Knowledge of the Soul through a Combination of Reason, Innateness, and Religion from the Perspective of Mullå Ģadrå

The human, rational soul (al-nafs al-nåĥiqah) has always been a focus of attention for Islamic philosophers, and theologians. It is possible to trace the developmental and evolutionary flow of thought on the soul from the Greek philosophers, especially Aristotle with his independent treatise On the Soul, to the Peripatetic and Illuminationist philosophers Finally, in Mullå Ģadrå's Transcendent Philosophy, in addition to rational and intuitive resources, the teachings and doctrines of religion are also emphasized as being among the effective means for truly knowing and understanding the soul. As Ģadrå believes, human reason and thought are insufficient and even useless for properly understanding one's own essence without resorting to Divine revelation and religious teachings as well as spiritual training, purification of the soul, and practical endeavors. This approach, which is a new achievement in studies of the soul, claims that religious guidance, which springs from Divine inspiration, assists us in our reasoning in order to reveal to us our true nature. Based on the ideas of Mullå Ģadrå this investigation seeks to shed light on the roles of the three above mentioned elements in the understanding and purification of the soul, using a descriptive-analytic methodology. As such it also documents the necessity of resorting to religion for the wayfarers of the path of understanding the soul. The topics presented in this paper include: a brief introduction to Mullå Ģadrå's rational proofs regarding the abstractness of the soul, his intuitive methodology, and his method of citation of Scripture, namely Qur'ån and Ĕadìth.