Spiritual Psychology: The Fourth Intellectual Journey in Transcendent Philosophy. Volume VIII & IX of the Asfar

Book excerpt: This multi-diciplinary and inter-diciplinary work presents the rethinking of the entire tradition of Islamic philosophical psychology by Mulla Sadra on the most profound questions and issues pertaining to the soul. It includes the views of the ancient Greek philosophers and physicians, Muslim philosophers, theologians, Sufis, theosophists and physicians, the teachings of the Qur'an the Traditions of the Prophets and the Shi'ite Imams and Mulla Sadra's own profound insights and intellectual elucidations combined with impeccable logical proofs and demonstration. It deals with the definition of the soul, the proof of its existence, its birth as corporeal and its survival as spiritual, various levels of the soul and the body, the vertical development of the soul through its substantial motion, the soul-body relation, the holistic approach to psychosomatic diseases, the resurrection and post-mortem survival of the soul, the body of the resurrection, his original interpretation of metempsychosis, the meaning of Heaven and Hell and the intellectual or spirituas worlds beyond this world. The central issue in this work is self-knowledge. The human soul is created in the Image of God with a purpose. This image comes to full actualization through self-knowledge, which according to Mulla Sadra is the key to knowledge of God, the Day of Resurrection and the Return of all creatures to God.