An Introduction to Islamic Philosophy

Based on the Works of Murtada Mutahhari

by Abd al-Rasul Ubudiyat

Lecture # 3
Transcendent philosophy by Mulla Sadra

 The Peripatetic philosophy founder Aristotle

 Its take from both Aristotle philosophy and from Plato philosophy
 Spiritual, mystical + Arguments = Transcendent philosophy
 Mulla Sadra Mention 4 Journeys
 From Nature world to Al Haq
 Journey around Haq
 Come back from Haq to Khalaq with Haq
 Journey among people with Haq

 Definition of Philosophy is intellectual science and rational approach

o Subject(Theme) of Philosophy
o Being, Maujood, Existent in a general way
o Methodology
o Benefits to Study Philosophy
o General View of the Universe or holistic view
o Help to understand what is real or imaginary

o Issues of Philosophy
o Existence or Non Existence, Existence or Maheeya
o Different type of Existence
o General Rules govern the existence
o Layers or levels of Existence
o About relation b/w Nature and Highest realm
 Lecture # 4
 Concept of Existence(‫ )وجود‬and Being
o Self Evident
o No Need Definition
o Why Existence can’t be defined?
 Existence is simple, it’s not compound
 Nothing more General than existence, it’s obvious

 Concept of Existence being a term that has one meaning with different types
o Is the concept of existence separately different types of being?
 Necessary Being
 Contingent Being
o Or it has only one meaning with different types.
 Our view, only one meaning with different instances
 To be opposite to not to be.

 Concept of Existence First Argument but with one meaning

o Existence can be divided

 Concept of Existence Second Argument that existence with different types even though these are
agreed upon non existence has no different meaning and types

 If non existence is the opposite of the existence is the same than existence must be the same.

 Concept of Existence Third Argument, vague thing see but come near it was animal instead of
human being but Existence would be the same
 These are the arguments but existence is self evident so no need of arguments but these are the
just awakening.

Lecture # 5
Wajood
o Being
o Existence
o ‫ھستی‬
Maheyaa
o Whatness
o Nature
o Quiddity
o ‫چیستی‬
o It explain distinctive nature of the things
o Reason that it is called maheyaa, its answer to the question what is this in
essence. The answer to this question is called Maheyya.

Every contingent being has two aspects:

1. Existence
2. Whatness

Absolute existence has no Whatness, because Whatness definition is the limit of

the existence. Why it’s limited because it distinct it from other existence.
What is difference among them? Existence is same but Whatness is different and its
Whatness ensure by limits

Existence comes belongs to Whatness conceptually, Mulla Hadi Sabzwari Poem

o In our understanding Whatness is before existence

But in reality, Existence and Identity is the same

Maheyaa(Whatness) as such neither exist or not exist

o If Whatness exist it because of cause that originate it
o If Whatness not exist it because of lack of originating cause

Philosophical Rule: Non existence of the cause is the cause for non existence

Whether something exist or does not exist it’s not because of its essence, essence
doesn’t dictate existence or non existence. Why?

1. If it was dictating one of them than it could not be coming in both forms
 For example: Does human being need to be young or old, male or
female and short or tall?
 We say no. none of these things required by the essence of human
being. If they were in essence than other alternative could not be come
into existence

Our mind is familiar with Whatness and all the time work with Whatness and because
of that our mind say human being is alive just because of Whatness. Its conceptually

1. But in reality, main thing is existence not Whatness

Arguments Regarding to Whatness

1. Existence and Whatness are separate
 If the existence was the same as Whatness or existence was the part
of Whatness than it was not possible for us to say this Whatness does
not exist
2. If existence was the same as Whatness or part of Whatness. You did not need
to prove the existence of Whatness

3. If existence was the same as Whatness or part of Whatness. We were not

able to think of existence separate from Whatness.
 In the external world existence and Whatness are united. Outside we have one. Like
human being and existence in external world is same

Lecture # 6
Existence comes in different Degrees or hierarchy (‫الوجود‬ ‫)التشکیک فی‬
o Two Basic Principles
 There is a Reality
 There is multiplicity (Different things)

o Question here is: is this multiplicity in reality or just illusion?

 According to primarily of Whatness, it’s obvious that their Whatness is
different
 Few Positions about Multiplicity
1. Mystical Position, Unity of Existence (‫)وحدت الوجود‬
o There is one reality and it is God, anything else is
manifestation of God or reflections of God

2. Peripatetic Philosopher like ibne Seena

o Existence is simple therefore these multiple beings are
totally different
o According to them: Reality totally different

3. Multiplicity not caused by different reality but different degrees in the

reality
 Lecture # 7
(Continuity of Lecture 6)
Plus Additional

What is common is the same thing that make it different

o It comes in different degrees that make them different

 Example: Digits, Light, motion

Arguments About Greatedness of Existence

1. There are things that come in different degrees and intensities but this
difference is cause by the same reality. It is the internal cause like in digits
difference
[There is no degree (‫ )تشکیک‬in Whatness, something is horse than it is horse,
and we can’t say this is more horse than this]
2. Levels are different
3. Concept of 10 categories
 All contingent being are under these. 1 is substance 9 other are
accidental
4. …..

Difference between different type of Non Existence

 Non existence as such no multiplicity or no diversity but being are different. Non
existence of different beings are different from each other because those beings are
different from each other

Two aspects you have able to distinguish about Non Existence

1. Mental or conceptual aspect
2. Reflective side
SOMETHING STOP TO EXIST THAN IS IT POSSIBLE TO THAT THING BACK INTO
EXISTENCE?
 Like A created and stopped to exist after resurrection it will be similar to A but it
would not be A

Lecture # 8
(Continuity of Lecture 7)

SOMETHING STOP TO EXIST THAN IS IT POSSIBLE TO THAT THING BACK INTO

EXISTENCE?
 Like A created and stopped to exist after resurrection it will be similar to A but it
would not be A
 Some Arguments
 Is it possible to distance or gap between something and itself?

 No, than it is not possible to resurrection the same thing after

stop to exist
 Every existence need to be an act of creation except absolute existence
 Two shadows created on the same place by same creator but in
different time than it would be different creation, may be similar but
not same

 Using the concept of Motion and Time

 If you move your hand from right to the left horizontally in a particular
time and then stop and again repeat the same with all aspects except
the point of time
o So these are similar but not same
[where is substaintial motion there is time, where is
motion there is time.. that is why Allah has no time
because no motion]

Mental Existence
Understanding about Knowledge
 Knowledge by Presence, directly, immediately (‫)علم حضوری‬
 Feel happiness
 Knowledge by Concept (‫)علم حصولی‬
 I am happy

Lecture # 9
(Continuity of Lecture 8)

Fakhar ud Deen Razi, Imam ul Mushakekeen According to him

o When you these things nothing has come to your mind
o Knowledge is just a matter of Relations

Arguments about Mental Existence

o When we Zaid is standing, how can we say that standing is the quality for Ziad. Which
are we conceiving Zaid?
 Like: if we have mountain of Gold and mountain of Stone than which one
would be heavier? Mountain of GOLD.
 Outside there are no these mountains but we can conceptualize these.
 Whatever our judgment about the subject and predicate shows that they are
first in our mind
 For Example: Universal Concepts. Like Human Beings, Whiteness
 Instances of human being are present but Human Being as Such not
exist in outside world, same is for Whiteness

Objections on Mental Existence

o Fakhar ud Deen Razi says nothing in your mind, no concepts. He rejects the idea of
prior knowledge. Not acceptable
o Fazil e Kurshi Idea, Image and shadow of the things in the mind is called knowledge,
Not Acceptable
o Sadr ud Deen Sheerazi idea, Transformation, like horse in outside world is
transformed in mind but inside mind the horse is different from outside.. But it is not
 acceptable because so how do we have knowledge about horse if inside horse is
another thing
o Muheqiqe Duwani idea, Difference is outside just
o Mulla Sadra Answered:
o Concept of Particular (Juzzae) and Kulli
 (Particular (Juzzae) => that can’t be apply more than one)
o Anything in the real world is Juzzae. We don’t Kulli outside
o All concepts are Kulli
o Even concept of Juzzae is kulli
o Image of the thing is Primarily known to us and what we known through it
that is the real thing in outside Secondarily Known to us and when these two
match this true if they don’t match its false
o We discuss the non existence concept generally to discuss and explain the
situation of real non existence
o The concept of the fire is the concept of the fire, not the concept of the water
but the concept of fire although it’s the concept of the fire is not fire

Secondary philosophical concepts