The Development of Metaphysics in Persia

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The Development of Metaphysics in Persia

The Development of Metaphysics in Persia is a book by Muhammad Iqbal. It is the book form of his philosophy PhD thesis, submitted at the University of Munich in 1908, and published in the same year. The work traces how Persian metaphysical thought evolved from the time of Zoroaster to the advent of the Bahá’í Faith. Iqbal’s doctoral supervisor was Fritz Hommel, and the book was published in London by Luzac & Company in 1908.

Iqbal describes the book as one of his major research achievements and notes that no prior English-language study on this topic existed. He explains that his knowledge of Zend was limited, so he consulted original Persian and Arabic manuscripts as well as many printed works. He lists the key manuscripts and sources he used and states that he followed the transliteration method recognized by the Royal Asiatic Society.

The first edition was published in London in 1908. Bazm-e-Iqbal published it in Lahore in 1954. The book has been translated into several languages, including Persian, Urdu, and Bosnian.