MIR DAMAD

died 1631/32, near Najaf, Iraq original name Muhammad Baqir Ibn Ad-damad philosopher, teacher, and leader in the cultural renascence of Iran during the Safavid dynasty. A descendant of a well-known Shi'i family, Mir Damad spent most of his life in Isfahan as a student and teacher. Mir Damad's major contribution to Islamic philosophy was his concept of time and nature. A major controversy as to whether the universe was created or eternal had engaged the attention of Western and Islamic philosophers; Mir Damad was the first to advance the notion of huduth-e dahri (eternal origination) as an explanation of creation. He argued that, with the exception of God, all things, including the Earth and other heavenly bodies, are of both eternal and temporal origin. He influenced the revival of al-falsafah al-yamani (philosophy of Yemen), a philosophy based on revelation and the sayings of prophets rather than the rationalism of the Greeks. Mir Damad's many works on Islamic philosophy include Taqwim al-iman (Calendar of Faith, a treatise on creation and God's knowledge). He also wrote poetry under the pseudonym of Ishraq. As a measure of his stature, he was given the title al-mu'allim ath-thalith (i.e., third teacherthe first two being Aristotle and al-Farabi). His work was continued by his pupil Mulla Sadra, who became a prominent Muslim philosopher of the 17th century.