A Reading of People’s Place in Transcendent Philosophy: An Analysis Based on the Four Intellectual Journeys

The present article aims to examine people’s place in Mullā Ṣadrā’s philosophical system. An examination of this issue, particularly in terms of Transcendent Philosophy and Mullā Ṣadrā’s major work al-Asfār al-Arbaʿa, is of major importance in Islamic political philosophy. The central question of this research highlights people’s fundamental role in Transcendent political philosophy and how it relates to the human development within the four intellectual journeys. The main assumption of the present study is that people have a central role not only as subjects of governance but also as active political components of the process of individual and social existential development or perfection. Employing the analytical-exegetical method and analyzing and dissecting the texts written by philosophers within the tradition of Transcendent Philosophy, this research examines the keyp concepts of people’s place and its relationship to al-Asfār al-Arbaʿa (the four journeys). In
this analysis, we seek to indicate the deeper sense of “people” and its close tie to the Transcendent Philosophy. A closer scrutiny of the views of Mullā Ṣadrā and other philosophers within the tradition of Transcendent Philosophy helps us to present a theoretical framework to understand the mutual relationship and the system of Islamic governance. This research, by drawing upon the original texts of the philosophers of Transcendent Philosophy, analyzes the position of the people from three distinct yet interrelated perspectives: the ontological (creation as divine manifestations), the sociological (Naas as an organic and responsible totality), and the political (jumhūr as the foundation of the political system's legitimacy). The findings demonstrate that the analysis of al-Asfār
al-Arbaʿa (The Four Journeys) — serving as the roadmap for this evolution — confirms that the spiritual traveler's path begins from creation (khalq), and through the acquisition
of knowledge and spiritual elevation, returns toward creation. This existential cycle emphasizes social responsibility, political participation, and service to the people as the ultimate end of practical wisdom. At the ontological level, the people are regarded as the manifestations of the Divine Names and the phenomena of existential grace, such that any oppression against them constitutes a violation of the Divine purpose. In the sociological dimension, Naas (the people) is interpreted as an organic totality possessing a collective identity, whose well-being depends upon justice and harmony among its constituent parts. In the political domain, the theory of legitimacy in Transcendent Philosophy is a synthesis of Divine legitimacy and popular acceptance, whereby the jumhūr (the public)—as a collection of rational, active, and responsible individuals—is considered the foundation of the political system's legitimacy. One of the significant conclusions of this article is that governmental legitimacy in this intellectual system is contingent upon the conscious accompaniment and consent of the people (Divine-popular legitimacy) and the realization of justice as the manifestation of Divine equity. This perspective elevates the concept of politics from the mere management of power to an existential dimension, presenting an innovative model of religious democracy in which the people are the principal actors and agents of social evolution. This model can serve as a suitable theoretical foundation for governance in contemporary Islamic societies. The analysis of the people's position in Mullā Ṣadrā's Transcendent Philosophy demonstrates that this philosophical system, moving beyond an individualistic perspective, interprets society as an organic and collective existential totality. In this paradigm, any political endeavor that results in neglect of the people's central position is not merely incomplete but fundamentally devoid
of meaning and legitimacy. This theoretical framework, drawing upon its ontological foundations, offers a fundamental response to contemporary challenges — from environmental destruction to class divisions — for it emphasizes the shared responsibility of humans in light of existential unity. In the philosophical system of Transcendent Philosophy, the people are considered at three distinct yet interconnected analytical levels, as outlined above. This analytical triad outlines a model of governance that believes in the Divine will while also respecting the free choice of the people. The analysis of al-Asfār al-Arbaʿa further demonstrates that the evolutionary path of the human being in this intellectual system is a cyclical journey that begins from the people and ultimately returns to the people once more. This framework presents a comprehensive model for the reform of the individual and society, in which the first journey is the crossing of material appearances; the second journey is the comprehension of the existential unity of society; the third journey is the return for the realization of social justice; and the fourth journey is service to the people as the ultimate end of practical wisdom and politics from the perspective of Transcendent Philosophy. In sum, Transcendent Philosophy, by elevating politics from the level of power-seeking to an existential dimension, presents an innovative model in which service to the people is considered tantamount to Divine worship. This perspective can serve as a suitable theoretical foundation for governance in contemporary Islamic societies. With such an outlook, religious democracy in this view is not an imitation of Western models, but rather an outcome of the authentic foundations of Islamic political philosophy that believes in the Divine will while also respecting the free choice of the people.