Sources and Bases of Invocations and Prayers in Philosophical Illumination (Wisdom of Ishrāq) of Shayakh Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi

Abstract

Abstract Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi is the founder of philosophical illumination school (The Wisdom of Ishrāq). For Suhrawardi, reasoning (using rational arguments) is not sufficient to obtain truth and undertaking an esoteric way is essential to seek wisdom. He says that the content of philosophy is in complete harmony with religious texts and religious doctrines. Therefore, he refers so many times to Quranic verses and divine sayings and even sometimes (occasionally) in philosophical argumentation he prays to God. He has taken some of his invocations and prayers from Islamic sources and (infallible) Imams and he wrote some of them personally. He rejected the opinion of exclusivity of the names of God, and addresses God in accordance with his mystical dispositions and in his special philosophical terminology. In his prayers, Shayakh, does not ask something form God and they are sometimes just for praising Him. He also addressed wayfarers, prophet and his household, soul, perfect natures, Bahman, second intellect, angels, heaven of oblation, heaven Saturn, Jupiter, Mars in his prayers.

Keywords

• Keywords: Prayer
• invocation
• illumination
• Philosophical Rules
• Suhrewardi