Opposition to Philosophy in Safavid Iran : Mulla Muḥammad-Ṭāhir Qummi’s Ḥikmat Al-ʿĀrifīn

In Opposition to Philosophy in Safavid Iran, Ata Anzali and S. M. Hadi Gerami offer a critical edition of a hitherto unpublished manuscript that is arguably the most erudite and extensive polemical work against philosophy and philosophical mysticism from the Safavid period. The introduction offers an extensive and in-depth analysis of the status of philosophy in the late Safavid period, placing Mulla Muhammad-Tahir Qummi’s (d. 1689) work in the broader context of the relevant cultural and intellectual developments of his time. The content of Hikmat al-‘arifin itself is divided between a refutation of many traditional philosophical arguments about the nature of God and His attributes and, more importantly for those interested in Safavid intellectual history, attacks on Mulla Sadra and his students for synthesizing fundamental elements Ibn ‘Arabi’s thought into the framework of traditional philosophical discourse. Introduction And Critical Edition By Ata Anzali, S.m. Hadi Gerami. Editors' Introduction -- Philosophy And Philosophers: Hapless Victims Or Elite Contenders? -- Muḥammad-Ṭāhir Qummī -- Ḥikmat Al-ʻārifin -- The Critical Edition -- Bibliography (sources Used In The Introduction) -- Critical Edition Of Ḥikmat Al-ʻārifin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In Opposition to Philosophy in Safavid Iran Ata Anzali and S.M. Hadi Gerami offer a critical edition of what is arguably the most erudite and extensive critique of philosophy from the Safavid period. The editors' extensive introduction offers an in-depth analysis that places the work within the broader framework of Safavid intellectual and social history.