Cyrus Ali Zargar - Associate professor of religion at Augustana College in Rock Island

The Safavid-era Persian Shiite cleric and sage Dayd Kashani was both a disciple and a son-in-law of the Shiite philosopher Mulla Sadra Shirazi. Fayd Kashani who was an accomplished scholar made an expert in various branches of Islamic scholarship. His inclination toward what was then known as sufism turned to be in the realm of mysticism proper, plus his keen interest in adopting an intellectual approach to the Holy Quran and hadith sources. A pivotal book of his has been al-Kalimat al-Maknunah (Hidden Words) that has received several expositions, editions, and translations.

Fayd Kashani, Safavid Era, mysticism, intellectual approach, Shiism, Iran