Henry Corbin’s viewpoint on Islam and Iran

More than any divine religion, Islam has been exposed to miscomprehension and hostile stances.

The luminous image of this religion has been really blemished by the historians over the past centuries.

But due to its lofty values and obvious truthfulness Islam has always attracted scientists and seekers of truth. Intellectuals who have conducted scientific researches about Islam and Muslims on the basis of valid sources and documents have realized the rightfulness of this religion and a number of them have professed it.

Henry Corbin is an orientalist who showed hisdeep enthusiasm in Islam with his valuable researches.

Henry Corbin, the French philosopher,orientalist, and the professor of Sorbonne University was born in Paris on April 14, 1903. Corbin grew up in a religious protestant climate which led him to the molding of his philosophical and political views in the 1930’s. Prior to his religious activity, Corbin entered the High Studies School of Sorbonne University and studied under the great philosopher Etienne Gilson. He started translating and explaining a number of Arabic and Latin texts which had detailed commentaries on Islamic philosophers like Avicenna. Because of being interested in the Islamic philosophy, Gilson encouraged Corbin to continue his studies in the school of eastern languages. Thus in 1925, Corbin egan to learn Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Sanskrit and he took his diploma in Persian, Turkish and Arabic languages in 1929.

Under the influence of prominent professors like Jean Baruzi, Henry Corbin gave up his Protestant activities in the middle of 1930’s. This change was concurrent with his departure for Germany and his activity in the French institute in Berlin. There, he met with one of the most outstanding German philosophers Martin Heidegger and worked with him and he was engaged in translating Heidegger’s book “What is Metaphys-ics.” After this, Corbin embarked on interpreting the book of the famous Iranian  hilosopher Shahabeddin Sohrevardi. For writing his first book on Sohrevardi, Henry Corbin stayed in Turkey during World War II so that he could directly study the microfilms on Sohrevardi’s handwritten texts.

These continuous efforts made Corbin a professor of Shialogy in Sorbonne University and the director of Iranology at Iran-France Association. In 1946, the French government appointed Corbin as the head of Iranology sector in Iran-France Institute in Tehran. The institute was founded under the supervision of the French foreign minister on the basis of the French policy to revive the cultural and traditional impression

of France on Iran. After setting up Iranian Studies Sector, Corbin started publishing a series of books titled, “Iranian Library” releasing, for the first time, works on Islam and mystics. During 25 years, Corbin collected Arabic  and Persian manuscripts and published them.

While Henry Corbin assumed the responsibility of Iran-France institute in Tehran, he focused on the mystical and philosophical aspects of Islam and engaged in teaching at the faculties of history, theology and Islamic philosophy at Tehran University. It was in those years that he became familiar with the great philosopher and exegete of the Holy Qur’an Allameh Seyyed Mohammad Hussein Tabatabaei. Allameh Tabatabaei and Henry Corbin were in contact for years. The communication started in 1958. Henry Corbin would come to Tehran every autumn to teach philosophy at Tehran University which led him to get acquainted with the great thinker Martyr Ayatollah Morteza Motaharri. Motaharri offered Corbin to meet with Allameh Tabatabaei saying that he is the best one for specialized researches. The meetings were made fortnightly on Fridays.

Their meetings continued till the death of Corbin in 1978. On his talks with Allameh Tabatabaei, Corbin says, “So far the orientalists used to take the information related to Islam from the Sunnis and as a result the reality of Shia school has not been properly introduced to the West. Unlike the past orientalists, I believe that Shiism is a genuine school and it enjoys the characteristics of a real school. After the scientific researches, I came to the conclusion that the facts of spirituality of Islam should be viewed through Shiism which has a realistic view towards Islam.

Regarding the continued life of Imam Mahdi (May God speed up his reappearance), Corbin says, “I believe that Shiism is the only school which has preserved for ever the link of the divine guidance between God and the creatures and has kept alive the rule of the divine authority. I believe that all religions pursue a fact but it is only the Shia school which has preserved this fact believing that this characteristic remains for ever between the human and divine world.”

After a long period of research on Islamic gnosis and philosophy Corbin got adequate experience and maturity in the last decade of his life. He published an excerpt of his most important researches in a 4-volume collection titled Islam in Iran.

Corbin introduces the 4 volumes as follows, “The first volume is on the 12 infallible Imams. The second volume is allocated to the grave task of reviving philosophy by Sohrevardi. The third volume is about Roozbehan Baqli Shirazi. It is devoted to a number of the most prominent Shiite figures of mysticism like Seyyed Haydar Amoli and Ala’adowlah Semnani. The 4th volume introduces the school of Isfahan which is fully devoted to the 12th Imam as the core of Shia love.”

Courtesy: english.irib.ir