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Mulla Sadra

Type Figure Region Persia Time 1571–1640 Also known as Mulla Sadra、Sadr al-Din al-Shirazi、صدرالدین شیرازی、Mulla Sadra Shirazi

Persian Islamic philosopher and theologian (b. Shiraz 1571, d. 1640), founder of 'transcendent theosophy' (ḥikmat al-wujūd), author of The Four Journ…

Timeline

  1. 1590–1630Shiraz · FarsStudied in Isfahan under Mir Damad and other masters, then returned to Shiraz to found a school, writing works such as The Four Journeys that systematically set forth a metaphysics in which existence is prior to essence, influencing Persian Islamic thought for centuries.
  2. 1631–1640Basra · IraqIn his later years he continued revising his philosophical works and completed a work of religious jurisprudence, dying in 1640 while on pilgrimage to Mecca or near Basra; his doctrines were carried on by his disciples.
  3. 1641–1670Isfahan · Safavid EmpireAfter Mulla Sadra's death, his transcendent theosophy continued through disciples such as Mulla Muhammad Tahir Qazvini and the commentary tradition of the Isfahan madrasas; under Abbas II and after, philosophical and theological discussion still took The Four Journeys as the model text, and Persian scholars repeatedly cited his doctrines in 1661–1670.

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