Shaykh al-Ishraq's Viewpoint on Existence and Quiddity

The present paper is going to deal with the problem of existence and quiddity in Shaykh al-Ishraq Suhrawardi’s philosophy. Certainly, among philosophical problems few topics can be found which enjoys as much importance as the topic of existence and quiddity. Meanwhile, Shaykh al -Ishraq’s viewpoint on this topic is considered different from that of both Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra and has raised a hot debate. Whereas in Mulla Sadra’s outlook, existence is fundamentally real, in Shaykh al-Ishraq’s theory existence is something mentally-posited, and its three technical meanings are abstract ideas. It is noteworthy that in spite of the developments of philosophical and theological issues, the value of these two concepts not only has not decreased, but they are also regarded among the most basic concepts in the modern philosophy as much as the classical philosophy so that the understanding of these two basic terms assists in the solution of other philosophical problems. So explaining the origins of the discussion on this topic, and presenting the meanings and usages of the terms as well as bringing examples from Shaykh al–Ishraq’s phrases, the author attempts to response the question whether the quiddity, which Shaykh al–Ishraq considers as a made thing and luminous reality, is the same as the quiddity, about which Mulla Sadra says: “it has not smelled the fragrance of existence”, or whether there has been some confusion between concepts and their instances, and in fact controversies have been verbally rather than based upon content.