Abstract

In his philosophical system based on the reality of being Mulla Sadra gives a definition of time, which is related to wujud and that which cannot be conceived. Among the Muslim philosophers, the relation and transition of Aristotelian concept of time should be sought in Avicenna's philosophy. Like Aristotle, Avicenna asserts that time is the measure of motion and he expounds this concept as a natural concept in the physics. Mulla Sadra's concept of time is fundamentally different form that of Avicenna. Time, Avicenna belives, is an essential concept, which finds a place in Aristotelian categories. In many of his words, Mulla Sadra gives the same explanation.However, he gives a new theory, which solves the problem of time and the trans -substantial motion alter facing vague points in the explanation of time.Mulla Sadra does not put aside Aristotelian concept of natural time nor does he believe it is original. He believes that natural time is a sub-division of the existential time and expounds it as a metaphysical issue in his ontology. Mulla Sadra's thought concerning wujud culminates in the theory which as an innovative one has been explained in his philosophy for the first time. This theory is the concept of the essentially time - bound fluid wujud. In this theory, time is not an object for physical objects but an existential attribute for them. This attribute springs from their manner of "being" and relates to their entity.On the same basis, time, Mulla Sadra claims, is the truth of the fluid wujud and the time - boundness of physical objects serves as the extension of their existence. His words concerning the four dimensions of physical objects have total certitude. This consideration concerning the ontology of time leads us to the notion that time in its unified identity is a unique dignity of the dignities of primal causes and a weak stage of the inferior stages. Of course, he asserts that the stages of the reality of wujud are like the reality of wujud. Such a conceptualization of time may be found neither in Greek philosophy nor in Aristotelian philosophical system. To accept such a statement, Mulla Sadra is led to trans - substantial motion and offers it as a new fundamental for his philosophical system.The most important point that assists Mulla Sadra in explicating the issue of time is that the analogical gradations of the Reality of wujud are but the manners and manifestations of the reality of wujud and that all the universe from the sublime to the physical objects is one and the same. He affirms that the existants exist through their illuminationist relation with the physical objects. And they should not be imagined as separate beings, which are related to their source. According to this idea, the wujud is the time of manifestation. One cannot consider any distinction between it as a stage of the stages of wujud and the variable being. In this world view, the superior degree, the principle of inferior degree and the inferior degree are nothing but the continual manifestation of the superior degree.According to this viewpoint, there is a continual motion for whole universe and this motion is just like its identity. In fact, the whole universe is a mover with a single movement and each part of accident is part of this single movement gaining a new identity. The sign for this eternal movement is time, which is eternally moving, and implies that there is a trans - substantial motion in the world.Thus, the exact meaning of trans - substantial motion is that all particles are in a constant state of destruction and not only all states of objects but their entire entity as well. In this regard, Mulla sadra uses the term the renovation of entity. The universe is a series of renovated entity, an entity that is constantly renovation of objects. As a result, he accepts the notion that the will of God is in the work of creation.Mulla sadra generalizes this statement to man's soul as well. In his eyes, the truth of man's soul is the reality of a gradual and fluid wujud originated from the first stages and leading to the Divine reality. That man's soul is a temporal being, and that time has a dimension of being and not a gradual attribute, is a sublime understanding for Mulla Sadra. This sounds like what Heidegger says. In his Magnus Opus "Being and Time", Heidegger states that man's soul is bound to time and offers a similar picture to what Mulla Sadra gives of trans - substantial motion though there are fundamental differences between the two philosophical systems.