The Triumph of Mercy

Muhammad Rustom’s outstanding The Triumph of Mercy is a beautifullywritten study on the celebrated Islamic philosopher Mulla Sadra (d.1050/1640). The author presents the essence of Sadra’s thought in the contextof Tafsīr Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, his commentary on the Qur’an’s opening chapter,and discusses his methodology, influences, and spiritual outlook. From themyriad discussions in each chapter, which display the author’s depth andbreadth of scholarship, the work is not only a study of Mulla Sadra’s thoughtbut also a précis of the Islamic spiritual tradition itself. This should come asno surprise since the point of departure is Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, which embracesthe entirety of the Qur’anic message within its seven verses.Each chapter is a pithy and fascinating window into the Sadrian synthesisbetween the “transmitted” and “intellectual” sciences, the Qur’an and burhān(reason), and philosophy and mysticism. It covers Qur’anic hermeneutics,metaphysics, cosmology, theology, and soteriology, respectively. The workfurther sheds light on Sadra’s profound attachment to the great master of Sufism,Ibn ‘Arabi, including, in the appendix, passages from the latter’sFutūḥāt al-Makkīyah reworked in the Tafsīr Sūrat al-Fātiḥah. In my view,the success of this work lies in, among other things, the author’s exceptionalability to convey complex ideas with a clear and cogent vision, therebywidening the readership far beyond the scholar and expert.The book immediately commands our attention in the introduction, wherethe author provides critical background on the Qur’anic hermeneutical ...