Illumination

Open Access Article

1 - The Presence of Iranshahri Political Thought in Islamic Period
Ahmad bostani

Iranshahri political thought is one of the most significant features of Iranian intellectual tradition. Rooted in ancient Iranian tradition of kingdom, this political doctrine presents a conception of political rule which is different from classical Islamic political ph More

Iranshahri political thought is one of the most significant features of Iranian intellectual tradition. Rooted in ancient Iranian tradition of kingdom, this political doctrine presents a conception of political rule which is different from classical Islamic political philosophy inspired by Greek philosophers. Although the source of this doctrine is pre-Islamic Iranian civilization, one can claim that it has been continued in different forms and we can follow its traces left everywhere in Iranian intellectual history from the beginning to the present.So, study of this tradition requires a specific method of research which could explain transformation and unity of its elements. This paper aims to study the various versions of iranshahri political thought in Islamic period, especially in its middle ages, and to show different aspects of it crystallized in Muslim thinker’s political treatises. The theory of “cultural continuation of Persia” constitutes the theoretical foundation of this research and try to elucidate Islamic conceptions of iranshahri political doctrine, and “Farr” as its key concept, in the light of this theory suggested by leading figures like H. Corbin and R. Frye. We claim that the versions of iranshahri political thought in Islamic civilization can be divided in five main categories representing five conceptions of Farr -e- izadi. These five categories are represented in epic poems, mystic texts, philosophical treatises, Illuminationist wisdom and Iranian mirrors for princes. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - Historical Deliberations over the Principle of the Nobler Possibility
Hoorieh Shojaee Baghini Einollah Khademi

The present paper examines the principiality of the principle of the nobler possibility as an Illuminationist principle. Despite the common belief regarding the Greek root of this principle, here the writers claim that it is among the concomitants of the Illuminationist More

The present paper examines the principiality of the principle of the nobler possibility as an Illuminationist principle. Despite the common belief regarding the Greek root of this principle, here the writers claim that it is among the concomitants of the Illuminationist philosophy and is not consistent with Peripatetic ideas and principles. In order to demonstrate their standpoint, they initially provide some proofs from the works of Suhrawari himself and the commentators of his philosophical school and explain how the words of such commentators have led to the idea that this principle has a background prior to the development of Illuminationist philosophy. Second, they examine the concomitants of the Illuminationist school and conclude that Suhrawardi used this principle in order to prove the philosophical principles of his own school, which are not accepted by the Peripatetic school. Hence, it is wrong to seek for a background for this principle in pre-Suhrawardi times. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - A Critical Study of the Illuminationist Nature of Ibn Sina’s Philosophy
Abdolhossein Khosropanah Hesam al-Din Momeni Shahraki Seyyed Hamid Forghani Dehnawi

One of the important problems in the field of the study of Ibn Sina is whether his philosophy is of a Peripatetic nature or an Illuminationist one. Some believe that his philosophy follows an Illuminationist approach and offer certain proofs in order to demonstrate thei More

One of the important problems in the field of the study of Ibn Sina is whether his philosophy is of a Peripatetic nature or an Illuminationist one. Some believe that his philosophy follows an Illuminationist approach and offer certain proofs in order to demonstrate their claim. In a general classification, it can be said that some of these proofs are based on the works of Ibn Sina himself, and some others are based on the knowledge sources he benefitted from. The writers of this paper believe that the proofs adduced on the Illuminationist nature of Ibn Sina’s philosophy are open to criticism. Therefore, they initially delve into the nature of Illuminationist philosophy and provide a concise but precise account of the proofs and reasons presented in support of the above claim. Next, they analyze and criticize them and highlight their weaknesses. This research has been carried out following an analytic critical method. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - Bilateral Relationship of Metaphysics of Light with the Dynamic World and Illuminationist Psychology in Dionysius and Suhrawardī
Abdolreza Safari

The present paper basically hypothesizes that the recent Neoplatonic philosophy is entangled with Christian and Jewish traditions. Accordingly, it would be possible to match Dionysius’ thoughts with those of Illuminationist and mystic philosophers, particularly Suhrawar More

The present paper basically hypothesizes that the recent Neoplatonic philosophy is entangled with Christian and Jewish traditions. Accordingly, it would be possible to match Dionysius’ thoughts with those of Illuminationist and mystic philosophers, particularly Suhrawardī, in the world of Islam. In spite of their different religious and gnostic backgrounds, both Dionysius and Suhrawardī present the same metaphysical system that is based on the mysterious concept and creative role of light. The present study, while relying on the principles of this system, focuses on the similarities between their philosophies in three respects: metaphysics, psychology, and structures that lead to explaining the theorem of the illuminated universe. The author, on the one hand, intends to explain the core of this similarity based on the creative identity of light in order to reveal the emanated identity of the world and the effusion of light. On the other hand, he wishes to demonstrate the basis of their mutual metaphysical and Illuminationist relation to cosmology and fundamental principles of psychology and intuition. Based on the three-fold similarities of these two systems, three conclusions can be derived: 1- origination of the system of the world through emanation in divinity, 2- the reliance of the dynamic structure of the world on Illuminationist action in the whole world, 3- psychology of intuition as the basis of the deiformity of the soul in the world of lights. Nevertheless, the author shows that there is an obvious difference between the two thinkers’ metaphysical systems regarding the way the soul can attain devotion and deiformity. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - A Study of the Illuminationist Elements of Ibn Sīnā’s Works in the Realms of Method, Content, and Language
Saeed Rahimian

Although Ibn Sīnā was the master of Peripatetic philosophers, he also provided the bases for the development of Illuminationist philosophy. In terms of methodology and epistemology, through introducing Oriental wisdom, which, irrespective of the Greeks’ views, is his ow More

Although Ibn Sīnā was the master of Peripatetic philosophers, he also provided the bases for the development of Illuminationist philosophy. In terms of methodology and epistemology, through introducing Oriental wisdom, which, irrespective of the Greeks’ views, is his own specific school of philosophy, and also through employing certain terminology, principles, and arguments which are associated with Illuminationism, he prepared the context for the revival and growth of Illuminationist philosophy by Suhrawardī. Ibn Sīnā’s critical mind and spiritual worthiness during his short life efficiently paved the way for the surge of Islamic philosophy and wisdom towards Illuminationist philosophy and then the Transcendent Philosophy in terms of methodology, content, and language. Suhrawardī mainly emphasizes the differences between his school of philosophy and that of Ibn Sīnā and his Peripatetic followers and introduces the beginning of his philosophy as the end of Peripatetic philosophy. However, we can confidently claim that his philosophy is to such a large extent influenced by Ibn Sīnā’s that one can consider Suhrawardī’s school to have been the outcome of the natural growth of Sinan philosophy in the course of time. Through highlighting gnostic and intellectually intuitive (or what was later called Illuminationist) elements in Ibn Sīnā’s available works, the present paper aims to demonstrate that Suhrawardī’s debt to Ibn Sīnā in all the three fields of methodology, content, and language is much greater than what is commonly assumed. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

6 - The Influence of Social Conditions on Mullā Ṣadrā’s Classification of Sciences
Fatemeh Jamshidi Nasrin Serajipour

During the Safavid era, at the time of Mullā Ṣadrā and upon the rise of court-jurisprudents and pseudo-mysticism, true sciences such as jurisprudence, philosophy, and gnosis were in seclusion. Mullā Ṣadrā, as a religious scholar who was familiar with the philosophical a More

During the Safavid era, at the time of Mullā Ṣadrā and upon the rise of court-jurisprudents and pseudo-mysticism, true sciences such as jurisprudence, philosophy, and gnosis were in seclusion. Mullā Ṣadrā, as a religious scholar who was familiar with the philosophical and gnostic ideas before him, tried to eliminate philosophical confusion from the scientific society and oppose this fallacious approach. Hence, he established a new philosophical system in order to bring all previous thoughts together in a consistent manner. In fact, he aimed to clarify the place of true knowledge and the ways of attaining it for society through establishing his own school of philosophy. The classification of sciences is one of the fundamental problems in any philosophical system. However, it is emphasized that each system of philosophy and the collection of its problems are influenced by the social conditions of their time. Similarly, Mullā Ṣadrā’s classification reflects his social concerns and has been developed in response to the social needs of his time and directing them towards true sciences. He has provided a specific classification of sciences in each of the three periods of his scientific life. He followed a peripatetic approach during the first period, an Illuminationist approach during the second one, and a transcendent approach during the third period, which reflected the height of his philosophical maturity. This paper aims to investigate Mullā Ṣadrā’s classification of sciences during each of the three periods of his scientific life and demonstrate how each was influenced by the social conditions of his time, and how each responded to the existing societal needs. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

7 - A Critical Study of Suhrawardī’s Method of Defining Things
Mohammad Hosseinzadeh

Suhrawardī has leveled five criticisms in order to demonstrate the inefficiency of the Peripatetic theory of definition and, in return, has suggested another method for defining things. This method, which is known as the “conceptual definition”, is based on a common sen More

Suhrawardī has leveled five criticisms in order to demonstrate the inefficiency of the Peripatetic theory of definition and, in return, has suggested another method for defining things. This method, which is known as the “conceptual definition”, is based on a common sense understanding of the meanings of words. According to this method, words are defined through providing their conceptual bases in the view of linguists or the people of language. Here, the author firstly explains Suhrawardī’s method of defining things and then examines it critically. The critical analysis of his view reveals that the logical conclusion of his criticism of the Peripatetic theory of definition is the correction of this theory through employing intuition rather than leaving the definition of things based on their quiddity aside and advocating the theory of conceptual definition. Moreover, Suhrawardī’s theory of definition, as a replacement for its Peripatetic counterpart, suffers from several problems. Therefore, even if Suhrawardī’s objections to the Peripatetics’ theory of definition are accepted, his own method in this regard is not acceptable by itself. At the end of this paper, the author explains and criticizes the views of a contemporary researcher of Suhrawardī’s ideas who believes that the relationship between Ibn Sīnā’s and Suhrawardī’s logic of definition is one of completion rather than difference. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

8 - Historical Trends of Epistemological Issues in Pre-Sadrian Philosophical Tradition
Ali Asghar Jafari Valani Donya Asadi Fakhrnejad

A study of epistemological developments in Islamic philosophy indicates that, although the issues in this philosophical trend have not been independently dealt with and have been generally discussed under epistemological issues, there are other problems in Islamic philo More

A study of epistemological developments in Islamic philosophy indicates that, although the issues in this philosophical trend have not been independently dealt with and have been generally discussed under epistemological issues, there are other problems in Islamic philosophy that, if organized and classified, can open the door to philosophical approaches to ontological discussions. Perhaps, some of the fundamental ambiguities in epistemology can be clarified based on the outcomes of such discussions. For example, reference can be made to the effects of ontological views of Ibn Sīnā and Suhrawardī over their epistemology. The main question of this study is how an epistemological approach can be extracted from an investigation and analysis of a collection of problems and demonstrate it with reference to the standpoints and views of Islamic philosophers. In order to achieve this purpose, it must be said that an epistemology based on the sense, reason, and intuition can lead to the development of Islamic philosophers’ epistemology. The Peripatetic philosophy is mainly based on the intellect and reasoning, and the Illuminationist philosophy, although relying on reasoning, basically draws on unveiling and intuition in epistemological analyses. However, logic, as a gateway to epistemology, usually opens the discussion because almost all Islamic philosophers consider the theory of definition as a tool for unveiling the unknown (unveiling the general nature of affairs) relying on acquired knowledge and the five predicables (universals). Nevertheless, Suhrawardī and his followers, while relying on presential knowledge, believe that a genus-differentia definition is not justified and, by criticizing the theory of definition, try to discover the particular unknown through observation and illumination. Accordingly, the problem of vision and imagination in the common epistemological system is usually viewed as one of the sides of acquired knowledge. In contrast, it is explained under presential knowledge in Illuminationist philosophy. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

9 - The role of the orientation of Isfahan houses in the natural lighting of spaces adjacent to the central courtyard: Historical houses of Isfahan city.
ساناز رهروی پوده

<p>One of the influential factors in building design is their proper orientation regarding the placement of the sun and the optimal utilization of natural light. Research conducted on buildings constructed in Iran has referred to three orientations (directions): the ori More

<p>One of the influential factors in building design is their proper orientation regarding the placement of the sun and the optimal utilization of natural light. Research conducted on buildings constructed in Iran has referred to three orientations (directions): the orientation of urban buildings relative to sunlight, wind direction, and generally the appropriate use of optimal climatic conditions. This article aims to investigate the orientation of courtyard houses in the city of Isfahan, built during the Safavid and Qajar periods, and its impact on the illumination of facades and spaces situated in each direction. The main research question is based on the orientation of houses, both in terms of direction and angle, and how it has affected the illumination of facades and consequently the spaces. The purpose of this research is to study the role of the orientation of houses in the illumination of spaces. The method employed in this study is qualitative research, and data collection utilized both library and field methods, with data analysis conducted using descriptive methods. The results of this research indicate that the orientation of houses on a north-south axis in winter, based on the Isfahan pattern, performs better than other angles for Tehran-style illumination (winter-oriented). However, overall, none of the orientations had a significant impact on facade illumination. Nonetheless, the varied placement angles in historical houses not built according to the Isfahan pattern were not climate-dependent but rather created based on the shape of the land and its axial alignment.</p> Manuscript profile

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