The Relation between the Rule of the One and the gnostic Nafs al-Amr in Explaining Multiple Beings (A Historical Approach)
Subject Areas : Comparison of philosophical thoughts within the Islamic tradition
Mostafa Ramazani
1
*
,
Mahdi Safaei Asl
2
1 - PhD Candidate in Islamic Philosophy and Kalam, Farabi Campus, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Kalam, Farabi Campus, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran
Keywords: rule of the One, mystical nafs al-amr, Mullā Ṣadrā, Transcendent Philosophy,
Abstract :
The present study examines the complementary relationship between the “Rule of the One” and the “gnostic nafs al-amr” in justifying the problem of multiple beings within the framework of Transcendent Philosophy. The quality of the emanation of multiple existents from a single and simple origin is an important problem in philosophy and kalam; one that becomes more acute with the acceptance of the Rule of the One. Although the Rule of the One and the problem of multiplicity have a long history in the Peripatetic and Illuminationist schools, the innovation of this paper lies in examining the relationship between the Ṣadrian interpretation of this principle and the concept of the “gnostic nafs al-amr” as the cause of multiple beings; an area that has received comparatively little attention. The findings of the study indicate that, in the Ṣadrian formulation, the Rule of the One is actualized in “distributed existence” (al-wujūd al-munbasiṭ) or absolute existence, which is the First Emanant and is simple. Multiplicity, however, emerges at a lower level, namely, “confined existence” (al-wujūd al-muqayyad). At this level, the nafs al-amr plays the central role, which is identified with the same “immutable entities” (al-aʻyān al-thābita) or the a priori truths of existents in divine knowledge. Although immutable entities do not possess external existence, they have determinate and distinct identities. When “distributed existence” is related to multiple nafs al-amrs, each of them manifests in the external world as a determinate and distinct existent. Consequently, explaining multiplicity requires two components: (1) the Rule of the One, which explains how existence emanates from the Origin, and (2) the gnostic nafs al-amr, which explains the direction and multiplication of this single existence. Using a descriptive-analytical method and drawing upon primary philosophical and gnostic sources, the present study seeks to demonstrate that the two doctrines of the nafs al-amr and the Rule of the One are not only non-contradictory but also complementary, such that the elimination of either would deprive the system of emanation and tasha’un (ontological manifestation) of a rigorous and comprehensive explanation.
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