The Development of Metaphysics in Persia A Contribution to the History of Muslim Philosophy

This work offers a concise survey of Persian metaphysical thought from its pre‑Islamic roots through the early twentieth‑century revival. The author maps the cross‑cultural currents that shaped Persian speculation—Indian idealism, Greek neo‑Platonism, and Arabic theological discourse—while highlighting the distinctive poetic sensibility that characterises the region’s intellectual style. Readers are guided through the major thinkers and schools, discovering how their ideas were recorded, debated, and transmitted across centuries.

Beyond the chronology, the book examines the intimate bond between philosophy and religion in Persia, showing how many philosophers also founded new spiritual movements. It explains how the Arab conquest briefly separated philosophy from faith, only for the two to reunite under a uniquely Persian synthesis that blends Aristotelian rigor with mystic intuition. Listeners will come away with a clearer picture of why Persian metaphysics remains a subtle, richly textured tradition within the wider history of Muslim philosophy.