Mulla Sadra: From General Gradation to Particular Oneness

The term “gradation” was used first in logical discussions. Later some thinkers such as Ibn Sina and Suhrawardi employed it in the realm of philosophy as well. A study of the collection of Ibn Sina’s works indicates that he only treaded on the path of general gradation. Suhrawardi, who paved the way for particular gradation in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy, considered existence to be mentally-posited. Thus he turned to gradation in essence and quiddity; a theory which was not accepted by Mulla Sadra and Peripatetic philosophers. If principiality, unity, and gradation of existence constitute the three main pillars of the Transcendent Philosophy, particular gradation and particularly particular gradation complete the Sadrian school of philosophy and signify the peak of its excellence. Mulla Sadra initially proposed particular gradation in order to reject general gradation and the theory of the difference of beings. Then he tried to provide a new interpretation for it in comparison to the Illuminationist particular gradation. While rejecting this kind of gradation and through being inspired by gnostic thoughts and the revealed Qur’anic verses, he introduced a particularly particular gradation to justify the multiplicity of existents and provide a new interpretation of oneness which is in line with gnostic oneness.