (Shar‘i) principles. In other words, philosophers might not be able to demonstrate the possibility of the souls’ intermediary development on the basis of rational principles. In this paper, the writers initially examine the traditional proofs for intermediary development based on religious texts and then investigate it in the light of the fundamental principles proposed by two prominent Islamic philosophers, Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra. After a comparative study of their views, the writers conclude that intermediary development is impossible based on both philosophers’ principles regarding motion. However, they also argue that, given Mulla Sadra’s view of the Ideal immateriality of the soul and his belief in the Ideal Otherworldly body, there is a more appropriate, but not sufficient, context for the posthumous development of the body.