An Account of the Reality of Freedom According to Mullā Ṣadrā’s Theory of the Soul’s Unveiling

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Authors

1 PhD, Philosophy (Transcendent Wisdom), Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Wisdom, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

10.48308/kj.2025.242200.1374

Abstract

This article aims to infer and present a correct definition of one of the most important contemporary issues and challenges, namely the nature of freedom, according to the final viewpoint of Ṣadr al-Mutaʾallihīn, known as Mullā Ṣadrā. Freedom in the Sadraean philosophical system can be defined as "transcendence in sublimity." According to Mullā Ṣadrā's intermediate viewpoint, this transcendence is "existential transcendence" which is grounded in emerging from potentiality to actuality and acquiring perfections. However, according to Mullā Ṣadrā's final viewpoint and the theory of unveiling, it is "manifestational transcendence" grounded in unveiling what is within the heart. In this research, by utilizing Mullā Ṣadrā's passages and taking his final theories into consideration, and by presenting three arguments—namely, the relational essence (ʿayn al-rabṭ), innate nature (fiṭra), and self-knowledge (maʿrifat al-nafs)—we establish a sublime definition of the nature of freedom, interpreting freedom as the unveiling and manifestation of the reality and essence of the soul. This manifestation is directed toward the sacred divine essence and the concealed stage of the soul, and its prerequisite is existential expansion and an increase in human capacity. Therefore, freedom is not an accidental or acquired matter, but rather a revelatory one, consisting of the manifestation of hidden inner perfections in the essence of humanity through manifestational movement and transcendence. This freedom is of degrees; the more one is cleansed of animal and psychic determinations, the more freedom become manifest, and the ultimate goal of this freedom is the station of the perfect human (insān kāmil).

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References

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Shenakht
Volume 18, Issue 4
December 2026
Pages 55-76

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History

  • Receive Date: 27 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 24 November 2025
  • Accept Date: 21 December 2025

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