Monday, March 25, 2013

Muslim Philosophers


Muslim Philosophers

Al-Kindi
Not much information is available on al-Kindi’s (c. 795-866) personal life, but he was an Arab.  He is actually known as “The philosopher of the Arabs.”[1]  His interests went beyond philosophy and included astrology, mathematics, medicine, music, and optics.  Al-Kindi studied Arabic translations of Greek philosophy, particularly Aristotle’s work, although he had several differing ideas than Aristotle.  He is said to be the first Muslim philosopher to use Greek philosophy ideas.
            Through philosophy, Al-Kindi believed people will then learn concepts in terms of reality and then people will also come to know human virtue and the divinity and unity of God.  The most illustrious and most important philosophy is the knowledge of the first truth, which will lead to the cause of every truth, according to al-Kindi.  He believes matter, motion, and time all have an origin and an ending.  He also tried to show that philosophy is harmonious with the religion of Islam.[2]

Al-Razi
            Al-Razi (d. 925) was most famous for his work in the medical field.  However, he also became an important philosopher during this time.  His main inspiration came from Plato and one of Plato’s dialogues, Timaeus.[3]  He believed that philosophy and religion were discordant to one another.  He was very unpopular in his day for several of his beliefs, and many of his philosophical writings have been destroyed.
            Al-Razi believes that God made the world as a “physical playground” for the soul to fulfill its desire.[4]  From there the soul achieves salvation, only by God’s gift of knowledge.  When the soul gains knowledge, it now also has reason, and that reason can be used to understand the other four eternal principles of Creator, matter, space, and time (the fifth is the soul).[5]  Al-Razi also had moral thoughts in his philosophy.  He believed the purpose in life is to, as humanly possible, imitate God.  Also, depending on how the soul acted in the physical world, he said there is another world that the soul will go to, which does not have death.[6]  He also stated that God does not condone harming others or yourself.
Al-Farabi
            Al-Farabi (c. birth 878) is called the “Father of Islamic Neo-Platonism.”[7]  He characterizes God by saying what God is not, for example al-Farabi says God is indefinable.  However, al-Farabi does think God is top on al-Farbai’s hierarchy, and since everything comes from him, God is then responsible for everything but in a roundabout fashion.[8]  He splits reason up into six main categories to make it simpler to understand.  The first four categories are prudence, “obviousness” and “immediate recognition,” natural perception, and “conscience.”[9]  The fifth is more complex, but also said to be the most important by al-Farabi.  The fifth category contains four components, potential intellect, actual intellect, acquired intellect, and active intellect.  The last category is God/divine reason.[10]
            Perhaps al-Farabi’s greatest contribution to philosophy came in the political aspect.  He lays out qualities a good leader should have which include, a strong physical stature, a good speaker, and possessing the desire to learn.  Al-Farabi’s most discussed topic is happiness.  He believed that “virtuous cities” would be places where people work with one another to gain their happiness.[11]  He believed that man needed help to attain real happiness, and that is where the virtuous society, city, and world concept of al-Farabi’s originates.

Ibn Sina
            Ibn Sina (980-1037) followed in the footsteps of al-Farabi and others by being another Neo-Platonist.  Ibn Sina would become the most famous of the Muslim Neo-Platonists.  Ibn Sina was born in central Asia, and when he was only thirteen, he started to study medicine.[12]  He became an expert and many top physicians read his works.  This is how his name began to grow.
            Besides being in medicine, Ibn Sina was also a philosopher.  He believes that things like the body and mind spring from God, who is the source of all existence.  Also, he says that is an important for humans to continue learning and gather knowledge.  It’s important for a human to reach a certain knowledge level, so the human can save their soul by applying this knowledge.  Ibn Sina believes the soul to immortal and having no physical matter.  He it has to be, after all our thoughts are not physical as well as our general intellect.  They are indivisible and physical substances can be divided.[13]  He also believed that God is the root of the soul that has been perfectly purified.  Ibn Sina contributed heavily to philosophy from a Muslim perspective.  His works influenced many philosophers for generations, not just in the Islamic world, but in Europe as well, including Thomas Aquinas, a Christian.

Brethren of Purity
            The Brethren of Purity emerged in the 10th century.  They published an encyclopedia which included 52 volumes.[14]  The exact authors are unknown, but they are believed to be from a Shi’I background, Isma’ilism more specifically.  Their encyclopedia includes everything from spirituality and the nature of the soul to music, mathematics, and sciences.  Although the base of their teachings is the Qur’an and other Islamic traditions, the Brethren of Purity also used the Christian gospels, the Jewish Torah, and other monotheistic readings from Abraham.  They were also impacted by the Greek philosophers, and old Persian and Indian works.
            The Brethren of Purity believed in “truth in every religion.”[15]  At the same time, they also said people should be critical of every religion, including their own.[16]  They believed that the desire for happiness and salvation are what drive a person to search for knowledge and rationality.  The Brethren’s most well known work is how they coupled mathematics with philosophy.  They use calculations to create some theories.[17]  They were considered to be very liberal in their day.

Mu’tazilites
            Mu’tazilites received their name from the Arabic word i’tizal, which means to secede.  The Mu’tazilites disagreed with the early theologians, and thus were named.[18]  The Mu’tazilites call themselves the “People of Unity and Justice.”[19]  They believe that God is “knowing, powerful, and seeing,” but due to the human intellect, we cannot say that those traits vary away from the divine essence.[20]  They believe the dine traits need to be matched up with the divine essence to prevent the “plurality of eternals,” therefore keeping the unity.  The justice the Mu’tazilites refer to is the justice that God will provide by punishing sinners and rewarding those who performed good works.  By stating this, it means that man has free will and is held accountable for their actions.  Mu’tazilites also believe that God never uses or spoke to angels or prophets.  They believe that an Imam needs to be appointed rule over the Muslim community (ummah).[21]  They also believe that the interpreter of religious law (the mujtahid) cannot be incorrect.

Hanbalites
            Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (b. 780) would eventually have a group named after him.  He travelled through Arabia, Iraq, and Syria for many years searching for knowledge.  Hanbal collected the ahadith of Muhammad.  Hanbal immensely believed that the Qur’an was eternal and uncreated.  A court was set up for inquisition of scholars who stated the Qur’an was uncreated, by the Caliphs Al-Ma’mum and Al-Mutasim.[22]  Hanbal was put in prison and even though treated harshly, continued to back his own belief.  When Caliph Al-Mutawakkil rose to the Caliphate, Hanbal was released and praised for his unwavering belief.  It is said by followers that he saved the accurate version of the Islamic belief in reference to the Qur’an.
            Hanbal’s followers therefore believe the Qur’an is eternal and uncreated.  They also believe that the Qur’an and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad are the only true sources of Islam.  Hanbalites do not believe in stressing reason, but rather they stress God and what God gives.  They believe that God is what he says he is in the Qur’an and according to Muhammad’s traditions, that is.  A Sunni school is set up based on the Hanbalite beliefs.

Ash’arites
             Ash’arism arose in the 10th and 11th centuries.  The Ash’arites wanted to purify Islam of the non-Islam components that had made their way into Islam.[23]  They are named after al-Ash’ari, who is a descendent of one the Companions of the Prophet.  He studied under a Mu’tazilite scholar, but then changed his views when he was in his forties.  From then on he wanted to bring into light the overall inaccuracy of the Mu’tazilite view.
            The Ash’arites believe God is an eternal and is one Being.  They state God is knowing and powerful, can see, hear, and speak.[24]  They did state that the traits God possesses are original and not the same as the created beings’.  The Ash’arites believe that humans are given actions from God, who creates the action.  This is saying that humans do not have free will, but that God is not controlling human actions.  The Ash’arites believe it is somewhere in between these two viewpoints.  The Ash’arites also think that reason is used to confirm what revelation has provided, and revelation is the main source of truth.[25]

Al-Ghazali
            Al-Ghazali (c. 1055-1111) during his lifetime was one of the most influential philosophers.  He studied at a prestigious school and was well educated.  This led him to working closely with the Seljuq sultan and his court, and later with the caliphal court located in Baghdad.  Al-Ghazali’s adapted his personal life after reading some Sufi works and decided that working in such prominent positions doesn’t fit with living a religious life.  He then went to Damascus and Jerusalem and promised he would never work in any political environment, including teaching at schools the state sponsors.[26]
            Al-Ghazali’s most notable work was titled, “Incoherence of the Philosophers.”[27]  This challenged the prior philosophers’ views and explained why they were wrong in al-Ghazali’s eyes, and how some even bent the truth knowingly to prove their theories.  Al-Ghazali believed that the revelations that were given to the early prophets like Abraham, are the main source of knowing about the human soul and God’s nature among other topics.[28]  He believed philosophy, both the correct and even the incorrect should be tolerated by the religion of Islam.  The only exception is when philosophy touches the subjects of Muhammad’s prophecy, monotheism, and what the Qur’an description of the afterlife.[29]  He believed that eternal knowledge was God’s and only God’s.[30]  Al-Ghazali was controversial and brought about the separation of religion and philosophy.  He generated many responses over generations, while rocking his own.


[1] Kiki Kennedy-Day, “al-Kindi, Abu Yusuf Ya’qub ibn Ishaq (d. c. 866-73),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H029.htm (accessed October 27, 2012).
[2] Kiki Kennedy-Day, “al-Kindi, Abu Yusuf Ya’qub ibn Ishaq (d. c. 866-73),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H029.htm (accessed October 27, 2012).
[3] Paul E. Walker, “al-Razi, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya’ (d. 925),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H043.htm (accessed October 27, 2012).
[4] Paul E. Walker, “al-Razi, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya’ (d. 925),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H043.htm (accessed October 27, 2012).
[5] Paul E. Walker, “al-Razi, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya’ (d. 925),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H043.htm (accessed October 27, 2012).
[6] Paul E. Walker, “al-Razi, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya’ (d. 925),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H043.htm (accessed October 27, 2012).

[7] Ian Richard Netton, “al-Farabi, Abu Nasr (c. 870-950),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H021.htm (accessed October 28, 2012).
[8] Ian Richard Netton, “al-Farabi, Abu Nasr (c. 870-950),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H021.htm (accessed October 28, 2012).
[9] Ian Richard Netton, “al-Farabi, Abu Nasr (c. 870-950),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H021.htm (accessed October 28, 2012).
[10] Ian Richard Netton, “al-Farabi, Abu Nasr (c. 870-950),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H021.htm (accessed October 28, 2012).
[11] Ian Richard Netton, “al-Farabi, Abu Nasr (c. 870-950),” Routledge, http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H021.htm (accessed October 28, 2012).
[12] Salim Kemal, “Ibn Sina Abu ‘Ali al-Husayn (980-1037),” http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/sina/art/ibn%20Sina-REP.htm (accessed October 28, 2012).
[13] Salim Kemal, “Ibn Sina Abu ‘Ali al-Husayn (980-1037),” http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/sina/art/ibn%20Sina-REP.htm (accessed October 28, 2012).
[14] Dr. Nadr El-Bizri, “Brethren of Purity,” The Institute of Ismaili Studies, http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=106577 (accessed October 29, 2012).
[15] Dr. Nadr El-Bizri, “Brethren of Purity,” The Institute of Ismaili Studies, http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=106577 (accessed October 29, 2012).
[16] Asghar Ali Engineer, “Ikwhan-us Safa: A Rational and Liberal Approach to Islam,” http://www.amaana.org/ikhwan/ikhwan1.html (accessed October 29, 2012).
[17] Asghar Ali Engineer, “Ikwhan-us Safa: A Rational and Liberal Approach to Islam,” http://www.amaana.org/ikhwan/ikhwan1.html (accessed October 29, 2012).
[18] Mir Valiuddin, “Mu’tazalism,” http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/hmp/13.htm (accessed October 29, 2012).
[19] Mir Valiuddin, “Mu’tazalism,” http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/hmp/13.htm (accessed October 29, 2012).

[20] Mir Valiuddin, “Mu’tazalism,” http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/hmp/13.htm (accessed October 29, 2012).
[21] Mir Valiuddin, “Mu’tazalism,” http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/hmp/13.htm (accessed October 29, 2012).
[22] SunnahOnline.com, “Ahmad ibn Hanbal,” SunnahOnline.com, http://sunnahonline.com/library/biographies/364-ahmad-ibn-hanbal (accessed October 29, 2012).
[23] M. Abdul Hye, “Ash’arism,” http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/hmp/14.htm (accessed October 29, 2012).
[24] M. Abdul Hye, “Ash’arism,” http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/hmp/14.htm (accessed October 29, 2012).

[25] M. Abdul Hye, “Ash’arism,” http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/hmp/14.htm (accessed October 29, 2012).
[26] Metaphysics Research Lab, CSLI, Stanford University, “Al-Ghazali,” Frank Griffel, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/al-ghazali/ (accessed October 29, 2012).
[27]Metaphysics Research Lab, CSLI, Stanford University, “Al-Ghazali,” Frank Griffel, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/al-ghazali/ (accessed October 29, 2012).
[28] Metaphysics Research Lab, CSLI, Stanford University, “Al-Ghazali,” Frank Griffel, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/al-ghazali/ (accessed October 29, 2012).
[29] Metaphysics Research Lab, CSLI, Stanford University, “Al-Ghazali,” Frank Griffel, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/al-ghazali/ (accessed October 29, 2012).
[30] “Muhammad al-Ghazali,” http://www.cis-ca.org/voices/g/ghazali.htm (accessed October 29, 2012).

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