Tafsil al-Nashatayn wa Tahsil al-Saadatayn
- Author died
- 502 AH
- Editions
- دار مكتبة الحياة
Tafsil al-Nash’atayn wa-Tahsil al-Sa’adatayn (Detailing the Two Originations and Attaining the Two Felicitations) is an ethical and philosophical treatise on psychology, human purpose, and the attainment of felicity by al-Raghib al-Isfahani (d. 502 AH / 1108 CE) .
Composition and Structure
Al-Raghib al-Isfahani authored the treatise for the vizier Abu al-Abbas al-Dabbi . It is structured into thirty-three chapters detailing the initial worldly creation (al-nash’ah al-ula) and the afterlife (al-nash’ah al-ukhra) . The text opens with an exposition of the human condition and the necessity of adhering to religious worship and divine guidance to attain true humanity .
Core Themes
The work combines rational philosophy and Islamic religious sciences, focusing on self-knowledge, virtue, and human stewardship :
- Self-Knowledge and Knowledge of God: Al-Raghib asserts that self-knowledge is the foundational duty of a human being. He reconciles this view with the theological stance held by groups such as the Ash'aris—who consider knowing God to be the primary obligation—by arguing that knowing oneself is the direct pathway to knowing God .
- Reason and Revelation: The work emphasizes the mutual interdependence and complementary relationship between intellect (‘aql) and revealed law (shar‘), asserting that reason requires revelation to find correct direction, while revelation relies on reason for understanding .
- Vicegerency and Human Purpose: Al-Raghib outlines the purpose of human existence as vicegerency (khilafah) on earth, which is fulfilled through worship, moral self-discipline, and lawful engagement with the material world .
- Classification of Felicity: Felicity (sa‘adah) and blessings are divided into two types: transient worldly blessings and perpetual otherworldly rewards. Worldly blessings serve as valid instruments only insofar as they assist in securing eternal otherworldly felicity .
Influence and Transmission
The book influenced later Islamic thinkers, notably Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, who incorporated an entire chapter from it concerning the cooperation between reason and divine revelation into his Ma‘arij al-Quds fi Madarij Ma‘rifat al-Nafs .
A Turkish translation of the treatise was prepared by Husayn Mazhar and printed in Istanbul in 1333 AH . A critical edition of the Arabic text was edited by Abd al-Majid al-Najjar and published by Dar al-Gharb al-Islami in Beirut in 1408 AH / 1988 CE .
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