Bidayah Al-hikmah (arabic-english) [the Elements of Islamic Metaphysics]{edited}

المرحلة التاسعة في السبق و اللحوق و القدم و الحدوث

CHAPTER NINE: Priority and Posteriority, Qidam and Huduth

3 Units

9. l. THE MEANING OF PRIORITY, POSTERIORITY AND COEXISTENCE

Priority (sabq) and posteriority (luhûq) are among the characteristics of existents qua existents. That is because two entities often share, as existents, a relation to a source of existence that is not the same for each of them. An example of it is the relation of ‘two’ and ‘three’ to ‘one;’ ‘two’ being closer to ‘one’ than ‘three’ is called prior and antecedent, and ‘three’ is called posterior and subsequent. At times the common relation is the same for both the things, in which case they are called ‘coexistent’ and their condition is called ‘coexistence’ (ma’iyyah).

The metaphysicians have mentioned several kinds of priority and posteriority derived through induction.

(i) Temporal priority (al-sabq al-zamânî), in which the prior and the posterior are not contemporaneous. An example of it is the priority of some parts of time to other parts, such as that of yesterday to today and the priority of events of a preceding period to those of a subsequent period. Its opposite is temporal posteriority (al-luhûq al-zamânî).

(ii) Priority by nature (al-sabq bi al-thab’) is the priority of the incomplete cause to the effect, like the priority of two to three.

(iii) Priority by causality (al-sabq bi al-’illiyyah) is the priority of the complete cause to its effect.

(iv) Priority by virtue of quiddity (al-sabq bi al-mâhiyyah, also called al-taqaddum bi al-tajawhur) is the priority of the constituting causes of quiddity to their effects, like the priority of the parts of a specific quiddity (i.e. genus and differentia) to the species. The priority of a quiddity to its propria (lawâzim), such as the priority of four to evenness, has also been considered as belonging to this kind. Its opposite is posteriority by virtue of quiddity (al-luhûq bi al-mâhiyyah or al-ta’akhkhur bi al-tajawhur).

The above three kinds, viz. priority by nature, priority by causality and priority by virtue of quiddity, are called ‘priority by virtue of essence’ (al-sabq bi al-dzât).

(v) Priority by virtue of laterality (al-sabq bi al-haqîqah) is when what is ‘prior’ has a quality that is accidentally (i.e. figuratively) ascribed to what is ‘posterior.’ An example of it is water flowing in a channel: water literally possesses the flow, and this flow is ascribed accidentally to the channel in which it flows. Its opposite is posteriority by virtue of literality. This kind has been added by Sadr al-Muta’allihîn.

(vi) Meta-temporal priority (al-sabq bi-dahr) is the priority of the necessitating cause over its effect, though not in respect of its necessitating the existence of the effect and bringing it into being, as mentioned under priority by causality, but in the respect that its existence is separate and detached from the existence of the effect. By virtue of the cause existing on a higher existential plane than the effect, the effect is non-existent at the existential plane of the cause, such as the priority of the immaterial world of the Intellect over the world of matter. Its opposite is meta-temporal posteriority (al-ta’akkkhur al-dahrî).

This kind has been added by Mir Dâmâd, may God’s mercy be upon him, on the basis of his conception of meta-temporal hudûts and qidam, which will be explained later on.’

(vii) Priority by rank (al-sabq bi al-rutbah) occurs in hierarchies based on nature, position and convention. An example of the first kind is the hierarchy of genera and species. If one were to begin at the highest genus, a higher genus will be prior to the one below it, which in its turn will be prior to the one below it until the ultimate species is reached. But if one were to begin at the ultimate species, the order of priority will be reversed.

The imam or the prayer leader and those who follow him in a congregational prayer offer an example of the second kind. If one were to begin at the prayer niche, the imam will be seen to be prior to those in the row behind him, and those in the first row will be prior to those in the second, and so on and so forth. But if one were to begin from the last row, the order of priority and posteriority will be reverse. Opposed to this kind of priority is posteriority in terms of rank.

(viii) Priority by virtue of superiority (al-sabq bi al-syaraf) depends on worth and merit, such as the priority of a knowledgeable person over an ignorant one and a courageous person over a coward.

9.2. THE CRITERION OF PRIORITY

It is something that is common to the prior and the posterior and by virtue of which priority exists.

The criterion in temporal priority is the relation to time, regardless of whether what is prior is time itself or something existing in it. The criterion in priority by nature is the relation to existence. In priority by causality, it is necessity. In priority by quiddity it is the. constitution of the quiddity. In priority by virtue of literality, it is realization in general, including the literal and the metaphorical. In meta-temporal priority, it depends on an entity’s situation in the existential context. In priority by rank, it depends on the point of reference, such as the niche or the mosque entrance in the example pertaining to a sensible hierarchy, and the highest genus or the ultimate species in a conceptual hierarchy. In priority by virtue of superiority, it is merit and advantage.

9.3. QIDAM AND HUDÛTH, AND THEIR KINDS

In common usage the words qadîm (lit. old) and hadîts (lit. new or recent) were originally applied to two contemporaneous things. When the period of existence of one of them was greater than that of the other, the one which had existed for a longer period was called qadîm and the one which had existed for a shorter period was called hadîts or hadith. Hence they were relative attributes, in the sense that a single thing could be hadîts in relation to one thing and qadîm in relation to another. That which was implied in the concept of hudûts was the prior non-existence of a thing in a certain period of time, and qidam implied that a thing was not preceded by non-existence in a given period of time.

Then a more general meaning was given to these two words by giving ‘non-existence’ (‘adam) a more general sense that included non-existence as opposed to existence - that is non-existence in time, which does not cohabit with existence - as well as the non-existence that cohabits with existence. The latter of kind of non-existence is a thing’s essential non-being that accompanies its existence after its being brought into existence by the cause.

Thus the meaning of hudûts became ‘existence posterior to non-existence’ and the meaning of qidam ‘non-precedence of existence by non-existence.’ These two concepts are essential (dzâtî) characteristics of existence in general, for an existent qua existent is either preceded by non-existence or it is not. Thereupon, these concepts became fit for philosophical discussion.

(i) Thus one kind of hudûts is ‘temporal hudûts’ or hudûts in terms of time [al- hudûts al-zamânî), which means a thing’s existence being posterior to its non-existence, such as today’s being posterior to its non-existence yesterday, or the posteriority of today’-s events to their non-existence yesterday. Opposed to it is qidam in terms of time (al-qidam al-zamânî), which is a thing’s not being posterior to non-existence in time, like the qidam of time itself which is neither preceded by a time nor anything temporal - for other- wise it would imply the subsistence of time when it does not exist, and this involves a contradiction.

(ii) Another kind of hudûts is ‘essential hudûts’ (al-hudûts al-dzâtî), which means non-existence’s being prior to the existence of a thing at the plane of its essence, as is the case with all contingent existents, which owe their existence to a cause beyond themselves with nothing in their quiddities and essences except non-existence.

One may raise an objection here that quiddity in itself does not possess anything but contingency. That means the equality of its relation to existence and non-existence and its being devoid of both of them. Thus it is devoid of non-existence, as mentioned.

The answer is that it is true that quiddity by itself is devoid of existence and non-existence. In order to assume one of these it stands in need of something to tilt the scale one way or the other; the non-existence of such a preponderant and cause is sufficient to make it non-existent. In other words, its being devoid in itself of existence and non-existence and its being divested of these two is in the sense of primary predication (i.e. as a

concept). That does not contradict its being characterized with non-existence in the sense of common predication (i.e. in external reality).

The opposite of hudûts in this sense is ‘essential qidam’ [al-qidam al-dzâtî), which means non-precedence of a thing by non-existence at the plane of its essence (dzât). That is only true of an entity whose essence is the very reality of existence, an entity that dispels non-existence by its very essence. That is the Necessary Being, whose essence is Its existence.

(iii) A third kind of hudûts is ‘meta-temporal hudûts’ (al-hudûts al-dahrî), mentioned by Mir Dâmâd - may God’s mercy be upon him. It means the posteriority of the existence of an existential plane to its non-existence at a higher plane in the vertical hierarchy of existence. That kind of non-existence does not cohabit (ghayr mujâmi’) with existence, though it is non-temporal. An instance of it is the posteriority of the material world to its nonexistence at the plane of the imaginal world (‘âlam al-mitsâl). Opposed to it is ‘meta-temporal qidam’