List of articles (by subject) Comparison of philosophical thoughts within the Islamic tradition
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Open Access Article
1 - God’s Will in Ṭūsī, Mullā Ṣadrā, and ‘Allāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī
Armin Mansouri Ali AlahbedashtiThe howness of God’s Will is one of the problems that has provoked a lot of discussion in the field of theology. Although all philosophers have accepted God’s Will as a Divine Attribute, there are several disagreements in its interpretation. The purpose of this paper is MoreThe howness of God’s Will is one of the problems that has provoked a lot of discussion in the field of theology. Although all philosophers have accepted God’s Will as a Divine Attribute, there are several disagreements in its interpretation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate, compare, and evaluate the views of Khwājah Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī, Mullā Ṣadrā, and ‘Allāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī in terms of the semantics, origin, and ontology of God’s Will. Ṭūsī maintains that will is the same as motive, which is the same as knowledge of the goodness of act, and thus believes in God’s essential will as an essential attribute. Mullā Ṣadrā also adds the sameness of love with will to the sameness of the knowledge of goodness of act with act and introduces will as an essential attribute. Moreover, he justifies the Infallible Imam’s narrations regarding the sameness of will with act by changing its meaning from having the intention to perform an act to the making and changing of its level from essence to the level of actual existents. However, ‘Allāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī views the identity of free will with the knowledge of the best system as a verbal conflict and a merely different denomination. He disagrees with equating free will with any essential attribute (such as love) other than knowledge. Thus he maintains that free will is not an essential attribute but is, rather, abstracted from the level of act and is one of its attributes. He also introduces the essence of an act that occurs in the outside or the presence of perfect cause for the act as its source of abstraction. It seems that ٬Allāmah’s change of ontological view of free will and considering it an actual attribute in justifying rational constraints are more accurate than regarding it as an essential attribute without paying attention to the conceptual difference between free will and knowledge and love, which has been propounded by Ṭūsī and Mullā Ṣadrā. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
2 - Explaining the Concepts of Illuminationist Philosophy in Iranian Houses
Takameh Abbasnia Tehrani Khosro Sahhaf Hassan Rezaei Abolghasem QavamIlluminationist philosophy is a discoursive-intuitive and light-centered school of philosophy. It has exercised a significant effect on Iranian art and architecture because of the Iranian-Islamic philosophical concepts that it employs. The present paper examines the ef MoreIlluminationist philosophy is a discoursive-intuitive and light-centered school of philosophy. It has exercised a significant effect on Iranian art and architecture because of the Iranian-Islamic philosophical concepts that it employs. The present paper examines the effects of Illuminationist views as a common language for the design of spiritual houses in the contemporary era. Hence, following a descriptive-analytic method, the authors initially explain some of the concepts and ideas in Suhrawardī’s Illuminationist philosophy and then examine their manifestation in the architecture of Iranian houses. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
3 - A Study of the Sinan System of Definition: An Analysis of Ibn Sīnā’s Encounter with Aristotle and Fārābī
Mohammad HosseinzadehThe Sinan approach to the theory of definition is an explanation and expanded from of Aristotelian definition. He has accepted Aristotle’s definition of objects based on analyzing their quiddity in terms of their genus and differentia and extended it. Moreover, Ibn Sīnā MoreThe Sinan approach to the theory of definition is an explanation and expanded from of Aristotelian definition. He has accepted Aristotle’s definition of objects based on analyzing their quiddity in terms of their genus and differentia and extended it. Moreover, Ibn Sīnā has added some innovative views to it that have not received the attention that they truly deserve, and researchers have not explained and organized them in a consistent and structured from. Following a descriptive-analytic method, this paper explains the theory of Sinan definition within a consistent framework and analyzes the quality of Ibn Sīnā’s encounter with the views of Aristotle and Fārābī. Moreover, it refers to Ibn Sīnā’s innovations regarding the problem of definition and, by emphasizing its less studied aspects, responds to the following questions: to what extent is the unknown nature of objects’ differentia consistent with Ibn Sīnā’s theory on the definition and knowledge of objects? Does the theory of Sinan definition merely target quiddative affairs, or does it also extend to non-quiddative affairs? Which mechanism does Ibn Sīnā provide for defining non-quiddative affairs? Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
4 - A Study of Mīr Dāmād’s Approach to Suhrawardī’s View of Referring Temporal Priority to Natural Priority
Hamidreza KhademiThe problem of time and the quality of existence of priority and posteriority of its components are among the important issues in Islamic philosophy. In Ibn Sīnā’s view, the existing priority and posteriority among the components of time are of a temporal type; however, MoreThe problem of time and the quality of existence of priority and posteriority of its components are among the important issues in Islamic philosophy. In Ibn Sīnā’s view, the existing priority and posteriority among the components of time are of a temporal type; however, Suhrawardī believes that they are of a natural type. Mīr Dāmād has adopted a critical approach regarding Suhrawardī’s view by presenting two criticisms and finally trying to provide another view of natural priority and posteriority as components of time in addition to temporal priority and posteriority. The quiddative unity of the components of time and the consideration of external separation in temporal priority and posteriority comprise the essence of Mīr Dāmād’s criticism. He believes that the impossibility of the gathering of elements of time with each other confirms the truth of temporal priority and posteriority, and the need of some elements of time to some others and their dependence on them confirms the truth of natural priority and posteriority. This paper firstly explains Suhrawardī’s view in this regard and, then, after an accurate analysis and investigation of Mīr Dāmād’s criticisms, critically examines a part of his approach to the problem based on an analytic comparative method. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
5 - Oliver Leaman’s View of the Conflict Between Revelation and Philosophy
Alireza AsaadiThe problem of the relationship between revelation and philosophy or the conflict between reason and faith is one of the most famous and challenging discussions in the history of Islamic philosophy. In fact, it has occupied the minds of prominent Islamic thinkers, both MoreThe problem of the relationship between revelation and philosophy or the conflict between reason and faith is one of the most famous and challenging discussions in the history of Islamic philosophy. In fact, it has occupied the minds of prominent Islamic thinkers, both Shi‘ite and Sunnite, since the advent of Islam and, following this, has been discussed by Orientalists in the field of Islamic studies as well. Oliver Leaman, the Orientalist, Qur’ān researcher, and Western interpreter of Islamic philosophy, has dealt with the problem of the relationship between the Qur’ān and philosophy. While adopting a more moderate standpoint in comparison to many other Orientalists, and while acknowledging the consistency of revelation with philosophy, he believes that Qur’anic theorems and teachings have influenced the development of Islamic philosophy. Moreover, he has propounded a number of noteworthy points in his analysis of the theory of conflict of reason with revelation and evaluation of Islamic philosophers in this regard. Following a descriptive-critical method, this paper clarifies and criticizes Leaman’s view of this theory and demonstrates that, firstly, the conflict exists only between the human intellectual philosophical and Qur’anic perception of this problem, and the hypothesis of the conflict between revelation and philosophy among many Orient ologists stems from comparing Islam and the Holy Qur’ān with Christianity and the Holy Book. Secondly, the author states that, in contrast to Leaman’s claim, the solution provided by Islamic philosophers, including Ibn Rushd, does not necessitate undermining the significance of the Qur’ān and revelation and accusing Muslim philosophers of denying God’s knowledge of particulars and corporeal resurrection and following Aristotle regarding his theory of the soul, which originates in a misunderstanding of Islamic philosophers’ views of this conflict by opponents of philosophy in the Islamic world or Orientalists. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
6 - Historical Trends of Epistemological Issues in Pre-Sadrian Philosophical Tradition
Ali Asghar Jafari Valani Donya Asadi FakhrnejadA study of epistemological developments in Islamic philosophy indicates that, although the issues in this philosophical trend have not been independently dealt with and have been generally discussed under epistemological issues, there are other problems in Islamic philo MoreA study of epistemological developments in Islamic philosophy indicates that, although the issues in this philosophical trend have not been independently dealt with and have been generally discussed under epistemological issues, there are other problems in Islamic philosophy that, if organized and classified, can open the door to philosophical approaches to ontological discussions. Perhaps, some of the fundamental ambiguities in epistemology can be clarified based on the outcomes of such discussions. For example, reference can be made to the effects of ontological views of Ibn Sīnā and Suhrawardī over their epistemology. The main question of this study is how an epistemological approach can be extracted from an investigation and analysis of a collection of problems and demonstrate it with reference to the standpoints and views of Islamic philosophers. In order to achieve this purpose, it must be said that an epistemology based on the sense, reason, and intuition can lead to the development of Islamic philosophers’ epistemology. The Peripatetic philosophy is mainly based on the intellect and reasoning, and the Illuminationist philosophy, although relying on reasoning, basically draws on unveiling and intuition in epistemological analyses. However, logic, as a gateway to epistemology, usually opens the discussion because almost all Islamic philosophers consider the theory of definition as a tool for unveiling the unknown (unveiling the general nature of affairs) relying on acquired knowledge and the five predicables (universals). Nevertheless, Suhrawardī and his followers, while relying on presential knowledge, believe that a genus-differentia definition is not justified and, by criticizing the theory of definition, try to discover the particular unknown through observation and illumination. Accordingly, the problem of vision and imagination in the common epistemological system is usually viewed as one of the sides of acquired knowledge. In contrast, it is explained under presential knowledge in Illuminationist philosophy. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
7 - Historical Background of the Theory of Immutability of Change in the Problem of the Relation of the Changing to the Immutable
Mahdi AssadiIn Sadrian philosophy the change in motion is the same as its immutability, which justifies the relationship between the changing to the immutable. The question here is whether the theory of immutability of change had any supporters before Mullā Ṣadrā. The main purpose MoreIn Sadrian philosophy the change in motion is the same as its immutability, which justifies the relationship between the changing to the immutable. The question here is whether the theory of immutability of change had any supporters before Mullā Ṣadrā. The main purpose of this study is to provide an appropriate response to this question. This theory has been criticized by Muslim thinkers and philosophers for a very long time. Therefore, this paper provides a discussion of the most important of such criticisms based on available evidence. Some scholars have attributed the theory of immutability of change to early philosophers in order to solve the problem of the relation of the changing to the immutable and support their own views, which does not seem to be based on solid evidence. Prior to Mullā Ṣadrā, some philosophers maintained that the heavenly sphere enjoys continuity and fixity in its evolution; however, this cannot be considered as a final resolution to the problem of the relation of the changing to the fixed. Here, the author concludes that the fixity of Sadrian change should be criticized because it leads to accepting a view attributed to Rajol Hamedani about the “universal”. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
8 - From Imaginal Faculty to Imagination: A Review of the Evolution of the Concept of Imagination in the Philosophical Systems of Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā, Suhrawardī, and Mullā Ṣadrā
Ibrahim BazarganiImagination is one of the human perceptive faculties that is shared with animals. This concept, which has been transferred from Greek philosophy to Muslims’ philosophical tradition, has always been a very important problem with various functions in the self-knowledge of MoreImagination is one of the human perceptive faculties that is shared with animals. This concept, which has been transferred from Greek philosophy to Muslims’ philosophical tradition, has always been a very important problem with various functions in the self-knowledge of Muslim philosophers from Fārābī to Mullā Ṣadrā. It has even been used in responding to some kalāmī inquiries. Since the very beginning, Muslim philosophers have continuously devoted some of their studies to the investigation and explanation of the whatness and howness of the concept of imagination. However, this concept has not remained immune against change and has developed a distinct meaning in each philosophical system. In the history of Islamic philosophy, the three-fold schools of philosophy (Peripatetic philosophy, Illuminationist philosophy, and the Transcendent Philosophy) have each adopted a particular and different approach to this problem. The present study intends to examine the theories of some great figures of Islamic philosophy regarding the whatness of the faculty of imagination and reveal the existing differences among them. The findings indicate that philosophers’ views of the concept of imagination have not been fixed and similar in the course of history, and each has presented a specific and innovative explanation of this concept in conformity with their own philosophical system. For example, Fārābī considered this faculty to be a material component of the soul, while Mullā Ṣadrā changed it into the world of Ideas. This study was conducted following a descriptive-comparative method using library resources. Manuscript profile