Mulla Sadra

c. 1571 – c. 1640

Mulla Sadra (Sadr al-Din Muhammad Shirazi) was a Persian Shia Islamic philosopher, theologian, and mystic of the Safavid era, widely regarded as the most important Islamic philosopher of the last four centuries. He founded the school of Transcendent Theosophy (al-hikma al-muta'aliya), synthesizing Avicennan philosophy, Illuminationism, and Sufi mysticism, and is famous for his doctrines of the primacy of existence and substantial motion.

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Life events

Born in Shiraz
c. 1571

Mulla Sadra was born around 1571-1572 in Shiraz, Persia, the only son of a notable and wealthy official.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Moved to Isfahan for advanced studies
c. 1591

As a young man he moved to Isfahan, then a leading intellectual center of the Safavid Empire, to pursue religious and philosophical education.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Studied under Mir Damad and Shaykh Baha'i
c. 1591

In Isfahan he studied philosophy under Mir Damad and the religious sciences under Shaykh Baha' al-Din al-Amili, the two leading scholars of the age.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Retreat to the village of Kahak near Qom
c. 1600

Facing hostility from orthodox clerics, he withdrew for years of spiritual discipline and contemplation in the village of Kahak, where his mature philosophical vision took shape.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Began writing his masterwork, the Four Journeys (Asfar)
c. 1606

During and after his retreat he composed al-Hikma al-muta'aliya fi-l-asfar al-'aqliyya al-arba'a, the comprehensive exposition of his Transcendent Theosophy.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Invited to teach at the Khan School in Shiraz
c. 1612

The governor of Fars, Allahverdi Khan, built a madrasa in Shiraz and invited Mulla Sadra to return to his native city as its leading teacher.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Formulated the doctrines of the primacy of existence and substantial motion
c. 1620

His mature philosophy held that existence precedes essence and that all substances undergo continuous inner transformation, ideas that reshaped later Islamic philosophy.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Trained influential students including Mulla Muhsin Fayz Kashani
c. 1620

Among his students and sons-in-law were Fayz Kashani and Abd al-Razzaq Lahiji, who transmitted his school to later generations.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died at Basra while on pilgrimage to Mecca
c. 1640

Mulla Sadra died around 1635-1640 in Basra during his seventh pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken on foot.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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