This June, the OUP Philosophy team honours Mullā Sadrā (1571 – 1640) as their Philosopher of the Month. An Iranian Islamic philosopher, Sadrā is recognised as the major process philosopher of the school of Isfahan. Mullā Sadrā is primarily associated with “metaphilosophy,” but also maintains sovereign status as a spiritual leader for the Islamic East.
After having spent some time in Isfahan once he finished his formal education, Sadrā retreated to work in solitary in a small village near Qom. Upon his return to his birthplace Shiraz, Sadrā trained students, gained followers, and completed over forty works. His most well-known of those is al-Hikma al-muta’āliya fī al-asfār al-ʿaqliyah al-arba’ā (or The Transcendent Wisdom Concerning the Four Intellectual Journeys), commonly referred to as Asfār or The Four Journeys. This idea of “transcendent wisdom” (al-hikmat al-muta’aliya) is the grand philosophical system of Mullā Sadrā. This system brings together elements from much of what Sadrā studied including the School Illumination, within which he is recognised as a key figure.
We’ve created the infographic below to highlight more from the life and work of Mullā Sadrā. For more, follow @OUPPhilosophy and the hashtag #philosopherotm on Twitter.
Featured image credit: Bridge in Shiraz, Iran by yisus10. Public domain via Pixabay.
So… What did he say that a layperson can understand?
Maybe put in a link to share his thoughts and ideas in an easily understood format.