Arabic and Islamic Philosophy

Both Amílcar Cabral and Ghassan Kanafani can be said to belong to the second generation of anti-colonial leaders in the wave of independence movements that characterized the second half of the twentieth century. In this essay I show that not only was there a significant overlap between their primary concerns, particularly revolving around the need for a theoretical analysis of the limitations of the leadership of the first wave of independence movements, but also, a convergence with respect to their understanding (...) of the importance of social analysis, and, more specifically, class analysis in the struggle for liberation from colonialism. In fact, one of the things that they wanted to point out when they claimed that the leaders of the first wave of independence movements did not develop an adequate ideology was that these leaders failed to understand the social structure of their own societies; in particular, they failed to understand that liberation from colonialism and neo-colonialism was not in the interests of all members of the colonized societies and that appeals to an amorphous entity called “the people” were likely to backfire. In fact, both Cabral and Kanafani pointed out that there were some classes in their respective societies who benefitted from colonialism and who therefore could not be expected to support the struggle against it. (shrink)

This article considers Avicenna’s insistence on the disunity between the souls of humans, animals, and plants and the mixed elemental bodies in which they inhere. In particular, it looks at (1) why Avicenna rejects their unity and (2) why this rejection, pace some contemporary scholars, is compatible with the status of these souls as substances. I show that both points derive from the causal role that these souls and the elements play in the coming to be and passing away of (...) mixed elemental bodies. (shrink)

Can we know God or does he reside beyond our ken? In Ibn 'Arabi and 'Abd al-Razzaq al-Qashani's Metaphysics of the Divine, Ismail Lala conducts a forensic analysis of the nature of God and His interaction with creation. Looking mainly at the exegetical works of the influential mystic, Muhyi al-Din ibn 'Arabi (d. 638/1240), and one of his chief disseminators, 'Abd al-Razzaq al-Qashani (d. 736/1335?), Lala employs the term huwiyya, literally "He-ness," as an aperture into the metaphysical worldview of both (...) mystics. Does Al-Qashani agree with Ibn 'Arabi's conception of God? Does he agree with Ibn 'Arabi on how God relates to us and how we relate to Him? Or is this where Sufi master and his disciple part ways? (shrink)

This story begins with a divine unveiling: in 1220, a mysterious youth took the Sufi philosopher Muhyi al-Din Ibn 'Arabi behind the veil of the night. There, Ibn 'Arabī first came face to face with advanced and morally ambiguous spiritual practitioners known as the Nightfolk. In The Nightfolk, Duja Rasic offers a pioneering historical and conceptual analysis of the once-widespread beliefs about the night and its people in Muslim cultures and societies. Drawing on a wealth of primary source materials, Rašić (...) traces these beliefs from their origins in the seventh century to their most prominent form in the thirteenth-century works of Ibn 'Arabi. Re-examining common notions of spiritual authority, ascension, self-isolation, moral choice, and transgression in Muslim cultures and societies, The Nightfolk is a crucial read for those interested in philosophical Sufism and Ibn 'Arabi's attempts to bridge the gap between the visible world and the realms of the unseen. (shrink)

This is the second in a series of sourcebooks charting the reception of Avicenna (Ibn Sina, d.1037) in the Islamic East (from Syria to central Asia) in the 12th-13th centuries CE. Moving on from the metaphysical and theological concerns covered in the first book, this volume looks at issues in logic and epistemology in the reception of Avicenna's thought. Across dozens of authors and hundreds of passages, the translated material covers a wide range of topics including the subject matter of (...) logic, the nature of knowledge and self-knowledge, questions in philosophy of language and syllogistic theory, and paradoxes. (shrink)

Averroes (Ibn Rushd), was a Medieval Muslim philosopher, physician, and judge from Cordova, Spain. He is well known for his extensive and influential commentaries on the works of the Greek philosopher Aristotle – Thomas Aquinas makes extensive use of his work, referring to him simply as The Commentator – and for his efforts to argue for the use of philosophy in his Islamic context. In A Decisive Discourse on the Delineation of the Relation Between Religion and Philosophy (often called the (...) Decisive Treatise for short), Averroes makes the controversial (at the time) claim that one should search for truth in both religion and philosophy, secure in the knowledge that, since there is only one Truth, anything true discovered through philosophy will not contradict the truth known through religion. In this article we will examine (1) how Averroes makes this argument, and (2) how he uses a unique and controversial delineation of people into intellectual classes to address instances of seeming conflict between philosophical and theological claims. (shrink)

In a world of suffering, alienation, materialism and hedonism (pleasure as the aim of life), the struggle to avoid the pull toward egoism and worldly desires becomes challenging. It is also difficult to recognise the existence of eudaimonia ('ultimate happiness'): or can there possibly be a eudaimonic life? The debate regarding how to live a meaningful life and attain 'ultimate happiness' is ongoing since happiness is constantly being constructed and is hence, not established. Although some believe otherwise, the Islamic framework (...) argues that suffering and struggling against one’s ‘self’ can lead to serenity and a meaningful life. Interestingly, one would envisage that psychoanalysis draws away from 'ultimate happiness', as the self is always conflicted. However, Freud (1856-1939 CE.) seems to portray a similar but failed paradigm to the Islamic self and suffering; it can be questioned whether Freud attributes a ‘final stage’ of human fulfilment beyond the superego stage. Using conceptual, applied and comparative analysis through a psychosocial approach, this theoretical dissertation uses primary and secondary sources to critically compare and analyse Freud’s personality and drive theories with the Islamic philosophical conceptions of the self, illustrating whether both frameworks contribute isomorphic theoretical implications. Secondly, I rethink and reconstruct the idea of happiness and a meaningful eudaimonic life, and whether overcoming the self and suffering can guide towards it. Finally, after critically comparing the 'final stages' of the self, that is, jihād al-nafs (the struggle against oneself) and Freud’s superego stage, the dissertation is among the first to propose whether the serene self leads towards eudaimonia and whether Freud’s idea of unhappiness and pleasure principles lead towards hedonism and the possibility of eudaimonia. Throughout this analysis, the question of whether philosophy and psychoanalysis can account for the possibility of an 'ultimate happiness', or 'final human fulfilment' beyond the post-superego stage is promising; therefore, it would be significant to contribute and propose this theory to enhance the study’s academic originality for philosophy and psychosocial studies. -/- . (shrink)

Campaigns highlighting the alleged incompatibility of the Islamic polity with principles of democratic self-governance are longstanding. The basic assumption of the incompatibalist proposition runs as follows: Political legitimacy in Muslim polities can be reduced to a principle of conformity with a set of divinely given rules and norms, the Sharīʿa, occasionally supplemented, and interpreted, by Islamic legal scholars and practitioners. In short, political Islam recognizes the Sharīʿa and Usūl al-fiqh (or, for the purposes of this essay, fiqh, for short) as (...) the Islamic polity’s foundations––those are deemed incompatible with democratic participation. In response, Mohammad Fadel (2018) has argued that the legal instrument of maṣlaḥa, which Fadel summarizes as considerations of the “public good” or “general interest,” can establish the democratic accountability mechanism that critics see missing in political authorities of Sharīʿa–grounded polities. Fadel supports this normative view with reference to some select classical Sunni jurisprudence, particularly the Usūl al-fiqh. I contest this view in two ways: Firstly, on a conceptual level, most thorough analyses of democracy acknowledge responsiveness and active involvement as fundamental components of democratic self-rule. Fadel’s idea of maṣlaḥa does not entirely align with this notion. Secondly, from a doctrinal standpoint, Fadel’s argument is confined solely within the classical Sunni context. That means, Fadel’s argument is contingent upon a significant departure from numerous (potentially the majority) sources within a comprehensive lineage of maṣlaḥa. (shrink)

Estudiamos el discurso de María Zambrano en Isla de Puerto Rico y prestamos especial atención a una enigmática propuesta: "tomar en vilo el peso de la propia vida 'diciendo sí y no como Cristo nos enseña'”. Ello nos llevará al sufismo de Ibn ‘Arabī y, finalmente, a una carta que Zambrano escribe en los años cincuenta a Gabriela Mistral.

Inventing Knowledge: A Global & Historical Introduction to Philosophy is an open educational resource (OER) textbook designed for a cross-cultural historical-survey style Introduction to Philosophy course. While it was written with an undergraduate academic audience in mind, it should also be suitable for self-guided readers interested in philosophy. It covers ‘western' philosophy from the Presocratics of Ancient Greece through to the present day (and including the Islamic world). It also contains additional chapters on philosophy in India, China, Mesoamerica, and Africa. (...) The text touches on issues concerning, but not limited to, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, and aesthetics. Upon working through the material covered here, students should be able to identify and discuss many of the central figures, concepts, problems, theories, and schools of philosophy across history and across the world. (shrink)

RésuméLa distinction d’Avicenne entre existence externe et existence mentale est fondamentale pour la logique et la philosophie de la tradition islamique. Cet article examine les philosophes qui s’écartent du cadre d’existence externe-mentale d’Avicenne. Ils considèrent que la première ne permet pas de soutenir une analyse générale de la réalité et de la vérité, car l’existence mentale n’est ni nécessaire ni suffisante pour analyser les vérités propositionnelles, c’est-à-dire que les propositions vraies sont vraies indépendamment de «l’existence même des esprits» et des (...) «actes perceptifs des percepteurs». Ils soutiennent que les conditions de vérité d’Avicenne doivent être révisées, car il existe de vraies propositions métathétiques et hypothétiques, c’est-à-dire que les termes sujets n’ont pas besoin d’exister – dans la réalité externe ou dans un esprit – pour que de telles propositions soient vraies. Ce courant de pensée contraire à celui d’Avicenne articule une troisième distinction dans l’analyse de la réalité. Ils se concentrent sur la nature indépendante de l’esprit du contenu propositionnel – en particulier les propositions avec des termes sujets vides, hypothétiques ou impossibles – comme moyen de penser la réalité de manière générale, contrairement à l’accent mis par Avicenne sur le statut existentiel des termes et des essences. Notamment, l’analyse de la réalité indépendante de l’esprit est soutenue par une nouvelle sémantique des propositions catégoriques «réelles» (ḥaqīqī), qui évite les conditions d’existence externes et mentales d’Avicenne. (shrink)

RésuméAvicenne est bien connu pour rejeter la dichotomie d’Aristote entre la perception et l’intellect en introduisant le pouvoir estimatif, qui relie la perception et l’intellect. Le pouvoir estimatif est similaire à la cognition sensorielle parce que ce qui est estimé est toujours mêlé aux sensibles. De plus, l’objet propre de l’estimation est le macnā individualisé, qui semble similaire à l’objet de l’intellect en tant que macnā intelligible. Étant donné le rôle spécial de l’estimation, les chercheurs ont récemment commencé à débattre (...) pour savoir si Avicenne a une théorie conceptuelle de la perception. Cet article contribue à ce débat en se concentrant sur les discussions d’Avicenne sur la perception des éléments extérieurs dans Al-taclīqāt. Je plaide pour une lecture qui se situe entre la lecture conceptuelle de Mohammad Azadpur et la lecture anti-conceptuelle de Luis Farjeat. Pour Avicenne, la présence de la forme sensible dans un pouvoir sensoriel est non conceptuelle, mais le jugement perceptuel montre un conceptualisme épistémique faible. (shrink)

RésuméCette étude tente de mettre plus en lumière les innovations philosophiques et linguistiques d’Avicenne (m. 1037) à travers ses diverses explications du problème de l’individuation. Pour mieux comprendre son discours, je le replace dans un contexte historique en partant de l’Isagoge de Porphyre (m. 305) et des remarques de Fārābī (m. 950) dansson Isāġūǧī. J’ai égalementénuméré les candidats au principe d’individuation dans l’œuvre d’Avicenne. Cet article soutient que, dans la tradition péripatéticienne préavicennienne, l’individu en tant que porteur d’une identité unique (...) n’était guère considéré, ni épistémologiquement ni ontologiquement. Au lieu de cela, l’individu a été traité ontologiquement comme une instanciation d’universaux et, épistémologiquement, on ne l’interrogeait que dans la mesure où il pouvait être distingué. En introduisant la notion d’individuation comme tašaḫḫuṣ, au lieu de l’individuation traditionnelle comme tamayyuz, Avicenne propose une nouvelle façon d’examiner les différences intra-espèces pour une compréhension plus complexe de l’individu en soi. Dans cette perspective, l’individu avec sa šaḫṣiyya unique doit être compris par lui-même à travers la perception sensorielle. Cette approche tend à proposer que l’individu ne soit pas considéré comme subordonné aux universaux aristotéliciens dont l’assemblage, dans la pensée péripatéticienne, était vainement supposé conduire à la connaissance et à la définition de l’individu. (shrink)

In this paper, we intend to edit, translate and analyze a 13th-century text containing arithmetical proofs of the proposition that the sum of the squares of two odd numbers cannot be a square. This proposition had already been demonstrated by al-Ḫāzin in the 10th century through propositions 3 and 5 of Book II and proposition 22 of Book IX of Euclid’s Elements.

RésuméDans les traités d’algèbre arabes, le Livre II des Éléments d’Euclide devient rapidement une référence traditionnelle, notamment dans la justification du procédé de résolution des équations quadratiques. Cette référence s’écarte toutefois significativement de l’Euclide original. Dans cet article, j’examine les relectures des propositions du livre II effectuées par al-Karaǧī (xie siècle) dans deux de ses écrits algébriques. Inspiré par la variété des pratiques arithmétiques de son époque, al-Karaǧī applique à des nombres les propositions euclidiennes originairement conçues pour des objets géométriques, (...) pour ensuite les utiliser dans un cadre algébrique. Il parvient ainsi à combiner diverses stratégies argumentatives issues de différents domaines. La démarche d’al-Karaǧī sera au fondement du travail d’al-Zanǧānī (xiiie siècle). Ce dernier ne mentionne plus le nom d’Euclide et il conçoit une justification des équations quadratiques (la «cause» de l’équation) totalement interne à l’algèbre. Ces exemples témoignent de l’usage des Éléments comme une boîte à outils pour le développement de l’algèbre et ils mettent davantage en lumière une caractéristique typique des mathématiques médiévales, à savoir l’existence d’une pluralité intrinsèque au nom «Euclide». (shrink)

This book is a reconstruction of a previously unedited fifteenth-century court debate between two prominent Ottoman scholars, Mollā Zeyrek and Ḫocazāde, on the philosophers' formulation of God's unicity. The debate was a celebrated court event organized around the year of 871/1466, which continued for a week in the presence of the Ottoman Sultan Meḥmed II, his grand vizier Maḥmūd Paşa, and the jurist Mollā Ḫüsrev, most probably at the Sultan's palatine library. This study includes the first annotated edition of this (...) debate in Arabic along with its translation, analysis, and contextual significance in post-classical Islamic intellectual history, covering a wide range of perspectives on Arabic disputation etiquette, the method of scholarly verification, Meḥmed II's patronage and universalism, and Ottoman philosophical discussions on unicity, existence, and necessity. (shrink)

This chapter focuses on an important problem in the intellectual history of the Global South, namely the relationship between modern scientific knowledge and colonialism. This problem was of concern to theorists from the Global South, such as Frantz Fanon and Amílcar Cabral, who were active during the high tide of decolonization in the middle of the twentieth century, and it continues to be of relevance today. This chapter shows how this problem has deep historical roots in the Global South, beginning (...) from at least the late eighteenth century and continuing into the nineteenth century. This chapter focuses on two intellectuals, Rifaʿa al-Tahtawi (1801–1873) from Egypt, and James Africanus Beale Horton (1835–1883) from Sierra Leone. Tahtawi and Horton, despite coming from societies with different histories, found themselves confronting similar problems having to do with their encounter with modern European societies. The main problem that they faced was how to make use of the elements of modern European societies that they admired, especially in relation to the social organization of knowledge production about nature, while rejecting European justifications for colonization. Both Horton and Tahtawi sought to de-associate modern scientific knowledge, which they obviously admired, from claims of racial superiority and justifications of despotic colonial rule. (shrink)

Diese Festschrift für den Islamwissenschaftler und Philosophiehistoriker Ulrich Rudolph will ihrem Titel und dem Geehrten in verschiedener Weise gerecht werden: Zum einen bezeugen die Beiträge die interkulturelle Vernetztheit philosophischen Denkens im Islam. Sodann spiegelt deren disziplinäre Diversität den interdisziplinären Reichtum islamischer Philosophie. Die Themenvielfalt der Texte trägt dem inhaltlich-konzeptuellen Reichtum geistigen Schaffens im Islam Rechnung. Damit will diese Festschrift einen Wissenschaftler ehren, dessen Denken selbst für Mobilität steht, indem es disziplinäre und thematische Grenzen überschreitet, und der auch das Denken der (...) Beitragenden an dieser Publikation "mobilisiert" hat - als Lehrer, Forscher, Gesprächspartner, Betreuer; kurz: als Vorbild in wissenschaftlicher und menschlicher Hinsicht. (shrink)

In The Problematics of Enlightenment: Human Reason, North African Philosophy, and the Global South , Mourad Wahba explores the relevance of the philosophy of the Enlightenment to contemporary issues in Egypt and the Global South more generally. Wahba provides a historical account of the reception of Enlightenment philosophical discourse in the Arabic-speaking world through the study of the work of Rifaʿa al-Tahtawi, Muhammed Abdu, Farah Antun, Abbas Mahmoud al-ʿAqqad, and Louis Awad. Wahba argues that the claim that human reason is (...) the ultimate source of justification—trumping the authority of inherited social institutions and the claims of historical revelation—is a universalizable principle whose actualization would make progress possible in Egypt and elsewhere. This book, translated by Zeyad el Nabolsy, provides Anglophone readers access to a philosophy from the Global South that does not take the alleged Eurocentrism of Enlightenment philosophies as its central problematic. Moreover, Wahba is concerned with situating the problems that emerge in the context of contemporary Arabophone North African philosophy in the larger context of African philosophy, including engagement with the work of Senghor and Nkrumah. (shrink)

The study has focused on the views of Fārābī regarding the essence and foundations of the two concepts of "political philosophy" and "political jurisprudence". By elucidating and then analyzing the opinions of Fārābī, it has sought to answer the question of whether "political philosophy and political jurisprudence in Farabi's philosophy are the same". By examining what Fārābī has discussed in his works Kitāb al-Millah, Siāsat al-Madania, and Al-Madinah Fāzel'a regarding political philosophy and political jurisprudence, it can be understood that both (...) concepts exist in Fārābī's civil philosophy, and even their theoretical foundation is present in his theoretical wisdom. However, it should be noted that it is not possible to consider the essence of these two to be the same, but in terms of the foundations that include the foundations and the purpose, these two concepts can be considered as two parts of a single whole. The foundation and purpose of Fārābī's political philosophy and political jurisprudence, since they are part of the civil philosophy of Fārābī, is the same as the foundations and purpose of civil wisdom. The distinguishing feature of Fārābī's philosophical school with other philosophical schools is his emphasis on happiness, and this key concept is the foundations and purpose of civil wisdom first and then political philosophy and political jurisprudence. (shrink)

This study investigates the connection between following Islamic work ethics (IWE) and workplace deviance, and explores the role of perceived organizational politics as a mediator and the impact of incivility initiated by supervisors as a second-stage moderator. Data were collected via a two-wave survey of 205 professionals in various industries. Results show that those who adhere to IWE exhibit a negative link to workplace deviance, as they have less involvement in organizational politics. The study also finds that incivility initiated by (...) supervisors intensifies the positive relationship between perceived organizational politics and workplace deviance. Interestingly, the study shows that the effect of IWE in reducing workplace deviance through organizational politics is stronger when incivility is high. The findings offer valuable insights for organizations on the positive impact of adhering to IWE on reducing perceived organizational politics and workplace deviance. (shrink)

In recent years, the genetic testing and selection of IVF embryos, known as preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), has gained much traction in clinical assisted reproduction for preventing transmission of genetic defects. However, a more recent ethically and morally controversial development in PGT is its possible use in selecting IVF embryos for optimal intelligence quotient (IQ) and other non–disease-related socially desirable traits, such as tallness, fair complexion, athletic ability, and eye and hair colour, based on polygenic risk scores (PRS), in what (...) is referred to as PGT-P. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning–based analysis of big data sets collated from genome sequencing of specific human ethnic populations can be used to estimate an individual embryo’s likelihood of developing such multifactorial traits by analysing the combination of specific genetic variants within its genome. Superficially, this technique appears compliant with Islamic principles and ethics. Because there is no modification of the human genome, there is no tampering with Allah’s creation (taghyīr khalq Allah). Nevertheless, a more critical analysis based on the five maxims of Islamic jurisprudence (qawa'id fiqhiyyah) that are often utilized in discourses on Islamic bioethics, namely qaṣd (intention), yaqın̄ (certainty), ḍarar (injury), ḍarūra (necessity), and `urf (custom), would instead reveal some major ethical and moral flaws of this new medical technology in the selection of non–disease-related socially desirable traits, and its non-compliance with the spirit and essence of Islamic law (shariah). Muslim scholars, jurists, doctors, and biomedical scientists should debate this further and issue a fatwa on this new medical technology platform. (shrink)