A Study of the Views of Two Commentators (Meybodi and Mulla Sadra) of Hidayah al-Hikmah Concerning the First Emanated

Both Qadi Kamal al-Din Meybodi and Mulla Sadra have written comments on the chapters of Tabi‘iyyat and Ilahiyyat of Abhari’s Hidayah al-hikmah and have often provided their own critical views of the existing ideas regarding the discussed problems, one of which is the problem of the first emanated. Meybodi has objected to considering the “intellect” as the first emanated relying on “the mentally-posited (negations and additions) modes as the origins of the emanation of multiple things from Almighty Necessary” and the “emanation of acts from the soul without the mediation of the body”. He believes that the soul can be directly emanated from the first origin. When rejecting Meybodi’s reasoning, Mulla Sadra states, “Initially, the realization of negations, similar to additions, regarding the truth of negative propositions is posterior to the realization of Almighty Necessary”, and “Secondly, the soul, as such, is accompanied by weakness and strength and needs the body in activity and disposition.” This view of Mulla Sadra about the soul’s not being qualified for being the first emanated is more consistent with the approach and principles of the Transcendent Philosophy as to the soul’s being “corporeally originated and spiritually subsistent” than with the approach and principles of the Peripatetic philosophy as to the soul’s being “spiritually originated and spiritually subsistent.”