Ma`rifat Falsafi

While a large number of Quranic verses and traditions suggest the creation of soul prior to body, Mulla Sdra -like most of Muslim philosophers- considers temporal origination of soul contrary to intellectual proofs and requiring numerous dilemmas, hence denying it. However, owing to his big concern of indicating the compatibility between intellect and textual proofs, and respecting the outer aspect of textual proofs, he has sought to present a more profound meaning of verses and traditions through a sort of modification and interpretation of arguments beyond their literal and prima facie signification, hence resolving the problem. He held that all the arguments suggesting the creation of soul prior to body seek to indicate the various stages and modes of the soul in transcendent worlds, describing soul as a stage of perfection among the perfections of supreme beginnings and a being among transcendent beings. In other words, these arguments suggest the intellectual existence of the soul rather than its spiritual one. Explaining and affirming the teaching of “intellectual existence of soul”, the present article responds to certain rational as well as textual problems concerning this problem.