Descriptive Survey of the Verse on the World of Primal Covenant ( Alam al-Zarr) in Mull Sadra's Works

The verse on “the world of primal covenant (‘Alam al-Zarr)” is among difficult Quranic verses whose difficulty can be discovered by consideration of different opinions, which are sometimes opposite to one another, presented by Quranic commentators. Having accepted the existence of “the world of primal covenant,” Mulla Sadra has interpreted and expounded that world in accordance with his philosophical views mentioning it in his various works when dealing with philosophical discussions and hadiths. Referring to Mulla Sadra’s works on the philosophy and Quranic exegesis, the present essay attempts to discover his explanation of “the world of primal covenant.” Investigation of Mulla Sadra's works reveals that in his opinion, “the world of primal covenant” is the very world of divine knowledge. That perspective has remained unchanged in Mulla Sadra’s whole works written in different times of his scholarly life.