Molla Naima Taleghani (d. 1738;

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: ملا نعیمای طالقانی), also known as Orfi (

: عرفی), was an Iranian

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

philosopher and theologian of the late

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

era.Corbin 1976

Life

His full name was Mohammad Naim ibn Muhammad Taleghani, and he was from

Taleqan Taleqan () is a city in the Central District of Taleqan County, Alborz province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is also the administrative center for Miyan Taleqan Rural District. Taleqan is in the Alborz ...

, about 50 km west of Tehran. Known as Molla Naima, he was prominent in the late Safavid era. He lived during the reign of king

Sultan Husayn Soltan Hoseyn (; 1668 – 9 September 1727) was the Safavid shah of Iran from 1694 to 1722. He was the son and successor of Shah Suleiman (). Born and raised in the royal harem, Soltan Hoseyn ascended the throne with limited life experience a ...

(1694-1722), and saw the attack and subsequent ruining of the Safavid capital of

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

by the Afghans, a catastrophic incident in

Iranian history The history of Iran (also known as Persia) is intertwined with Greater Iran, which is a socio-cultural region encompassing all of the areas that have witnessed significant settlement or influence exerted by the Iranian peoples and the Iranian ...

. Molla Naima had to take refuge in

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

. Little more is known on the life of Molla Naima.

Education

He was educated under the supervision of notable philosopher

Muhammad Sadiq Ardestani Muhammad Sadiq Ardestani (died 1721) is one of the Iranian peoples, Iranian Shia philosophers during Safavid period. Life Molla Muhammad Sadiq Ardestani, according to Henry Corbin, lived in the catastrophic period namely when Shah Sultan Hossein ru ...

, on whom there is also little information.

Works

*New gloss on ''Tajrid al-'Iteqad'' (a new commentary) *Commentary on ''Usul-Kafi'' *A gloss on '' Al-isharat wa al-tanbihat'' by

Avicenna Ibn Sina ( – 22 June 1037), commonly known in the West as Avicenna ( ), was a preeminent philosopher and physician of the Muslim world, flourishing during the Islamic Golden Age, serving in the courts of various Iranian peoples, Iranian ...

* ''Jabr va Tafviz'' (Predestination and Delegation) *''Qaedeh al-Vahed'' (The principle of unity) *A treatise on modulation of being * ''Minhaj Al-Roshd''

Notes

References

*''Anthologie des Philosophes Iraniens depuis le xiiie Siécle jusqú'à nos Jours, Tome III, Textes Choisis et Présentés par Sayyed Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani, Introduction Analytique par Henry Corbin'', 1976 {{DEFAULTSORT:Taleghani, Molla Islamic philosophers 1738 deaths 18th-century Iranian philosophers 18th-century writers from Safavid Iran