Views of Sayyid ‘Alī Khān Madanī and Mullā Ṣadrā on Divine Anthropomorphic Attributes Based on Ends

In spite of the long stay of Sayyid ‘Alī Khān Ṣadr al-Dīn Madanī Shīrāzī (1052-10120 AH) in India and his distance from Shiraz and Isfahan, his kalāmī principles underlying the explanation of God’s anthropomorphic attributes in Rīyāḍ al-sālikīn clearly demonstrate Mullā Ṣadrā’s influence. Nevertheless, despite his agreement with the principles of the Transcendent Philosophy, his method of interpreting divine attributes does not fully conform to the principles of Sadrian philosophy. While clarifying the attribution of a number of anthropomorphic features to God, he adopts an ends-oriented method in order to purify Him from human characteristics. This is because the reasons for the manifestation of some attributes such as mercy and wrath, which are rooted in inner excitement, compassion, and sorrow, are not true about God. In fact, they can only be used for Him based on ends and outcomes. Although he speaks of demonstrating attributes for God without assimilation, this strategy is not consistent with the principles of the Transcendent Philosophy, particularly with gradation of being and distinction of existential levels of God’s attributes from those of human beings as explicitly stated by Mullā Ṣadrā and his fundamental theories.