African Reincarnation Revisited

Humans are often concerned with three fundamental theological questions of existence: Where do I come from? What is my purpose here? What happens after death? Fundamentally, death is inevitable for every soul. However, the nature of life after death varies across different beliefs. While some religions believe that the human soul continues its journey in an Imaginal World ('Ālam al-Mithal or 'Ālam al-Barzakh) before the Day of Judgment, others believe in metempsychosis or reincarnation, which refers to the soul's rebirth in another body. African religions, particularly the Yoruba religio-cultural belief, also uphold the concept of reincarnation (àtúnwáyé) in three forms: Ìpadàwáyé (ancestor's rebirth), Àkúdáàya (reappearance after death), and Àbíkú (destined to die).

The Àkúdáàya phenomenon, the Sunni theological concept of bodily resurrection (on the Day of Judgment), and the Shi'ah theological concept of Raj'ah (return) all involve the transmigration of the soul into either its original body or a semblance of it, which broadly defines reincarnation. Interestingly, in an attempt to explain the phenomenon of Àkúdáàya (reappearance after death), some Muslim scholars speculate that it could be the work of the Jinn, who are believed to possess the ability to transform from their semi-incorporeal form into a corporeal one.

What is the reality of these concepts and phenomena in light of Mulla Sadra's Hikma al-Muta'āliya (Islamic Transcendent Philosophy)?

This book revisits and critiques these concepts through the lens of Mulla Sadra's philosophical principles.

Mulla Sadra, a 17th-century Islamic philosopher, revolutionized Islamic philosophy by synthesizing Kalam (Islamic Speculative Theology), 'Irfan (Islamic Mysticism), and Hikma Masha'iyyah (Peripatetic Philosophy), among others, in his Transcendent Philosophy.