Discusses philosopher Mullā Ṣadrā’s commentary on the opening chapter of the Qur’ān.
Winner of the 21st International Book of the Year Prize in Iran
This book investigates the convergence of philosophy, scriptural exegesis, and mysticism in the thought of the celebrated Islamic philosopher Mullā Ṣadrā (d. 1050/1640). Through a careful presentation of the theoretical and practical dimensions of Ṣadrā’s Qur’ānic hermeneutics, Mohammed Rustom highlights the manner in which Ṣadrā offers a penetrating metaphysical commentary upon the Fātiḥa, the chapter of the Qur’ān that occupies central importance in Muslim daily life. Engaging such medieval intellectual giants as Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210) and Ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) on the one hand, and the wider disciplines of philosophy, theology, Sufism, and Qur’ānic exegesis on the other, Ṣadrā’s commentary upon the Fātiḥa provides him with the opportunity to modify and recast many of his philosophical positions within a scripture-based framework. He thereby reveals himself to be a profound religious thinker who, among other things, argues for the salvation of all human beings in the afterlife.
Table of Content
Acknowledgments
Transliterations and Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Qur’ānic Hermeneutics
Lord of the Heart
Etiquette and Understanding
Concept and Reality
The Command’s Decent
The Soul’s Ascent
2. Formal Considerations
Texts and Sources
Structure and Content
3. Metaphysics
The Essence
Names and their Loci
4. Cosmology
The Act of Praise
The Muhammadan Reality
5. Theology
From Outer to Inner
Idols of Belief
The Religion of the Perfect Man
6. Soteriology I
The Nature of Things
The Essential and the Accidental
7. Soteriology II
Paths to Mercy
Divine Hands and Feet
Intellectual and Scriptural Fidelity
Revealing and Concealing
Chastisement’s Sweetness
Conclusion
Appendix 1: Some Key Texts from the Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb
Appendix 2: Key Texts from the Tafsīr Sūrat al-Fātiḥa
Appendix 3: Passages from the Futūḥāt Reworked into the Tafsīr Sūrat al-Fātiḥa
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Qur’ānic Passages
Index of Ḥadīths and Sayings
Index of Names and Terms
About the author
Mohammed Rustom is Professor of Islamic Thought at Carleton University and Director of the Carleton Centre for the Study of Islam. He is the author of the award-winning book The Triumph of Mercy: Philosophy and Scripture in Mullā adrā, also published by SUNY Press.
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