Gowhar-i murad (book): Difference between revisions

'''Gowhar-i murād''' (Persian: گوهر مراد) is a book authored by [['Abd al-Razzaq Lahiji]] concerning Islamic philosophy and kalam (Islamic theology). The book contains discussions of the main problems of [[kalam]], [[philosophy]], [[ethics]], [[mysticism]] and [[Usul al-Din|the five principles of the religion]]. It is structured by a preface, three chapters, and an epilogue; the introduction is concerned with the place of human being in the world, the way of God, and the purposes of philosophy and kalam, the three chapters are concerned with knowing oneself, knowing God and his commands by knowing his messengers—the prophets and Imams—and the consequences of obeying or disobeying God's commands in [[Akhira|the afterlife]], and the epilogue concerns ethics and mysticism.

'Abd al-Razzaq Lahiji is [[Mulla Sadra]]'s pupil and his son in law. However, he had Peripatetic tendencies in his philosophical thoughts and was a critic of Mulla Sadra. He has written works such as ''[[Shawariq al-ilham]]'' which is an exposition of [[Khwajih Nasir al-Din al-Tusi]]'s ''[[Tajrid al-i'tiqad (book)|Tajrid al-i'tiqad]]'', Commentaries on Khwajih Nasir al-Din's ''[[al-ʾisharat]]'', Commentaries on Khufri's ''Al-taʾliqat'', ''Gowhar-i murad'', and ''[[Sarmayi-i iman (Book)|Sarmayi-i iman]]''. His son, Mirza Hassan who authored ''Jamal al-salihin'', was one of his pupils. Lahiji significantly contributed to the rationalization and philosophization of the Islamic theology. He taught in [[Qom]] and died there in [[1072]]/1662.

:::Some scholars are just followers [rather than researchers] with regard to divine wisdom, and as a result, some ingenious people have a dismissive attitude towards learning [the religious beliefs]. Thus I sought to write a book regarding the principles of the religion and divine wisdom in a discursive way preparing the ground for [[eternal salvation]] without requiring one to learn many scholarly terminologies.

Though Lahiji takes the addressees of his book to be the novice, the intermediary learner, and the scholars alike, his book counts in fact as a specialized work in kalam. After ''Gowhar-i murad'', Lahiji wrote ''Sarmayi-i ʾiman'' for the novice.

* Part two: knowing God, including a discussion of monotheism ([[tawhid]]) and justice ([[ʾadl]]) in three sections:

“The main purpose of this essay is both theoretical and practical in the sense of ethics, Sufism and [[illumination]]; this is why I concern myself with such issues in the epilogue of the book.”

Lahiji has peculiar views in the book—for instance, about the doctrine of the miracle ([[muʾjiza]]). In his view, what is responsible for the occurrence of the miracles—which belong to the category of acts—such as healing the sick, is the perfection of the motive faculty in the soul of the prophet resulting in the realization of whatever the prophet imagines and wills to happen. However, he also takes into account the possibility that in miracles, such as hearing the sands praising God, happen not because the prophet interferes in the external world; rather because he manipulates the imaginative faculties of the individuals.

Fayyad Lahiji holds that at the beginning of his creation, the soul of the Prophet (s) is in the position of the Active Intellect ([[al-ʾaql al-faʾal]]) from which knowledge emanates, and at the end, he is in the position of the First Intellect ([[al-ʾaql al-awwal]]). That the Prophet's soul is in the position of the Active Intellect in the beginning of his creation means that he is aware of everything.

“When this book was finished and this desired jewel [''Gowhar-i murad''] came out from the sea of potentiality to the coast of actuality, it looked very precious to me—regardless of the fact that I am the author of this book, I can say that this is a unique book. For this book includes main problems and major issues that are precious to scholars, and it is a sum of the thoughts of early and late thinkers. It is formulated so as to provide the novice with comprehendible contents, it contains researches helping the intermediary learners to rescue from perplex, and it contains criticisms that provides high-ranking scholars with a stock of critiques and philosophical thoughts unaffected by imaginations and confusions.”

“The precious book, ''Gowhar-i murad'', written by the late philosopher ʾAbd al-Razaq Lahiji—may God bless his soul—is a desirable exquisite book, and is unique as a book on religious problems and divine wisdom.”

“The best-known work of Lahiji is ''Gowhar-i murad'' which is written in Persian in a fluent and pleasant style. It is one of the most precious Persian book on [[Usul al-Din|the principles of the religion]], divine wisdom and Islamic beliefs.”