The Journey and Analysis of Mir Husayn Maybudi's Work Cam-I Git-I Numa

Abstract

This study examines Cam-i git-i numa, a Persian-language work authored by Mir Husayn Maybudi, one of the leading scholars and judges of the late Timurid and early Aq Qoyunlu period. As a student of Jalal al-Din al-Dawwani, Maybudi integrates kalam with Avicennan philosophy and Illuminationist cosmology, constructing a distinctive theoretical framework. The aim of this study is to explore the structure, cosmological model, and historical transmission of the text through textual analysis and historical data. The work consists of an introduction, thirty thematic chapters, and a conclusion. It opens with ontological discussions-such as the distinction between wajib al-wujud and mumkin al-wujud-and continues with classifications of substance and accident, souls, and celestial spheres. While employing philosophical concepts like hayula, sura, and jawhar, the text advocates a Qur'an-centered theological framework. Maybudi examines the movements of celestial bodies, planetary positions, the theory of elements, and meteorological phenomena in detail. He adopts the theory of ten intellects, synthesizing the Ptolemaic model with Ibn Sina's astronomical contributions. Planetary orbits and solar eclipses are explained through geometric diagrams. Arguing that faith must be grounded in the Qur'an and hadith, Maybudi positions philosophy and kalam as tools that support revelation. The work's translation into Arabic and its Latin rendering by the Maronite scholar Ibrahim al-Haqillani-published in Paris in 1641-demonstrate its international circulation. In the European edition, references to the Prophet Muhammad, Qur'anic verses, and scientific diagrams were censored. The study also examines the only known commentary, written by Molla Umar al-Chelli, whose notes illuminate Maybudi's complex style. Cam-i git-i numa stands as a peak synthesis of theology, philosophy, and cosmology, and this study aims to offer an original contribution to Islamic intellectual history by analyzing the work from multiple angles.