Perzijski filozof Bābā Afdal Kāshānī
A Persian Philosopher Bābā Afdal Kāshānī

Summary/Abstract: This text discusses the life and work of the Persian philosopher Afdal al-Din Kāshānī, also known as Bābā Afdal. According to the author’s opinion expressed elsewhere, he is the most important Islamic philosopher and the person who actually embodies the Islamic philosophical tradition. The life of this contemporary of Suhrawardī al-Maqtūl, Ibn Rushd and Ibn al-‘Arabī is first discussed, but the information about him is scarce. Next, the teachings of Bābā Afdal are presented. His aim was to clarify the nature of the search for wisdom that must inspire any philosophy worthy of that name. For him, philosophy is a way of life that includes training the soul and acquiring virtues. In (with) his writings, he sought to inspire a longing for the source of meaning, and that is the intelligence that lies at the heart of wisdom. The way in which he interprets his views is especially interesting, since direct language that goes to the heart of things prevails. After that, Persian philosophy and the challenges of translating Arabic technical terms are discussed. In the following part, the author gives brief descriptions of all the known writings by Kāshānī, arranged in six categories, mentioning also forged works. Perhaps paradoxically, the very fact that Bābā Afdal wrote primarily in Persian explains why he remained somewhat unknown within the Persian philosophical tradition itself. Hence, the importance of this work is reflected in the presentation of this almost unknown figure in the history of Islamic philosophy, especially in the Bosnian-speaking area.

• Details
• Contents