Anwar-e Ma`rifat

Mulla Sadra addresses the social crisis of sacred ignorance that has emerged in his society in his two books, Kasr Asnam al-Jahiliyyah and Risaleh Se Asl. In the pursuit of dismantling the idols of ignorance, he advocates for a revolution and social transformation. This social transformation aims to place society on the path to social justice and the attainment of an ideal community. It is essential to implement the primary mission of philosophy and wisdom, which is the establishment of justice and the negation of oppression and tyranny. This requires an understanding of true leaders (the mystics and philosophers) in society, as the absence of these leaders has led to the emergence of various power groups masquerading as mystics and saints, resulting in a rise of superficiality in religion and the undermining of faith. Given the significance of this issue, this article employs a qualitative thematic analysis method to explore this topic within Mulla Sadra’s two treatises. The analysis of foundational and organizing themes reveals eight overarching characteristics of true leaders in a crisis-ridden society: knowledgeable, refined, contemplative, concealed, death-aware, disavowing, embracing, and guiding through struggle. Considering that the crisis of ignorance will lead to significant turmoil in the Islamic community, Mulla Sadra presents the characteristics of genuine leaders as a solution to confront this superficial interpretation of religion.