History of Islamic Philosophy

History of Islamic Philosophy

Pain and Suffering in Transcendental Wisdom: Analysis of Mulla Sadra's Viewpoint and Criticism of Sabzevari's and Tabataba'i's Views

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Wisdom, Shahid University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
How evils are realized and their compatibility or incompatibility with the existence of a creator who gives existence and pure goodness are among the issues that have always been raised in various philosophical schools and have occupied the minds of great thinkers. One of the branches of this discussion is the goodness or badness of pain inflicted on humans. According to Jalal al-Din Davani's view; when the connection of a human or animal organ is cut off, severe pain is inflicted, which is certainly evil, but considering that perception is generally an existential matter, one of the instances of beings, namely pain, becomes good, and such a thing is not compatible with the rule that all beings are good. According to Mulla Sadra's view, evil is not pure non-existence, but rather a lack of presence, and according to the rule "The soul, in its unity, is all power" the rational soul perceives the presence or absence of each of the physical powers, as well as their pleasure and pain, with the knowledge by presence. Therefore, when perceiving pain, the rational soul finds the disconnection of a physical organ with the knowledge by presence. As a result, the rule of the goodness of all beings and the non-existence of evil is not violated. In this study, Hakim Sabzevari and Allameh Tabataba'i's view toward Mulla Sadra's view were criticized, and concluded that the innovative theories of these two Sadraite sages somehow return to the theory mentioned by Mulla Sadra.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 23 June 2026

  • Receive Date 03 June 2026
  • Revise Date 21 June 2026
  • Accept Date 23 June 2026