Developments of the First Philosophy in the Seminary of Qom in the Last Century

The first or primary philosophy (al-falsafat al-ūlā) or ontology is the main branch of Islamic philosophy and the highest field of study, since other fields of study—even other branches of philosophy—depend on this field. Aside from some of its adaptations from Greek philosophy, Islamic ontology is a genuine independent field of study, resulting from a millennium of work by Muslim philosophers. In its long history, it went through various developments and periods. In this article, which adopts the descriptive-analytic method, I aim to identify the status of this field in the Islamic Seminary in the last one hundred years. The article’s contributions include the significance and necessity of the first philosophy, developments and advances of the first philosophy (in the last century), deficiencies of the first philosophy (in the last century), and the prospect of the first philosophy.