Islamic Philosophy from Its Origin to the Present: Philosophy in the ...

Philosophy in Azarbaijan and the School of Shiraz 203
also known as Mu±aqqiq-i Khafr¥, who was born in the district of
Khafr near Shiraz. 38 The date of his birth is not known, but it is known
that he studied philosophy and the sciences in Shiraz mostly with
|adr al-D¥n Dashtak¥ and possibly with Dawån¥. Later in life he migrated
to Kashan, where he trained his most famous student, Shåh
appleåhir ibn Ra∂¥ al-D¥n and where he became a major religious and
intellectual figure, even attracting the attention of the Safavid court.
He died in that city around 957/1552 and was buried near Imåmzådah
‘A†åbakhsh. Already during his lifetime he was celebrated as
an outstanding logician, mathematician, and astronomer, as well as
philosopher. Although very little research has been done on his
scientific works, a recent study of one of his astronomical works has
revealed that he was a major astronomer worthy of comparison with
Na∑¥r al-D¥n apple¨s¥ and Qu†b al-D¥n Sh¥råz¥. 39
Khafr¥’s works written mostly in the form of commentaries and
glosses deal with philosophy, theology, the mathematical sciences,
and even the occult sciences such as geomancy. His philosophical
works include glosses on commentaries upon apple¨s¥’s Tajr¥d, a treatise
on the hylé, commentary upon the ¡ikmat al-‘ayn by Dab¥rån-i Kåtib¥,
a treatise on the transcendent unity of being (wa÷dat al-wuj¶d ), and
a treatise entitled al-Asfår al-arba‘ah (The Four Journeys), which some
believe to have been the source for the title of Mullå |adrå’s magnum
opus, for it is known that Mullå |adrå was very familiar with
Khafr¥’s works. 40
Khafr¥ in fact marks a major further step within the School of
Shiraz in the direction of the “transcendent theosophy” (al-÷ikmat almuta‘åliyah)
of Mullå |adrå. While his teacher |adr al-D¥n Dashtak¥
wrote on Peripatetic philosophy separately even if he was interested
in gnosis and ishråq, Khafr¥ sought to combine ‘irfån and ishråq with
mashshå’¥ philosophy rather than keeping them apart and even provided
demonstration for wa÷dat al-wuj¶d, which |adr al-D¥n Dashtak¥
had considered to be beyond demonstration. Also in the discussion of
wa÷dat al-wuj¶d, Khafr¥ dealt with the reality of wuj¶d in a way that is
close to Mullå |adrå’s view of the principiality of existence (a„ålat alwuj¶d
). 41 Even in writing philosophical commentaries upon the Quran
and ¡ad¥th, in which he sought to bring al-qur˘ån (the Quran), burhån
(demonstration), and ‘irfån together in a synthesis, he, like his teacher
Ghiyåth al-D¥n Man∑¨r, took a major step in the direction of Mullå
|adrå whose commentaries on the Quran and ¡ad¥th are well known.
It is no wonder that Mullå |adrå refers in the study of both metaphysics
and natural philosophy so often to Khafr¥ as do later followers of
Mullå |adrå such as Sabziwår¥.