Religions and Mysticism

Religions and Mysticism

Reconstructing the Ontological Identity of the First Emanated Being through the Modes of Naming in Islamic Philosophy and Mysticism

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
PhD, Department of Islamic Theoretical Foundations, Islamic Knowledge University, Qom, Iran.
Abstract
The principle of al-Wāḥid (the One) is one of the demonstrated and foundational principles of Islamic philosophy. According to this principle, nothing other than a single effect can emanate from a simple cause that is one in all respects. This principle raises a fundamental question concerning the identity of the first reality to emanate from the Necessary Being. Philosophers and mystics have referred to this reality by numerous names and expressions. Although ʿAllāmah Ḥasan-Zādeh Āmulī compiled a list comprising 81 names, this list neither claims to provide an exhaustive enumeration of all possible expressions nor offers a systematic framework for analysing the grounds of these names. The present study aims to reconstruct the ontological identity of the first emanated being through an analysis of its modes of naming, to substantiate and expand the existing list of names, and to elucidate their conceptual relationships. The study employs a descriptive-analytical method based on a systematic examination of primary philosophical, mystical, and hadith sources. Applying the criteria of unity of referent, relative independence of naming, and explicit or reliably inferable attribution to the first emanated being, 94 names were identified and classified into seven conceptual categories. The findings indicate that the diversity of these names does not derive from a plurality in the reality of the first emanated being; rather, it results from differences in its aspects and ontological relations to the Source and to the various levels of existence. The study further develops a conceptual framework for explaining the relationship among the First Intellect, the Expansive Effusion, the Merciful Breath, the Muhammadan Light, the ʿAmāʾ, and the Habāʾ.
Keywords
Subjects

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