alSuhrawardi

Al-Suhrawardi, also known as Shihab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash ibn Amir ibn Husayn al-Suhrawardi, was a Persian philosopher and founder of the Illuminationist school of philosophy. He was born in 1154 in Suhraward, a region in northwestern Iran. Al-Suhrawardi is renowned for his unique philosophical system that synthesized Neoplatonic ideas with Zoroastrian and Islamic traditions. His philosophy emphasized the importance of divine light and intuition as sources of knowledge, contrasting with the purely rational approach of other Islamic philosophers of his time.

His major works include the Hikmat al-Ishraq (The Philosophy of Illumination) and the Awaz-i Par-e Jabrail (The Sound of Gabriel's Wing). In Hikmat al-Ishraq, he outlines his metaphysical system, which posits a hierarchy of divine lights emanating from the Absolute Light. He believed that the human soul could ascend through these levels of illumination by purifying itself and cultivating spiritual insight. Al-Suhrawardi's emphasis on mystical experience and visionary knowledge had a profound impact on later Persian and Sufi thought.

Al-Suhrawardi's life was tragically cut short. He was executed in Aleppo in 1191, reportedly at the behest of religious scholars who deemed his teachings heretical. Despite his early death, his philosophical legacy endured, influencing thinkers for centuries and establishing the Illuminationist school as a distinct and significant branch of Islamic philosophy. His ideas continue to be studied and debated by scholars of philosophy and mysticism.