Philosophers from Iran

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Iranian Philosophers of all time. This list of famous Iranian Philosophers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Iranian Philosophers.

1. #1

   

   Al-Ghazali

   1058 - 1111

   HPI 85.99121 languages

   Al-Ghazali is most famous for writing the book "The Incoherence of the Philosophers" in which he argues that philosophy and science are not compatible with Islam.

2. #2

   

   Al-Tabari

   839 - 923

   HPI 78.7160 languages

   Al-Tabari is most famous for his tafsir, or commentary on the Quran.

3. #3

   

   Bodhidharma

   483 - 540

   HPI 78.1760 languages

   Bodhidharma is most famous for being the founder of the Zen school of Buddhism.

4. #4

   

   Fakhr al-Din al-Razi

   1149 - 1209

   HPI 71.9335 languages

   Fakhr al-Din al-Razi is most famous for his work in the fields of medicine, philosophy, and theology.

5. #5

   

   Bayazid Bastami

   804 - 874

   HPI 71.1626 languages

   Bayazid Bastami is most famous for the following verse: "I am the Truth, and the Truth is I." Bayazid Bastami was a Sufi mystic who lived in the 11th century. He is most famous for his verse which says that he is the truth and the truth is he.

6. #6

   

   Miskawayh

   932 - 1030

   HPI 70.8836 languages

   Miskawayh was a 10th century Persian scholar who wrote a book on ethics and morality.

7. #7

   

   Mazdak

   450 - 529

   HPI 70.3041 languages

   Mazdak is most famous for his belief that all people should share equally in the wealth of the earth.

8. #8

   

   Shahab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi

   1155 - 1191

   HPI 68.4634 languages

   Shahab al-din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi is most famous for his philosophical work, The Philosophy of Illumination.

9. #9

   

   Haji Bektash Veli

   1209 - 1271

   HPI 68.4428 languages

   Haji Bektash Veli is most famous for the Bektashi Order, a Sufi order of Islam.

10. #10

    

    Mulla Sadra

    1571 - 1636

    HPI 68.0331 languages

    Mulla Sadra is most famous for his philosophy of “Transcendent theosophy” which is a fusion of the ideas of Plato and Aristotle. Mulla Sadra argued that there are two levels of reality: the world of the intellect and the world of nature. The world of the intellect is the realm of pure thought, while the world of nature...Read moreShow less

    Mulla Sadra is most famous for his philosophy of “Transcendent theosophy” which is a fusion of the ideas of Plato and Aristotle. Mulla Sadra argued that there are two levels of reality: the world of the intellect and the world of nature. The world of the intellect is the realm of pure thought, while the world of nature is the realm of matter. For Mulla Sadra, the world of the intellect is superior to the world of nature because it is eternal and unchanging.