Explaining Mulla Sadra’s View on the Relationship between Rational Knowledge and Moral Knowledge

Abstract

The present study explains the relationship between rational knowledge and moral knowledge in Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy. Its necessity arises from the fact that, in Islamic philosophy, these two domains have often been examined independently, while the way in which concepts of moral knowledge are employed in rational knowledge, as well as the reciprocal role of ethics in enhancing epistemic capacity, has received less attention. The main research question is: “How is the relationship between rational knowledge and moral knowledge defined in Mulla Sadra’s intellectual system, and what role do moral and epistemic virtues play in the perfection of the soul and the realization of rational knowledge?” The research method is textual analysis and a descriptive-analytical examination of Mulla Sadra’s major works, including al-Asfar, Sharh al-Hidayah al-Athiriyyah, and his Exegesis of the Holy Qur’an. The findings indicate that although rational and moral knowledge constitute distinct domains in Transcendent Philosophy, they are mutually interconnected; purification of the soul and the acquisition of moral virtues provide the groundwork for increasing perceptual capacity and attaining higher knowledge. Moreover, epistemic and moral virtues, as existential attributes of the soul, facilitate the existential development of the human being and make the realization of complete knowledge possible through divine illumination.