Self-Understanding in Mullā Ṣadrā and Afḍal al-Dīn Kāshāni

Religious texts put a great emphasis on self-understanding and consider it as a precondition for understanding God. Afḍal al-Dīn Kāshāni, a 7th century philosopher, and Mullā Ṣadrā, the founder of Transcendent Philosophy, have their view of intuitive self-understanding on the basis of their own principles.The author, in the first part of the article, reviews the presuppositions of Mullā Ṣadrā’s view, and suggests a systematic theory of self-understanding accordingly. Then he explains the stages of self-understanding, reached by the travelers on the path to God. In the second part, the viewpoints of Afḍal al-Dīn Kāshāni on self-understanding are probed, and practical ways for attaining such an intuitive knowledge are discussed. At the end, the author compares the two philosophers according to their presuppositions, theories, and consequences of their ideas.