A Comparative Analysis of the Doctrines of

Aminnia, Mohammad Mahdi; Hoseinpour, Yaser; Marvian, Sayyed Mohammad

doi:10.22034/hi.2026.595919.2176

A Comparative Analysis of the Doctrines of "Existential Interpenetration" and the "Personal Unity of Being" as the Philosopher's Account of the Relation Between the Necessary and the Contingent: With a Focus on Ayatollah Javadi Amoli’s ʿAqlāniyyat al

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mohammad Mahdi Aminnia ¹

Yaser Hoseinpour ²

Sayyed Mohammad Marvian ³

¹ PhD Student in Modern Theology at Navvab University

² Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad

³ PhD student in Islamic Philosophy , Navab University

10.22034/hi.2026.595919.2176

Abstract

The "Personal Unity of Being" is an axiomatic principle in Islamic mysticism, subject to various interpretations. According to its prevailing interpretation, existence is exclusively confined to the infinite Essence of God, thereby negating any other existent. Muslim philosophers predominantly substantiate the Personal Unity of Being through the "Argument from Infinity," asserting that God's infinite existence precludes the possibility of any other existence. In contrast, by proposing the doctrine of "Existential Interpenetration" and emphasizing the infinity of God's being, Professor Fayyazi dismisses any contradiction between God's infinity and the existence of other entities. He argues that creatures are subsumed within the infinite scope of Divine existence. From his perspective, Existential Interpenetration is the sole valid interpretation that elucidates the realization of the multiplicity of creatures alongside the Creator's infinity.

In the first volume of ʿAqlāniyyat al-Shuhūd, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli critiques the doctrine of interpenetration while reaffirming the Argument from Infinity as the only valid proof for the Personal Unity of Being. Employing a descriptive-analytical method based on documentary research, the present study examines and evaluates these two doctrines with a central focus on ʿAqlāniyyat al-Shuhūd. The findings indicate that, given Ayatollah Javadi Amoli's objections, the doctrine of interpenetration fails to provide a coherent reconciliation between God's infinite existence and the negation of other existents. Consequently, the Argument from Infinity for the Personal Unity of Being remains unrefuted by this doctrine.

Keywords

Personal Unity of Being

The Argument from Infinity

Ontological Interpenetration

Aqlāniyyat al-Shuhūd

Subjects