Hamza Gilani

This article is about Hamza Gilani. For other person named Hamza, see Hamza (disambiguation).

Hamza Gilani

Personal Information
Studied in	Isfahan
Death	1134/1721-2
Scholarly Information
Professors	Mulla Muhammad Sadiq Ardistani

Ḥamza Gīlānī (Persian: حمزه گیلانی) was a Shi'a philosopher of 12th/18th century and a student of Mulla Muhammad Sadiq Ardistani. He was born in Gilan and lived in Isfahan, so he is also known as Isfahani. His birth date is not reported in biographical sources. Hazin Lahiji has reported that he passed away in the last days of blockage of Isfahan by Afghans (1134/1721-2).

He was one of the top students of Mulla Muhammad Sadiq Ardistani. Even in the life time of his teacher he was famous for his expertise in philosophy. In the philosophical school of Isfahan, he is counted among influential philosophers who expanded, consolidated, and introduced Mulla Sadra's philosophical thoughts.

Qazwini introduced him as a great philosopher, eminent wise and a deep-thinker researcher in philosophical and high leveled Islamic disciplines.

There is no information about his students. Apparently Mulla Isma'il Khaju'i participated in Mulla Muhammad Sadiq Ardistani's and his class.

Works

These works have remained from him:

• Al-Hikmat al-Sadiqiyya: the script of Mulla Muhammad Sadiq Ardistani's class. In fact, Hamza Gilani was counted as his spiritual son, and wrote this book by his order while he was studying the topic of "nafs wa quway-i insani" (human spirit and powers). But it was left incomplete due to Afghans' attack. Later, Mulla Isma'il Khaju'i completed it and Mulla Muhammad 'Ali Tuni Khurasani wrote a foreword on it by Mulla Isma'il's request and it was named al-Hikmat al-Sadiqiyya by Mulla Isma'il Khaju'i.

Aqa Buzurg Tihrani believed that the treatise titled as Tahqiq matalib al-nafs wa masa'iliha which is attributed to Mulla Hamza Gilani is this book. This book is ordered like the sixth chapter of the natural science section of the book al-Shifa' (Book of Healing) but the content is influenced by Mulla Sadra's philosophical thoughts. This treatise has been published in 4th volume of "Muntakhabati az athar-i hukama-yi ilahi-yi Iran, ("selected works from Iranian divine philosophers) by the efforts of Sayyid Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani in 1399/1978-9 in Mashhad.

• Risala fi l-tashkik.
• Glosses on al-Shifa' written by Ibn Sina.
• Commentary on a section concerning reality of essence and accidents from Tajrid al-i'tiqad written by Nasir al-Din al-Tusi.