Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: Said. A. Arjomand, “The Office of 

Mulla Bashi in Shiite Iran,” Studia Iranica 57 (1983): 

135–146; Patricia Crone, Slaves on Horses: The Evolution 

of the Islamic Polity (Cambridge: Cambridge University 

Press, 1980).

Mullah Sadra

 

(1571–1640)  Iranian 

philosopher, theologian, and mystic who became  

the leading teacher of what is known as the  

School of Isfahan

Born in Shiraz, i

ran

, during the s

aFavid

 

dynasty

and educated in the imperial capital of Isfahan, 

Mullah Sadra is perhaps the most influential 

philosopher/theologian in s

hiism

. His genius lay 

in his ability to synthesize the philosophy of 

Aristotle and a

bU

  a

li

 

al

-h

Usayn

 

ibn

  s

ina

 (Avi-

cenna) with the theological principles of Shiism 

and the metaphysics of s

UFism

. The result was 

a profoundly influential theory that all living 

beings share in the essence of Being, though in 

different degrees. Therefore, although humanity 

boasts the highest degree of Being, we are all 

connected to the rest of 

creation

 at the core of 

our existence. Mullah Sadra’s metaphysics were 

most clearly expounded in his monumental 

work,  The Four Journeys, in which he divided 

the spiritual path into a fixed number of degrees 

or stages, which ultimately lead to enlighten-

ment and sainthood.

For his unorthodox views, Mullah Sadra was 

condemned as a heretic by the leading 

Ulama

 of 

his time. However, his school of theosophical Shi-

ism and his ability to unite disparate philosophies 

into a single metaphysical theory proved so popu-

lar, particularly among the a

khbari

  s

chool

, that 

his theories ultimately formed the foundation of 

Shii 

theology

.

Reza Aslan