Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Abstract

All historians and researchers of Islamic Philosophy think of 11th/17th Century (in Safavid Era) as a period of blossoming of Iranian-Shi'i philosophy and the emergence of figures such as Mir Damad, Shaykh Bahai, Mulla Sadra, and Mir Findiriski. Among them, Abul-Qasim Mir Findiriski has been less than other introduced; and scientific and practical aspects of his life have not been discussed in details. More important is his school of taste which, if we take into account his various spiritual and intellectual dimensions as well as his Sufi life style, cannot be classified under philosophical, intuitionist, and mystical schools then popular in the history of Islamic philosophy. On the one hand, he was teaching books such as Ibn Sina's Shifa and Qanun, and on the other, he was so interested in pious life of Dervishes and even life style of Indian Yugis. In addition, poems left by him under the title "Ya'iyah Odes" (odes ending in the vowel /i/), suggest mainly his mystical and Illuminationist-Platonist and Neo-Platonist-inclinations. And these poems have caused various and even conflicting stories to be presented about his views and school of thought. Thus, it seems to be difficult and even impossible to specify his intellectual orientation and practical style. One of the analyses made in this regard is that Mir's thought and approach is described as eclectic, and he is regarded as the meeting point of different − and even conflicting − theoretical and practical attitudes. While neglecting the "Ya'iyah Odes" and the relevant commentaries, the author of this article has tried to describe and analyize Mir's intellectual attitudes and possibly his philosophical system based on three works of him.

Keywords