Ontology and Cosmology of the ʿaql in Ṣadrā's Commentary on Uṣūl al-Kāfī

Mullā Ṣadrā's (c 1571-1640) commentary on Uṣūl al-Kāfī is one of the more famous commentaries on this significant Shi'i hadith collection. For his philosophical and Sufi background, Ṣadrā's approach to the hadith is slightly different and in some ways contrary to the earlier commentators such as`Allāma Majlisī in Shi'aand Ibn Taymīyya in Sunni Islam. This paper aims to shed light on the way Ṣadrā interprets al-Kāfī and particularly to determine his understanding of the ʿaql (intellect) at the cosmic (as first created-being) and human levels as presented in the Kitāb al-ʿAql wa al-Jahl (The Book of Intellect and Ignorance). Ṣadrā, already well-versed in the philosophical discourses on ontology and cosmology, finds al-Kāfī as a fertile ground to develop and extend his vision of cosmos and existence. This paper, furthermore, investigates and reviews some later and contemporary scholars' critiques of Ṣadrā's view on hadith and intellect.