ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Bidayah Al-hikmah (arabic-english) [the Elements of Islamic Metaphysics]{edited} المرحلة الثانية عشر فيما يتعلق بالواجب تعالى من إثبات ذاته و صفاته و أفعاله و فيها أربعة عشر فصلا CHAPTER TWELVE: The Necessary Being, the Proofs of Its Existence, Its Attributes and Acts 12 Units الفصل الأول في إثبات ذاته تعالى ------------------------------- حقيقة الوجود التي هي أصيلة لا أصيل دونها و صرفة لا يخالطها غيرها لبطلان الغير فلا ثاني لها كما تقدم في المرحلة الأولى واجبة الوجود لضرورة ثبوت الشي‏ء لنفسه و امتناع صدق نقيضه و هو العدم عليه و وجوبها إما بالذات أو بالغير لكن كون وجوبها بالغير خلف إذ لا غير هناك و لا ثاني لها فهي واجبة الوجود بالذات.

THE PROOFS OF ITS EXISTENCE The reality of existence is necessarily existent, for it is fundamental (there being nothing fundamental except it) and absolute (shirf) (for it is not mingled with anything other than itself, as it has no other or second, as mentioned in Chapter One). This is so because it is necessary for a thing to be what it is and impossible for it to be its own contradictory, which is non-existence in this case.

Further, this necessity (wujûb) derives either from itself (bi al-dzât) or from something else (bi al-ghayr). However, it is self-contradictory to regard this necessity as deriving from something else, for, in this case, there is no ‘other,’ nor a second. Hence it is necessarily existent-by-itself (wâjib al-wujûd bi al-dzât).

Another Proof The quiddities, which are caused (ma’lûl) and contingent (mumkin) existents, also exist by necessity, for a thing does not come into being unless it is necessitated. However, their necessity is by virtue of something else; because were they necessary-by-themselves, they would not stand in need of a cause. Now the cause that necessitates their existence is also existent by necessity.

This necessity is either by-itself or by-something-else, and this line of reasoning leads to that which is necessarily existent by-itself, because of the inadmissibility of a vicious circle or an indefinite regress.