نشریه خردنامه صدرا
پیاپی 107 (بهار 1401)

Some opponents of philosophy and many Orientalists believe that Islamic Philosophy simply repeats the words and views of Greek philosophers and is not only totally far from Islamic teachings but also sometimes in opposition to them. Through explaining the extent of the influence of the Holy Qur’an on a rational and philosophical discussion and a study of the works of Islamic philosophers, this paper aims to demonstrate that they have benefitted from Qur’anic teachings in order to expand and develop philosophical discussions and, particularly, philosophical theology. In other words, it intends to prove that the qualitative and quantitative expansion of philosophical problems, arguments, theories, and principles in the field of philosophical theology is indebted to Qur’anic teachings. This influence is to the extent that it has led to the conceptual and structural evolution of Greek philosophy and differentiates the general approach of Islamic philosophy from Greek philosophy.

Mullā Ṣadrā believes that “gratitude” is a level and station that Man can attain and considers the knowledge and perception of the truth of gratitude to depend on anthropology. The three-fold pillars of gratitude in his view consist of knowledge, happiness, and act. Act is the prerequisite for attaining happiness, which, in turn, is a prerequisite for acquiring knowledge. Therefore, knowledge is the basis for gratitude, and act functions as a prerequisite to it. Accordingly, one can say that a truly thankful person is always happy, which manifests itself in practice in the form of benevolence, generosity, and sympathy. The reason behind this happiness and kindness to all people is the belief in God and His Oneness. In the Transcendent Philosophy, God is the source of infinite happiness; therefore, any relationship with Him is the same as being connected to the source of happiness and joy. Therefore, it can be concluded that gratitude is based on philosophical principles in Mullā Ṣadrā’s works so that reaching the highest level of thankfulness is only possible through attaining wisdom.

This study investigates and criticizes five of Mullā Ṣadrā’s main arguments for the falsity of the infinite regress of efficient causes. Given the fact that many philosophers use this principle in order to demonstrate the existence of the Necessary Being, a study of the objections targeting its arguments is of great importance because of its relationship with proving the existence of God. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, four arguments have been examined and criticized separately, and the fifth argument has been referred back to the fourth in terms of content and method. These arguments include “limit and middle”, “conformity”, “the most concise and precise”, “correlation 1”, and “correlation 2” arguments. The criticisms of the arguments of the falsity of regress and the importance of the falsity of the regress of efficient causes in developing some of the arguments adduced to demonstrate the Divine Essence have provoked philosophers, both Islamic and Western, to seek for other arguments to prove the existence of God in order not to rely on the falsity of the regress of causes. It is worth noting that they have had some success in this regard. At the end of this paper, without discussing the arguments and while summarizing and concluding the remarks, the authors refer to two famous arguments: Mullā Ṣadrā’s argument of the righteous in Islamic philosophy and Anselm’s ontological argument in Western philosophy. These two arguments are semi-casual and semi-analytical because they are not based on any premise that needs to be proved.

Man’s corporeal dimension is of great significance from various angles in Mullā Ṣadrā’s anthropology. In this paper, the authors deal with one of its important dimensions, that is, its ontological functions. Mullā Ṣadrā has not allocated any independent section to the functions of Man’s corporeal dimension in his works and has not even directly referred to it. However, these functions can be inferred from his views. A study of his works indicate that Man’s corporeal dimension performs some important functions from an ontological perspective. In this regard reference can be made to the following functions: developing belief, promotion and evolution of Man, having free will, performing opposite acts, completing mental and rational acts, constructing and improving the world, realizing the noblest order, granting identity to the soul, and developing the identity of the perfect Man and some apparently contradictory roles such as becoming the source of evil and the source of freedom from evil. This study, which has been conducted following the library and content analysis methods, in addition to demonstrating the significance and necessity of Man’s corporeal dimension in the world of creation, illustrates that the functions of this dimension have various aspects from an ontological viewpoint and pertain to a number of important realms in the world of being.

In Mullā Ṣadrā’s view, the soul can attain some kinds of immateriality, which can lead to the development of specific features and capabilities for human beings. The present study investigates Mullā Ṣadrā’s analysis of the quality of the soul’s attainment of different levels of rational immateriality, the influential factors in this process, the existing obstacles there, and the characteristics created through this immateriality in worldly life. Upon the rational faculty’s reaching its habitual stage, the soul arrives at the borderline of rational immateriality, and utmost immateriality is gained at the level of acquired reason. The reinforcement of practical intellect, love, and prayer are among the factors affecting man’s reaching the different levels of rational immateriality. However, there are some obstacles to this process such as yielding to whims, committing sins, imitating others, and loving the world. At its lowest level, rational immateriality creates speech in human beings and makes it possible for them to distinguish between the good and evil. Through the promotion of the level of immateriality, man can consciously try to begin their journey toward God and, at the highest level, they become qualified for the station of guardianship. Given Mullā Ṣadrā’s idea of the quality of the rational immateriality of the soul, the philosophical explanation of some of the duties of the Prophet(ṣ), such as receiving revelation and developing certainty about its legitimacy, becomes possible.

In ‘Allāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī’s view, poetry and mentally-posited perceptions have such a close relationship with each other that he describes such perceptions through using poetic similes, allegories, and metaphors in his book of The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism. This study explores the relationship between poetry and mentally-posited perceptions through referring to those works of ‘Allāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī in which he discusses the theory of mentally-posited things. The significance of this relationship lies in the fact that, by investigating the relationship between these two variables in different philosophical, gnostic, and interpretive works of ‘Allāmah, one can inquire about the relationship of poetry and positedness with fact-itself truth. The findings of this study indicate that mentally-posited things are the same as Man’s poetic view of the world or an eye with which Man can see everything. This poetic world, while being irrational and non-inferential, can speak of truth through allusions. Accordingly, it can be claimed that the theory of mentally-posited perceptions in Islamic philosophy has opened a new window to attaining the knowledge of truth.

The problem of other was propounded for the first time in Western philosophy by Emmanuel Levinas and its efficiency in justifying several ethical principles is undeniable. Moreover, it seems that the majority of present issues and complications in social and international relationships can be resolved through a profound consideration of this problem. This discussion has apparently been developed during the contemporary period; however, several early philosophical views and ideas are also capable of resolving the related issues. One of the early philosophical schools with such a potential is Mullā Ṣadrā’s school of thought, which comprises the principles that are based on his ontological thoughts. The employment of the principles of the Transcendent Philosophy as a method of living can at least lead to some changes in People’s worldviews. For example, by lining up some philosophical principles such as the principiality and gradation of existence and the theory of existents’ manifestation, a new definition can be provided for the principle of individuation. Moreover, through a comparison of the principle of individuation with the Sadrian oneness of being, a number of noteworthy conclusions can be derived from this discussion.