Ḥikmat, the Purification of the Soul, and their Relationship in Transcendental Philosophy

"Ḥikmat", divided according to the faculties of the soul, includes two branches: theoretical and practical. Muslim philosophers, including Mullā Ṣadrā, have always emphasized that acquiring the two branches is necessary for the realization of ḥikmat. Practical philosophy, having functional implications, has a close relationship with the purification, as well as the perfection, of the soul. The author in this article studies this relationship according to Mullā Ṣadrā. He makes an effort to elaborate on the essence of ḥikmat and its relation with faith and the purification of the soul based on the principles and ideas expressed in al-Ḥikmat al-Muta'ālīyah. He suggests that a) Mullā Ṣadrā's main concern in al-Ḥikmat al-Muta'ālīyah is the perfection and the purification of the soul; b) the ends of ḥikmat are practical as well as ontological, and not epistemological or methodological; c) ḥikmat is the main factor in true purification of the soul, which is the principal element in correct understanding of philosophical issues; and d) the purification of the soul is of essential role in the realization of the concept, definition, instance, and worldly aims of ḥikmat.