An extract from TALIMAT about Mir Dammad, Mullah Sadra and Al-Majlisi

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Exploring ….. Mir Dammad and Mullah Sadra

Mir Muhammad Baqir Astarbadi (d.1631/32), an Ithna Ashari scholar known as Mir Dammad is famed as the founder of the hikmat Illahi School of philosophy. Mir Dammad was often referred to by scholars as the ’Third Teacher”, the first being Aristotle and the second being Al Farabi. Mir Dammad was highly esteemed by Twelver theologians and the jurors. He is also well known for being one the teachers of Sadr al- Din Shirazi, also known as Mullah Sadra.

Mullah Sadra is considered to be one of the most influential Shia Muslim thinkers. He was particularly interested in understanding hikmat, gnostic interpretations of the various doctrines of the faith. His esoteric views often caused him difficultly with religious scholars who stressed the exoteric aspects of faith.

Mulla Sadra’s thought combined elements from several existing systems, including Aristotelian logic, Ibne Sina’s metaphysics, and Sufi mysticism, in addition to Shia Twelver theology. He tried to unify in his philosophy, the three parts of revelation, reason and purification of the soul.

A story is told of the conversation in which Mulla Sadra asked Mr Damad was respected by all the religious scholars while he [Mulla Sadra] was attacked. Mir Damad answered that although they were both saying the same thing, he hid ideas within so many difficult expressions that only the elite would be able to understand. Mulla Sadra, on the other hand, wrote so clearly that anyone with knowledge of Arabic would be able to follow the trend of his ideas [and could therefore challenge him].

·       Which influences are reflected in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy?

·       In your view, why did Mulla Sadra seek to unite the different perspectives?

Exploring ….. Al-Majlisi

One of the most influential Ithna Ashari clerics of his time, and a proponent of the Usuli school of thought, was Muhammad Baqir al- majlisi (d.1698). He studied under several prominent teachers, including Mulla Sadra, and was appointed as the Shaykh al- Islam. He was responsible for consolidating a Shia Twelver hierarchy of religious experts and bringing the state under the direction of legal scholars.

Al-Majlisi was considered to be the first Mulla bashi, the most excellent and most learned scholar’ of the age. As a result, he was patronized by the court and received financial assistance for his prolific writings, including works on engineering and ethics. His most famous work, Bihar al-anwar (Seas of Lights) is a vast encyclopedia of Shia Twelver Islam. Al-Majlisi maintained clearly that the Imams were the ultimate sources of knowledge on doctrine and practice, and as a result challenged all other souces of doctrinal knowledge.

Al-Majlisi was known for his defence of the legal rulings of the mujtahids and the official institutions. It led to an increased persecution of those who did not conform to these rulings. Among those persecuted were Sufi shaykhs, philosophers, messianic figures, and minority communities.