A Comparative Examination of the Theory of the Identity of Divine Attributes with the Divine Essence from the Perspectives of Mulla Sadra and Religious Texts

Abstract

The issue of the relationship between the Divine Essence and Divine Attributes has long been a subject of discussion in Islamic theology and philosophy. Two major viewpoints have emerged in this regard: the doctrine of the addition of attributes to the essence (advocated by the Ash'arites) and the doctrine of the identity of attributes with the essence (embraced by the Imami school and Islamic philosophers). Drawing upon his philosophical principles, such as the primacy of existence (Aṣālat al-Wujūd), the gradation of existence (Tashkīk al-Wujūd), and the simplicity of the Divine Essence, Mulla Sadra developed a novel interpretation of the theory of identity. By likening the relationship between attributes and essence to the relationship between secondary philosophical intelligibles and existence, and by employing the concept of restrictive qualification (ḥaythiyyah taqyīdiyyah), he explained the manner in which attributes are identical with the Divine Essence. Using a descriptive–analytical and comparative method, this study examines the theory of the identity of attributes with the Divine Essence from the perspectives of Mulla Sadra and religious texts, including the Holy Qur’an, Nahj al-Balāghah, and the traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt. The findings indicate that Mulla Sadra explains identity through several stages, including the conceptual distinction of attributes from the essence and from one another, their unity in external referent, the integrated nature of attributes, the concomitance of their truth conditions, and the proportionality of attributes to the Divine Reality. Comparing these stages with the traditions of the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them) reveals a profound harmony between Sadrian philosophical thought and transmitted religious teachings. Consequently, the theory of identity not only does not conflict with religious texts but is in fact supported and confirmed by them.