The exceptional intellectual richness of 17th-century Safavid Iran is epitomised by the philosophical school of Isfahan, and in particular by its ostensible founder, M蘋r Dmd (d. 1040/1631), and his great student Mull 廜糎dr (aka 廜糎dr al-D蘋n Sh蘋rz蘋, d. 1045/16351636). To their respective platonic and existentialist doctrines can be added the apophatic wisdom of Rajab 尪Al蘋 Tabr蘋z蘋 (d. 1080/16691670).
However, despite these philosophers renown, the identification of the ‘philosophical school of Isfahan’ was only proposed in 1956, by the celebrated French Islamologist Henry Corbin, who noted the unifying Islamic Neoplatonist character of some twenty thinkers and spiritual figures; this grouping has subsequently remained unchallenged for some fifty years.
In this highly original work, Janis Esots investigates the legitimacy of the term ‘school’, delving into the complex philosophies of these three major Shi尪i figures and drawing comparisons between their doctrines. The author makes the case that Mull 廜糎drs thought is independent and actually incompatible with that of M蘋r Dmd and Rajab 尪Al蘋 Tabr蘋z蘋. This not only presents a new approach to how we understand the school of Isfahan, but it also identifies M蘋r Dmd and Rajab 尪Al蘋 Tabr蘋z蘋 as pioneers in their own right.
Note on the Text
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. School of I廜λahn I: M蘋r Dmds Wisdom of the Right Side
2. The Gnostic of Sh蘋rz: Mull 廜糎dr and His Transcendent Wisdom
3. School of I廜λahn II: The Apophatic Wisdom of Rajab 尪Al蘋 Tabr蘋z蘋
4. The Doctrines of M蘋r Dmd, Mull 廜糎dr, and Rajab 尪Al蘋 Tabr蘋z蘋: A Comparative Analysis
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
a rigorous, well-researched, and enthralling work that enhances understanding of Safavid philosophy and is certainly an apt and important contribution to The Institute of Ismaili Studies Shi尪i Heritage Series.
Gianni Izzo, Iranian Studies
Janis Esots was a Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, UK, and Associate Professor at the Department of Asian Studies, University of Latvia, Latvia. His research focused on Ismaili thought and the so-called philosophical school of Isfahan (Mull 廜糎dr, M蘋r Dmd, and Rajab 尪Al蘋 Tabr蘋z蘋). He was the managing editor of Encyclopaedia Islamica and the editor of the Islamic Philosophy Yearbook, Ishraq.