فصلنامه آیین حکمت
پیاپی 19 (بهار 1393)

Human soul is the most important part of human being which has been the subject of controversy throughout the history. Physicalists with various impulses attempt to deny soul altogether or regard it as material apart from immaterial world. By contrast, Allama Tabatabae demonstrates both the existence and immateriality of soul on basis of multifaceted arguments. To him soul is immaterial entity that belongs to the realm beyond the natural world. According to him human immaterial soul is not perceivable with material instruments nor can it be dealt with through laboratory experimentation. Self-awareness, esoteric vision and perception of its simplicity are among the arguments to which he appealed in order to prove both the existence and incorporeality of soul. The present article is an attempt to formulate Tabatabae’s various rational and revealed proofs for the immateriality of human soul. The author also tries to give an explanation and classification of them to his own satisfaction.

What makes life meaningful? What is the philosophy of life? How can the relation of purpose of life with the meaning of life be explained? What are the responses of Imam Ali who left behind triumphantly the convoluted course of life? How is Imam Ali’s desire of death consistent with his vision of life as laden with meaning? The present article is an attempt to give a brief conceptual analysis of the problem along with explanation of the purpose of life with a reference to the ideas of Western thinkers. Meanwhile the teachings of Imam Ali whose deep insight into life can be regarded as a source of inspiration in rendering life full of meaning in the light of theism and the purposeful design the Creator in such a way that desire for death is part and parcel of life.

By revelation is meant the event through which some chosen servant of God communication with Him and receive the plan for human salvation and have the mission of conveying the message to the people guiding them to the pinnacles of perfection and their final eternal felicity. Some scholars failed to understand properly the true nature of revelation giving a wrong account of it and accordingly identified it with ingenuity. To them prophets are introduced as original gifted men who shed light on arena of social life in some historical stages of the past and in virtue of natural ingenuity and essential intelligence provided human beings with rules and laws for their guidance, happiness and moral and mental healthiness. This account of revelation, however, is not acceptable since revelation and ingenuity are two utterly distinct and different entities. Ingenuity is theoretical aspect related to natural, mental and brain structures of human being while revelation is sort of knowledge intuitively and presentially received by the heart and spirit of the prophet. Perceptions given through ingenuity are fallible whereas those of revelation are infallible. Perceptions obtained through creative ingenuity are limited to certain aspects of life but revealed acts of knowledge contain all walks of life. Taking rational and text-based approach, the present article is a critical survey on the identification of revelation with ingenuity.

Every human being in forming his identity owes two key elements of knowledge of himself and having specific purpose of life as the pivotal themes in the domain of epistemology and teleology that engage every man in his life. Allama Javadi Amoli provides a comprehensive definition of man as “theosophical living being” on the basis of theistic faith, on which one can found his identity in the field of epistemology through self-knowledge and in teleology by knowing the purpose for which he has been created. Accordingly just as man is ontologically nothing but pure poverty who owes to God whatever he has, in domain of knowledge he is totally in need so that without revelation by God he cannot possibly obtain self-knowledge and find his proper identity. In realm of teleology too his movement is toward his sublime status as locus for manifestation of the Divine Names of Beauty. In this way, man can transform substantially and find in the end his humanity and identity. By reflection upon these two domains we can say that the real identity and humanity of every individual is realized only when they know and accept the right and true faith in belief level and act virtuously and properly in the practical grounds. This article attempts to explain the role of faith in giving identity with focusing on the views of Ayatollah Javadi Amoli in two domains of self-knowledge and purposefulness. The method pursued is content explanation and analysis.

Broadly speaking, all human sciences are influenced by philosophical paradigms and the Qur'ānic disciplinary of exegesis is an exception. It seems that the exegetes who are also men of thought and philosophy are committed to their philosophical principles and their implications when they engage in exegetical enterprise and understanding holy Qur'ān. The main concern of the present article is to identify the unique possibilities provided by philosophical method of reasoning in interpreting and deep understanding of the verses of holy Quran. On the basis of present views in exegesis of scriptures such concepts as exegesis, interpretation and reason are first discussed and then elaborate distinction is made between rational interpretation and exegesis by appealing to personal opinion and finally arguments for and against rational interpretation of Quran are to be dealt with so that one comes to recognition of the most important exegetical possibilities of this method in understanding revealed doctrines. In this way we will touch on the application of the method in Al-Mizan famous work of late Allama Tabatabae, the philosopher and exegete of holy Quran.

According to Mulla Sadra human soul originates initially from mineral level develops into vegetative stage and then to animal soul. Having born, man begins to use his sense organs bestowed to him and goes on to become more and more perfect passing behind the sensual and imaginal stages to attain the level of rational soul which is the distinguishing element between man and animal. Since his final perfection and the end for his creation is to attain the status of intuition, it is shown in the present article that human perfection is of and depends on perception, which itself relates to the development of intellect. Through theoretical and practical activities human intellect can actualize its potentialities so that it can expand and deepen its perceptions by attaining the Active Intellect in which it can intuitively see and obtain all forms of knowledge. On the unity of intellect and intelligible, human soul enjoys any perfection realized for one of its faculties. As result, the perception of intellect is a cause for existential intensification of soul and its progress up to higher levels of beings. The more powerful human perception is, the higher levels of existence it can attain. Therefore, the highest being is the most knowing existent. The role played by theoretical intellect is much more crucial than that of practical one. The findings of practical intellect can cause existential progress of soul only if they turn to intuition and perception. Hence, the perfection and existential intensity of soul is possible only through increase of perception.

Essentialists who maintain the common core for mystical experiences are divided into three main groups: emotionists, advocates of correspondence of sense experience with mystical experience and supporters of unifying finding. The latter is shared by Stace and Forman. The problem of common core of the mystical experiences is the most important issue dealt with by Stace. He observed the common characteristics of mystical experiences throughout the world. Stace’s psychological and phenomenological approach in discussing the issue as well as the nature of mystical experience is regarded as a foundation on which he adopts his epistemic view. Robert Forman is also a philosopher who clearly criticizes the constructionism. To him mystical experiences are not the sort of knowledge with relational nature but of conjunctive nature which is in his terms “identity knowledge” by which any duality between knowing agent and object of knowledge is removed. Forman divides mystical experiences into two types of primary and advanced that are called respectively as pure awareness and mystical dual moments. Although Stace and Forman share views in some respects, they do divide in other respects.