Allameh Tabatabai: Outstanding Role in the Development of Islamic Philosophy

Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i, popularly known as Allameh Tabataba’i, was a Shiite scholar, exegetist, philosopher, theologian, jurist, and mystic who had an influential role in the intellectual and religious atmosphere of Iran in the 14th century AH (20th century AD). Allameh Tabataba’i is the author of “Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an” known as Tafsir al-Mizan and “Shia in Islam” and the philosophical books “Badaiya al-Hikmah”, “Nahayah al-Hikmah”, and “Usul Falsafeh wa Ravesh-e Realism (The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism). Unlike some other Islamic scholars, instead of focusing on jurisprudence and its principles, Allameh Tabataba’i established a course on the interpretation of the Holy Qur’an and philosophy in the Qom Seminary, which resulted in the progress and development of the knowledge of exegesis. His method of interpretation was interpreting the Qur’an by the Qur’an.

Biography and Works

According to Allameh Tabataba’i’s autobiography, he was born in Shadabad, a village in Tabriz, in the year 1904. His father, Haj Mirza Baqir, and his paternal uncle, Mirza Asadullah, were well-known scholars of Tabriz. Muhammad Husayn studied his elementary education in a maktab in his hometown and then joined the “Talebiyya” in Tabriz school where he studied religious and Arabic sciences and learned the principles of jurisprudence. He then studies the books "Sharh Lamea" and "Makasab" in jurisprudence, the books "Ma’alim", "Qawanin", "Rasa’il", and "Kifayeh" in principles of jurisprudence, the books "Kobra", "Hashiyah", and "Sharh-e Shamsiyya" in the logic, the book "Sharh Asharat in philosophy, and the book "Kashf al-Morad" in Kalam (theology). In 1925, he went to Najaf to continue his education and studied a course on jurisprudence and its principles under Ayatollah Agha Sheikh Mohammad Esfahani. He also benefited from the lessons of Ayatollah Naini, Ayatollah Agha Sayyid Abulhasan Esfahani, Ayatollah Hojjat Koh Kamreai, Haj Mirza Ali Agha Tabatabai’i Tabrizi, Aga Sayyid Hossein Badkubeh’i, and Ayatollah Sayyid Abulqasem Khansari. After returning to Iran, he went to his hometown in 1935 and stayed there for 10 years. He subsequently went to Qom from Tabriz in 1946 and studied at the Qom Seminary for some time, and learned from prominent teachers such as Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Khaansari, Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Hojjat Koh Kamreei and simultaneously trained his students. Allameh Tabatabai’s scholarly meetings and discussions with the French philosopher and scholar of Shiite studies, Henry Corbin, laid the groundwork for the introduction of Shiism to Europeans. His discussions with Henry Corbin have been published in Farsi, Arabic, French, and English under the title “Shiite School of Thought”.

Development of Islamic philosophy

Keeping in view the scholarly works, writings, and speeches of the late Allameh Tabataba’i, five points can be mentioned regarding his role in the development of Islamic philosophy.

First, the growth and development of Islamic philosophy: By writing the books “Badayeh al-Hikmah” and “Nahayah al-Hikmah”, he opened a new phase for Islamic philosophy. Teaching philosophy, especially Mullah Sadra’s Transcendent Theosophy and Asfar, his philosophical innovations (16 cases), and the commentaries he wrote on Asfar were part of his contribution to the development of Islamic philosophy.

Second, religious studies and theological sciences: In this context, by resorting to philosophical discussions, he highlighted the fundamentals of faith. Moreover, he paid attention to up-to-date religious discussions and, in this regard, wrote the treatise “Al-Wilayah” and the books “Shia in Islam” and “Qur'an in Islam.

Third, anthropology: Anthropology is the basis and foundation of Islamic teachings. He wrote several works on anthropology such as “Man Before the World”, “Man in the World”, and “Man After the World”.

Fourth, ethics: The late Allameh Tabataba’i had two new innovative ideas with regard to ethics. A) theoretical ethics discussed in the form of the “Theory of Conventions” and based on this, he has presented a new explanation of moral propositions. B) practical ethics, which he has addressed in Tafsir al-Mizan and has explained the monotheistic creed of the Qur'an about ethics.

Fifth, the extension of philosophy to humanities: He has written independent works on sociology, political science, law, educational topics, and sometimes psychology issues. In “Al-Mizan”, too, he has discussed many issues in the field of human sciences.

November 15 has been named as the commemoration day of Allameh Tabataba’i in the national calendar of Iran.