Comparing the Perspectives of Mullā Ṣadrā and Hawking on the Creation of the World According to the Teachings of Transcendent Philosophy

The issue of the creation of the universe has been a challenge for philosophers, theologians and physicists of all ages. The purpose of this research is to study and compare Hawking’s view on the creation of the universe with that of Mullā Ṣadrā based on the teachings of transcendent philosophy in a descriptive-analytical manner. In this paper, the epistemological and ontological foundations of the two perspectives are compared to clarify the commonalities, disagreements and the advantages. It will be revealed that the concepts of “nothing” and “vacuum” in Hawking’s theory of the creation are different from the concept of vacuum in the transcendent philosophy and hence, do not mean pure non-existence. Referring to the religious teachings and based on his philosophical principles, such as the ontological primacy of existence and substantial motion, as well as the idea of creatio ex nihilo (creation out of non-existence), Mullā Ṣadrā proves the temporal origination of the universe (in a specific sense). According to him, Divine emanation is eternal, constant and inseparable from God and thus, the claim that the creation has begun in a real or imaginary time is rejected.