Afzal-od-din Kashani's Javdan-Nameh and its Impact on Mulla Sadra's Eksir al- arefin

Afzal-od-din Kashani, great Iranian Muslim sage in the second half of the sixth century and the early seventh century is well-known by a number of his works on logic and philosophy. He has expressed new doctrines and views, especially in philosophy, giving him a prominent status among other philosophers and mystics. One of his important works is Javdan-Nameh, a mystical – philosophical treatise which contains lofty ideas about man and the world. This treatise had a deep influence on Mulla Sadra so that he wrote the treatise Eksir al-‘arefin (“The Elixir of the Gnostics”) composed after writing the Journeys (Asfar). Given the structure and content of Eksir al-‘arefin, one can clearly observe such influence. The present paper is going to introduce Javdan-Nameh and its influence on Mulla Sadra’s Eksir al-‘arefin.