The Record of Deeds in Sadra's Philosophical System

Abstract

One of the religious teachings in eschatology is the records of deeds which, according to Quranic verses and traditions, includes all man's deeds, intentions, and beliefs, and will be given to our left or right hand on the Resurrection Day, depending on their contents and types. Since such records cannot be in the form of a worldly book and notebook, Muslim scholars are faced with the question as to what is the reality and nature of these records. Mulla Sadra's philosophical explanation about the records of deeds which regards man's soul and heart as the reality of these records, is one of the important answers given to this question. While indicating different views regarding the records of deeds, the present paper discusses Mulla Sadra's philosophical explanation and explains its foundations and outcomes; it then shows that such an explanation not only suffers from some ambiguities in terms of its internal correspondence with the Sadrian system of philosophy, but also necessitates some contemplation about its correspondence with religious teachings.