Illuminationism
Illuminationism (
History
While the
Upon finishing his Kitab Hikmat al-Ishraq (lit: "Book of the Wisdom of Illumination"), the
Key concepts
In his Philosophy of Illumination, Suhrawardi argued that light operates at all levels and hierarchies of reality (PI, 97.7–98.11). Light produces immaterial and substantial lights, including immaterial intellects (angels), human and animal souls, and even 'dusky substances', such as bodies.[9]
Suhrawardi's metaphysics is based on two principles. The first is a form of the principle of sufficient reason. The second principle is Aristotle's principle that an actual infinity is impossible.[10]
Ishraq
The essential meaning of ishrāq (
Legacy
None of Suhrawardi's works were translated into Latin, so he remained unknown in the
Suhrawardi tried to present a new perspective on questions like those of existence. He not only caused peripatetic philosophers to confront such new questions, but also gave new life to the body of philosophy after Avicenna.
Illuminationist thinkers in the
Mulla Sadra
Mulla Sadra (Ṣadr ad-Dīn Muḥammad Shīrāzī) was a 17th-century Iranian philosopher who was considered a master[18] of illuminationism. He wrote a book titled al-Asfar meaning "The Yellow"[19] or "The Light." The word Asfar also denotes a journey of the soul back to Allah. He developed his book into an entire School of Thought, he did not refer to al-Asfar as a philosophy but as "wisdom." Sadra taught how one could be illuminated or given wisdom until becoming a sage.[20] Al-Asfar was one piece of illuminationism which is still an active part of Islamic philosophy today. Al-Asfar was representative of Mulla Sadra's entire philosophical worldview.[21] Like many important Arabian works it is difficult for the western world to understand because it has not been translated into English. Mulla Sadra eventually became the most significant teacher at the religious school known as Madrasa-yi[16] His philosophies are still taught throughout the Islamic East and South Asia.[16]
Al-Asfar is Mulla Sadra's book explaining his view of illuminationism. He views problems starting with a Peripatetic sketch.[22] This Aristotelian style of teaching is reminiscent of Islamic Golden Age Philosopher Avicenna. Mulla Sadra often refers to the Qur'an when dealing with philosophical problems. He even quotes Qur'anic verses while explaining philosophy. He wrote exegeses of the Qur'an such as his explanation of Al-Kursi.
Asfar means journey. In al-Asfar you are gaining on a journey to gain wisdom. Mulla Sadra used philosophy as a set spiritual exercises to become more wise. Eventually this as you go through life you continue to gain more knowledge until you become a sage, hence godlike.[23]
In Mulla Sadra's book The Transcendent Philosophy of the Four Journeys of the Intellect he describes the four journeys of
- A journey from creation to the Truth or Creator
- A journey from the Truth to the Truth
- A journey that stands in relation to the first journey because it is from the Truth to creation with the Truth
- A journey that stands in relation to the second journey because it is from the Truth to the creation.[21]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c Ziai, Hossein (2004). "Illuminationism". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ Langermann, Y. Tzvi (1998), "al-Baghdadi, Abu 'l-Barakat (fl. c.1200-50)", Islamic Philosophy, Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, archived from the original on 28 February 2008, retrieved 2008-02-03
- ^ HOSSEIN ZIAI, "EBN SAHLĀN SĀVAJĪ, Qāżī ZAYN-AL-DĪN ʿOMAR " in Encyclopaedia Iranica [1]
- ^ John Walbridge, "The leaven of the ancients: Suhrawardī and the heritage of the Greeks", State University of New York Press, 1999. Excerpt: "Suhrawardi, a 12th-century Persian philosopher, was a key figure in the transition of Islamic thought from the neo-Aristotelianism of Avicenna to the mystically oriented philosophy of later centuries."
- ^ Seyyed Hossein Nasr, "The need for a sacred science", SUNY Press, 1993. Pg 158: "Persian philosopher Suhrawardi refers in fact to this land as na-kuja abad, which in Persian means literally utopia."
- ^ Matthew Kapstein, University of Chicago Press, 2004, "The presence of light: divine radiance and religious experience", University of Chicago Press, 2004. pg 285:"..the light of lights in the system of the Persian philosopher Suhrawardi"
- ISBN 1-55643-269-0.
- ISBN 0-930872-48-7.
- ^ Philosophy of Illumination 77.1–78.9
- ^ Philosophy of Illumination 87.1–89.8
- ^ Marcotte, Roxanne, "Suhrawardi", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.).
- ISBN 0-88206-500-9.
- ISBN 978-0-7914-8155-4.
- ISBN 9780511999864.
- ^ "Safavid- Mughal Cultural Interrelations as reflected in Matenadaran's 'Bayaz' Manuscript Illumination | Association for Iranian Studies (AIS) | انجمن ایران پژوهی". associationforiranianstudies.org. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ a b c d "Friends of the SEP Society - Preview of Mulla Sadra PDF". leibniz.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- hdl:1807/29816.
- ISBN 978-0700704125.
- JSTOR 1595794.
- ^ Rizvi, Sajjad (2019), "Mulla Sadra", in Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2019 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 2020-04-10
- ^ ISBN 0-7546-5271-8.
- ^ SIPR. "Methodology". MullaSadra.org.
- ^ Rizvi, Sajjad (2019), "Mulla Sadra", in Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2019 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 2020-04-09
Further reading
- Razavi, Mehdi Amin (2015). ISBN 978-1138883840.
- Tianyi, Zhang (22 December 2022). A Philosophical Enquiry into the Nature of Suhrawardi's Illuminationism: Light in the Cave. ISBN 978-9004523715.