Sharh al-Qabasat

The Sharh al-Qabasat is a commentary on Mir Damad's (d. 1040/1630-31) last and famous philosophical work al-Qabasat, short for Qabasat haqq al-yaqin fi huduth al-?alam. Founder of the so-called Hikmat-i Yamani approach in philosophy, Mir Damad is one of the prominent representatives of a group of thinkers that is usually referred to as the 'School of Isfahan'. The author of the commentary, Sayyid Ahmad ?Alawi al-?Amili (d. 1054-60/1644-1650), was a son-in-law and former student of Mir Damad, as well as of Shaykh Baha? al-Din ?Amili (d. 1030/1621). With around fifty titles to his name in various disciplines, rational and traditional sciences alike, Sayyid Ahmad wrote the commentary at the request of Mir Damad himself, but only completed it when the latter had passed away. A collection of glosses rather than a running commentary, this Arabic work bears testimony to the commentator's extensive knowledge of the entire Islamic philosophical tradition.