Philosophy and Kalam

Philosophy and Kalam

The Epistemic Network of the Disciples of Ḥājj Mullā Hādī Sabzawārī and Its Role in the Formation and Development of Intellectual Sciences in Islamic Seminaries

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Wisdom and Spirituality, Islamic Research Foundation, Mashhad, Iran
10.22059/jitp.2026.408253.523686
Abstract
This study employs a historical-analytical framework to investigate the role of Hajj Mulla Hadi Sabzevari’s disciples in transmitting and sustaining the rational sciences (al-ʿulūm al-ʿaqliyya), particularly Islamic philosophy, within the intellectual milieus of the Qajar era. Central to this inquiry is how Sabzevari’s circle functioned as a dynamic epistemic network, facilitating the development and enduring legacy of scholarly disciplines across Iran and key transregional intellectual hubs. Utilizing a network-oriented methodology anchored in historical and documentary evidence, this research maps the geographical and intellectual trajectories of Sabzevari’s students. The findings demonstrate that, following Sabzevari’s passing, the “Sabzevar School” persisted not as a static institution, but as a living, self-sustaining network of successive generations. Through scholarly migration, pedagogical efforts, prolific authorship, and the mentorship of new scholars, this network effectively facilitated the transmission and reproduction of disciplines—including logic, philosophy, traditional mathematics, and astronomy—across major cities such as Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Semnan, Quchan, and Najaf. This phenomenon exemplifies a “decentralized transmission of knowledge” within the Islamic intellectual tradition, revealing that the longevity of a scholarly school often relies less on formal institutions than on the vitality of interpersonal educational networks.
Keywords
Subjects

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