Deriving effects from the first cause, modeling it using the concept of function in mathematics

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research

Authors

1 Graduate student of Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Mashhad, Iran.

2 Assistant professor of Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Mashhad, Iran

3 Associate professor of Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

The issue of how the plurality observed in the world was created from a primary cause has been a subject of debate and conflict of opinion among monotheistic thinkers, especially Islamic philosophers and theologians. The central issue of this debate is the rule or one, which has many differences of opinion regarding its accuracy and interpretations. In this article, some statements on this issue are first criticized using an analytical-descriptive method. Then, in order to achieve the correct explanation of the creation of plurality, the claim of the principle of cognation is first examined and it is proven that, contrary to some statements, this principle should not be used to prove the rule of one, but this rule can be proven accurately in the definition of the complete cause, according to what has been proposed in this article. After proving that according to the correct formulation of the rule of one, every single complete cause has a single effect, the method of creating plurality in effects can be explained in a manner similar to that of Khwaja Nasir in Sharh Isharat, so that neither the rule of one is violated nor the objections of the opponents of the rule of one are introduced. In the present article, for a simpler understanding of this issue, by showing that the causal relationship is an example of a function in mathematics, the problem of how to derive plurality from the first cause is modeled, and finally, the advantages of this modeling are stated.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Islamic Philosophical Doctrines

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 25 June 2025

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