The generation of the soul in the philosophy of Mulla Sadra

Abstract

All Islamic philosophers agree with the idea that the human soul is immaterial and that after it exits the body it continues its life. Also, it is clear that the soul is one of the creatures of God and that its existence is the effect of the Divine Being. In this article, we will not be examining what the soul is or what its cause is. Rather, we will be examining the problem of how Muslim philosophers explain the generation of the human soul. We will especially examine the view of Mulla Sadra who had a visible command over philosophical discussions regarding the soul. This is a problem whose importance will be understood when we examine different parts of religious texts including verses of the Qur'an and the traditions. Some of these texts state that the human soul was generated before the body. However, some others state that the human soul is generated at the time when its body is formed in the womb of its mother. Based upon his new philosophical innovations, which he established in his Transcendent Philosophy, Mulla Sadra leveled many objections against the popular notion that the immaterial human soul is generated at the same time as its material body is formed. In reality, the theory that Mulla Sadra has presented in his philosophy perfects the thoughts of the previous philosophers regarding the generation of the soul. He explains that the human soul - as many verses of the Qur'an have indicated - is generated with the body. However, it is not immaterial at that time. Rather, this immateriality is something that is acquired gradually when it elevates its existential degrees.