Hierarchies of being in Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadra

This study presents a comparative analysis of the approaches to the hierarchy of being by Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadrâ, two seminal philosophers in the history of Islamic thought. The primary objective of the study is to reveal the ontological and epistemological foundations upon which both thinkers construct their respective hierarchies of being, and to identify the points of intellectual continuity and divergence between them. Consisting of three chapters, the first and second chapters of the study examine the epistemological frameworks of Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadrâ, analyzing the principles that ground their ontological systems. Within this framework, Suhrawardi's metaphysics of lights (nur) and Mulla Sadrâ's doctrine of the gradation of being (tashkik al-wujud) are evaluated in relation to their views on the essence and degrees of existence, as well as the structure of the cosmos. The final chapter compares the two thinkers' conceptions of the hierarchy of being, elucidating their similarities and differences regarding the primary principle, the construction of the hierarchical framework, the relationship between existential degrees, ontological ascent, and the unity of the cosmos. The study concludes that while Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadrâ share a common metaphysical perspective in treating existence within a hierarchical order, they diverge regarding the principles upon which they ground this hierarchy. While Suhrawardi explains the existential order through the concept of light (nur), Mulla Sadrâ reinterprets this same hierarchical structure through existence (wujud) and the gradation of being. By evaluating the relationship between Mulla Sadrâ's ontological system and Suhrawardi's thought through the lens of the hierarchy of being, this study aims to contribute to a clearer understanding of the continuity and transformation between these two philosophers.