Gowhar-i murad (book): Difference between revisions

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The structure of ''Gowhar-i murad'' is a peculiar one that cannot be found in other works in kalam. In addition to the standard issues in kalam, the book discusses some ethical and mystical problems. Moreover, some philosophical problems are discussed in the book, thus we can count the book as a theological-philosophical one. What is more, the issues of the book are influenced by the author's mystical thoughts.

{{Main|'Abd al-Razzaq Lahiji}}

'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-'isharat]]'', Commentaries on Khufri's ''Al-ta'liqat'', ''Gowhar-i murad'', and ''[[Sarmayi-i iman (Book)|Sarmayi-i iman]]''. His son, Mirza Hasan 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.

According to some sources, the book was written in [[1052]]/1642 - [[1058]]/1648 and was dedicated to [[Shah 'Abbas Safavi]].

Lahiji's purpose was to write a reference book for the principles of the religion:

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 'iman'' for the novice.

''Gowhar-i murad'' has a different structure and organization in comparison with other works in kalam. Most works in kalam are organized on the basis of [[Usul al-Din|the five principles of the religion]]. Lahiji did not follow this method; he organized ''Gowhar-i murad'' in three main parts: knowing oneself, knowing God, and knowing God's commands.

The organization is inspired by mystical thoughts in which a [[Sufi]] starts from knowing him or herself and ends in knowing God.

===Ethical and Mystical Contents===

Works in kalam are not usually concerned with ethical and mystical issues. But ''Gowhar-i murad'' is considerably engaged with such issues. Lahiji is obviously under the influence of [[mysticism]] and [[Sufism]] introducing their doctrines in his formulations of issues in kalam. One might regard ''Gowhar-i murad'' as a philosophical-mystical book in kalam.

Such influence is manifest in both the contents of the book and its preface and epilogue. The epilogue of the book is devoted to issues of refining one's soul and moral character and mystical experiences—Lahiji says:

This is a result of Lahiji's conception of kalam. In his view, kalam as an inquiry into religious beliefs is a means to mystical and divine experiences.

In ''Gowhar-i murad'', issues of philosophy and kalam have been discussed in a simple and yet precise way.

''Gowhar-i murad'' is not merely a book concerning Islamic-Shiite kalam; it is also a book on [[Islamic philosophy]]. The author of ''[[Riyad al-'ulama']]'' has mentioned the book under those concerning Islamic philosophy.

Lahiji has presented new ideas in issues such as "types of incidence (huduth) and types of nonexistence", "the problem of divine will" and "the problem of essential priority".

Lahiji has peculiar views in the book—for instance, about the doctrine of the miracle ([[mu'jiza]]). 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.

Lahiji does not take the [[Qur'an]] to be a miracle for all people; he maintains that the Qur'an is only a miracle for the intellectuals, researchers and scholars who know the principles of the religion and the disciplines related to the Arabic language. The laymen, in his view, are unable to comprehend the miraculous nature of the Qur'an, since "they do not know philosophical disciplines and the subtleties of the Arabic language", though on the basis of the Quranic challenge  or [[tahaddi]], "since nobody can meet the challenge, the miraculous nature of the Qur'an will be evident for the laymen too".

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-'aql al-fa'al]]) from which knowledge emanates, and at the end, he is in the position of the First Intellect ([[al-'aql 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.

There are many manuscript copies of the book, and it has frequently been printed in lithography and typewriting. The Congress of the Tribute for Lahiji has published ''Gowhar-i murad'' with a preface by [[Zayn al-Abidin Qurbani]].

Lahiji himself describes the book as follows:

[[Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Rafi'i Qazwini]] writes the following about the book:

And [[Sayyid 'Ali Qadi Tabataba'i]] writes:

==See also==

* [[Sarmayi-i iman (Book)|Sarmaya-yi iman]]

* The material for writing this article has been mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/گوهر_مراد_(کتاب) گوهر مراد] in Farsi wikishia.

[[Category:Theological works]]