Symbolical Anthropology in Sheikh al-Ishraq's Mystic Narratives

Knowing human nature is one of the most important elements in Suhravardi's philosophy and therefore, his works, especially his symbolical and metaphorical narratives, are grounds for understanding human essence. According to his view, human soul is an illuminous substance, equal to transcendental spirits and even to God. The goal of the philosophy must be to save the soul and to help man release himself from the darkness of the body and the prison of this world. Symbols used in Sheikh al-Ishraq's mystic-philosophical narratives can be categorized in cosmological, theological and anthropological categories. The anthropological symbols are the main both in frequency and in goal. Although some symbols are formally peripatetic, but the meanings he derives are illuminous (Ishraqi). The implications of some other symbols don’t fit seemingly to the principles of his masterpiece Hikmat al-Ishraq. It can be due to his creative and inspired imagination which precedes his systemizing reason.