Shi`a Pajoohi

Shi`a Pajoohi

An Investigation into the Foundations of the Otherworldly Perfection of the Soul from the Viewpoint of Sayyid Ḥaydar Āmulī

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Muhammad Hossein Ardestanizadeh 1
Mostafa Farhudi 2
قادر حافظ 3
Mahdi Safaei Asl 4
1 PhD Student in Sufism and Islamic Mysticism, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Eastern Religions, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Mysticism and Sufism, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
4 Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Tehran, Farabi Campus, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
One of the most significant issues that has occupied the minds of theistic scholars is the perfection of the human soul after its worldly life. Some Muslim philosophers and theologians have denied such perfection, while others have put forward arguments for it. Among the mystics (‘Urafā), Sayyid Ḥaydar Āmulī, as a Shi'a mystic, has answered this question affirmatively. The present research, employing a descriptive-analytical method, proves this issue through six foundational principles. These principles are: "the renewal of likes (tajaddud-e amthāl)", "the embodiment of deeds (tajassom-e aʿmāl)", "intercession (shafāʿat)", "the arrangement of the existential realms (chīnesh-e ʿawālem-e hastī)", "imagination (khayāl)", and "love-driven motion (ḥarakat-e ḥubbī)". From Sayyid Ḥaydar's viewpoint, the realm of imagination and the arrangement of the existential realms create a ground for the motion and otherworldly (barzakhi) perfection of humans. Based on the renewal of likes, humans are never static in any realm; rather, they are in a state of constant motion and growth moment by moment. This motion, founded on love and affection for God the Most High, guides humans through the otherworldly realms (ʿawālem-e barzakhi) and causes their perfection. Intercession also indicates the otherworldly growth of humans; for whether it leads to their elevation in Heaven or their salvation from Hell, in any case, it signifies the perfection of humans in the Hereafter. Furthermore, the human faculty of imagination is also a factor for creating imaginal forms and connecting with the realm of archetypal image (ʿālam-e mithāl), and this itself provides the ground for their perfection.
Keywords
Sayyid Ḥaydar Āmulī
perfection (istikmāl)
soul (nafs)
Purgatory [intermediate realm] (barzakh)
Resurrection (Qiyāmat)
Subjects
The Holy Qur'an 
Nahj al-Balagha
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Shi`a Pajoohi
Volume 11, Issue 28 - Serial Number 28
September 2025
Pages 37-58