An Examination of the Issue of The Body’s Attainment to the Soul (Lohuq Badan be Nafs) in Corporeal Resurrection (Ma‘ad Jismani) from the Perspective of Allamah Tabatabai

Allamah Tabatabai’s stance on corporeal resurrection (ma‘ad jismani) and his acceptance of Mulla Sadra’s view have been subjects of debate and disagreement among his students and contemporary scholars. This is due, on one hand, to reports of his opposition to Mulla Sadra’s position and, on the other, to his use of the term “lohuq badan be nafs” (the body’s attainment to the soul) in his works. Consequently, some have interpreted his view as contrary to Mulla Sadra’s, occasionally aligning it with the theory
of Modarres Zonuzi. However, the present study argues, based on external evidence
and reported statements from Allamah, that this interpretation is incorrect and that
his perspective aligns with Sadr Muta’allihin’s view on corporeal resurrection. From Allamah’s perspective, corporeal resurrection is a form of progressive and intensifying motion (harakat ishtidadiyya), which cannot be interpreted as a regression to the stage of potentiality (quwwah) and passivity (infi‘al). Additionally, in accordance with the theory of Ruh Ma‘ani (the Spirit of Meanings), he does not confine the true meaning of words to their material referents. The key to interpreting his statements lies in his perspective on potentiality (quwwah) and actuality (fi‘l), which is articulated through substantial motion (harakat jawhariyya). According to this view, potential existence (wujud bi al-quwwah) and actual existence (wujud bi al-fi‘l) are united in a single existence, and human beings possess a continuous and fluid existence wherein the soul (nafs) and body (badan) are unified. Thus, the separation (infikak) of the body from the soul is impossible. This serves as strong evidence against the interpretation that lohuq badan be nafs implies the body’s detachment from the soul and subsequent reattachment on the Day of Resurrection (yawm qiyamah). Rather, a review of Allamah’s statements clarifies that lohuq badan be nafs refers to the elimination of the soul’s acquired dispositions (malakah) and coercive attributes (sifat qasri) in the intermediary realm (barzakh) and the formation of a body commensurate with the soul’s intellectual perfections (kamalat ‘aqliyya) on the Day of Resurrection. According to him, the trajectory of the body’s substantial motion entails the development of a body suited to the dispositions and attributes of the barzakh, followed by progression toward the formation of a body aligned with rational attributes (sefat ‘aqliyya) and the essential forms (suwar dhātiyya) of human felicity (sa‘ādah) or wretchedness (shaqāwah) in the Hereafter (akhirah). The term lohuq (attainment) is used because, in the barzakh, the body undergoes various stages of transformation and perfection (takāmul)—based on one’s deeds—until it ultimately assumes a permanent and eternal form (badan abadi) in accordance with the intellectual form (surah ‘aqliyya). Thus, the Hereafter’s body corresponds (mumāthil) to the worldly body but is not identical (‘ayn) to it. This view aligns with Mulla Sadra’s perspective on corporeal resurrection, wherein he denies the role of material elements (‘unsur) in the human body and asserts that the soul, in each realm (nash’ah), generates a body appropriate to that realm.