selection of the theory of the preferable from among mullā ṣadrā’s theories concerning knowledge of the materials and in the materials

mullā ṣadrā has three different approaches towards knowledge by presence concerning the material existences. on many occasions, he regards the physical matters, including bodies and accidents, out of the realm of knowledge by presence and maintains that they are neither present with themselves nor with another reality and nor another reality can be present with them. on another basis, he maintains that the materials become known with their abstract cause. but, according to the third approach, on various other occasions he has maintained perception and consciousness for all creatures. in this viewpoint, he considers knowledge and existence as equal. besides, according to him, presence is the precondition for knowledge and in fact the very reality of knowledge. abstraction is the precondition for presence, as well. therefore, it becomes necessary for the physical matters to have a kind of knowledge by presence and abstraction, too. then, we can both speak of the hypothesis of the existence of the known (ma’lūm) with them and the hypothesis of their being set as known to the knowledge by presence. in this paper, we have tried, on the basis of the definitions and the principles that mullā ṣadrā has presented about knowledge, to distinguish between his positions in this respect and finally deal with the question as to which saying of mullā ṣadrā can be in a well-reasoned way considered as his ultimate and accurate view. according to the reasons presented at the end of the article, the third view and approach is preferred.