The Isfahan School () is a school of Islamic philosophy. It was founded by

Mir Damad Mir Damad ( fa, ميرداماد) (c. 1561 – 1631/1632), known also as Mir Mohammad Baqer Esterabadi, or Asterabadi, was a Twelver Shia Iranian philosopher in the Neoplatonizing Islamic Peripatetic traditions of Avicenna. He also was a Suhra ...

and reached its fullest development in the work of Mulla Sadra. The name was coined by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and

Henry Corbin Henry Corbin (14 April 1903 – 7 October 1978)Shayegan, DaryushHenry Corbin in Encyclopaedia Iranica. was a French philosopher, theologian, and Iranologist, professor of Islamic studies at the École pratique des hautes études. He was influen ...

. Because of the attention of Shah Abbas during the

Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often consid ...

Dynasty in Iran to intellectual tradition in Islam, Isfahan became a famous academic city and the intellectual center of Iran at the time, along with the cities of

Rey Rey may refer to: *Rey (given name), a given name *Rey (surname), a surname * Rey (''Star Wars''), a character in the ''Star Wars'' films *Rey, Iran, a city in Iran * Ray County, in Tehran Province of Iran * ''Rey'' (film), a 2015 Indian film *The ...

and

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 pe ...

Historical context

This school of thought began to develop once Iran was economically and politically stable. The

court also provided funding for the arts, which also contributed to the development. At the time, there were many disputes between Shiite scholars, such as Ahamad Alavi, and Christian and Jewish scholars. In this period the intellectual life of Suhrevardi was revived by Mir Damad and Mulla Sadra. According to Seyyed Hosein Nasr, this school of thought plays an important role both in terms of the relation between philosophy and prophecy, and in the training of Mulla Sadra. The school of Isfahan is a subsidiary of the Shiraz school of philosophy. Several philosophers that were not part of the Shiraz school of thought had very important roles in preparing the Isfahan school, such as Ibn Turkah, Qadi Maybudi and Ibn Abi Jomhour Ahsaei. The group of founders then announced Shia as formal religion in Persia, in an attempt to unify the entire country, with Isfahan as their capital.

Founder

founded the Isfahan philosophical school. He was the nephew of Muhaqiq Karaki, an important Shia scholar who had influence in the Shia jurisprudence. Some consider him familiar with philosophical prophecy as a result to the problem of Time. Corbin describes Mir Damad as having an analytic mind and aware of religious foundation of knowledge. Perhaps the most important characteristic of Mira Damad's philosophy is a synthesis between

Avicennism Avicennism is a school of Persian philosophy which was established by Avicenna. He developed his philosophy throughout the course of his life after being deeply moved and concerned by the ''Metaphysics'' of Aristotle and studying it for over a ye ...

and

Averroism Averroism refers to a school of medieval philosophy based on the application of the works of 12th-century Andalusian philosopher Averroes, (known in his time in Arabic as ابن رشد, ibn Rushd, 1126–1198) a commentator on Aristotle, in 13th ...

, or his synthesis is between the intellectual and the spiritual. Mir Damad's theory on Time is as popular as Huduth Dahri's, though Damad's philosophical opinion is criticized by Huduth's pupil, Mulla Sadra. Historically, there was great strife between Mulla Sadra and Mir Damad, as a result of the differences of their philosophical theories on subjects such as time.

Other teachers

Mir Fendereski

Mir Abul Qasim Findiriski was a peripatetic philosopher and follower of

Farabi Abu Nasr Muhammad Al-Farabi ( fa, ابونصر محمد فارابی), ( ar, أبو نصر محمد الفارابي), known in the West as Alpharabius; (c. 872 – between 14 December, 950 and 12 January, 951)PDF version was a renowned early Isl ...

and

Avicenna Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic ...

. He was a Peripatetic, as opposed to the illuminationists. As a scholar, he taught several scientific subjects in the Isfahan school, such as mathematics and medicine. it is debated whether or not Mulla Sadra studied under him, though the two worked together extensivally. Mir Findiriski also studied other religions, such as Zoroastrianism and Hindi. He also wrote several works on Indian philosophy, a series of treatises on the fine arts, and one on his mystical experiences. According to Nasr, he was well-versed in different philosophies, poetry, alchemy, and the philosophy of Yoga. Mir Findiriski collaborated with Mir Damad to write the Treatise of Sanaiyyah, attempting to link philosophy and prophecy. Mir Findiriski also attempted to translate several Indian philosophical works into Persian.

Shaykh-i Baha’i

Shaykh-i Baha’i was one of the three masters of Mulla Sadra, worked in the Isfahan school, and served as chief jurist on the Safavid Court. Like many Islamic scholars of the era, he was both a scientist and a man of wisdom; like Mir Damad and Mir Fenedereski, he was skilled in several sciences. At the time, he attempted to harmonize the relationship between Shariah and Tariqah. He coined the term Hikmate Yamani (wisdom of believing.) He believed that humans were the only being capable of intelligence in a philosophy called "The Place of Illumination for Existence".

Philosophers of Mir Damad's School

* Sayyed Ahmad Alavi * Shams Addin Muhammad Gilani * Abd al-Razzaq Lahiji * Qutb Addin Muhammad Eshkevari

Philosophers of Shaykh-i Baha’i's School

* Mulla Sadra *

Mohsen Fayz Kashani ''Mul·lā'' "al-Muḥsin" "al-Fayḍ" al-Kāshānī (1598–1680; fa, ملا محسن فیض کاشانی) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'i Muslim, mystic, poet, philosopher, and muhaddith (died ''c''. 1680 ᴄᴇ). Life Mohsen Fayz Kashani was bor ...

* Mirza Rafiaa Naeini

Philosophers of Mir Finidiriski's School

* Agha Hosein khansari * Muhammad Baqir Sabzevari

Philosophers of Rajab Ali Tabrizi's school

* Qazi Saeed Qomi * Mir Qavam Addin Razi * Muhammad Sadiq Ardestani

Other philosophers of Isfahan School

* Mulla Muhammad Sadiq Ardestan * Muhammad Ismaeil Khajouei * Molla Naima Taleghani * Abdu Al Rahim Damavandi * Agha Muhammad Bid Abadi * Mulla Mahdi Naraqi * Mulla Ali Nuri * Mulla Nazar Ali gilani * Molla Esmaeel Isfahani * Molla Abdollah Zonuzi * Molla hadi Sabzevari * Molla Muhammad Esmaeel Darb Koushki * Molla Muhammad kashani * Jahangir khan Qashqaei

References

Sources

* Andrew J. Newman, Safavid Iran: Rebirth of a Persian Empire, Issue 5 of Library of Middle East History, Publisher I.B.Tauris, 2006, , 9781860646676 * Rula Jurdi Abisaab, Converting Persia: Religion and Power in the Safavid Empire, Volume 1 of International Library of Iranian Studies, I.B.Tauris, 2004, 186064970X, 9781860649707 * Roger Savory, Iran Under the Safavids, Cambridge University Press, 2007, 0521042518, 9780521042512