Post by Islamic Revival on Aug 15, 2004 6:01:18 GMT -5
Imam al Ghazali , believed to be the greatest Muslim philosopher, was also a jurist, theologian and mystic. Born in 1058 in Khorasan, he attained a high standard of scholarship in religion and philosophy and was appointed Professor at the Nizamiyah University, which was one of the most reputed institutions of learning at that time. Muslim philosophers of his time had been following and developing many of the viewpoints of Greek philosophy, including Neoplatonic philosophy, which led to conflict with some Islamic teachings. Ghazali sought to show the faults in this trend.
In philosophy, Ghazali upheld the approach of mathematics and exact sciences as essentially correct, but he adopted the techniques of Aristotelian logic and the Neoplatonic procedures and used these as tools to show the flaws in the then prevalent Aristotelianism and excessive rationalism.
In contrast to some of the Muslim philosophers like Farabi , he portrayed the inability of reason to comprehend the absolute and the infinite. Reason could not transcend the finite and was limited to the observation of the relative, he argued. He was able to create a balance between religion and reason. Ghazali wrote many books including “Tuhafut al Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers)” and “Ihya al Ulum al-Islamia (The Revival of the Islamic Sciences)”.
Ghazali’s influence was deep. His theological doctrines penetrated Europe and influenced Jewish and Christian Scholasticism and Thomas Aquinas. Other Muslims also wrote extensively on creation, God, Aristotelian thought, logic and developed systems of jurisprudence and law. During this period especially Islamic philosophers were active in Spain and Morocco. These included Ibn Bajjah, Ibn Tufayl, and Hayy al Yaqzan
Ibn Bajjah wrote “Tadbir al Mutawahhid (Regimen of the Solitary)” where he discussed the perfect society built upon the inner perfection of individuals within the society.
Another great philosopher was Ibn Rushd , the Qazi of Cordova, a jurist, and interpreter of the Shariah. Ibn Rushd was a rationalist and wrote about religion and philosophy. In his book “Kitab Fasl al Makal”, he wrote about the creation of the world, divine knowledge of particular things, and the future of the human soul. He also wrote commentaries on Aristotle, and those too of such caliber that in the west he was known as “The Commentator” during the Western Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Ibn Rushd’s influence on Medieval and Renaissance European history is found to be greater than that of his influence on the Islamic World.
Jalal Al Din Rumi’s influence on philosophical thought cannot be ignored, though he is commonly recognized more for his poetry. His work is widely referred to by all philosophers since his time.
Reproduced from 2004 calendar by PharmEvo (Pvt.) Ltd.
pharmevo@cyber.net.pk
In philosophy, Ghazali upheld the approach of mathematics and exact sciences as essentially correct, but he adopted the techniques of Aristotelian logic and the Neoplatonic procedures and used these as tools to show the flaws in the then prevalent Aristotelianism and excessive rationalism.
In contrast to some of the Muslim philosophers like Farabi , he portrayed the inability of reason to comprehend the absolute and the infinite. Reason could not transcend the finite and was limited to the observation of the relative, he argued. He was able to create a balance between religion and reason. Ghazali wrote many books including “Tuhafut al Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers)” and “Ihya al Ulum al-Islamia (The Revival of the Islamic Sciences)”.
Ghazali’s influence was deep. His theological doctrines penetrated Europe and influenced Jewish and Christian Scholasticism and Thomas Aquinas. Other Muslims also wrote extensively on creation, God, Aristotelian thought, logic and developed systems of jurisprudence and law. During this period especially Islamic philosophers were active in Spain and Morocco. These included Ibn Bajjah, Ibn Tufayl, and Hayy al Yaqzan
Ibn Bajjah wrote “Tadbir al Mutawahhid (Regimen of the Solitary)” where he discussed the perfect society built upon the inner perfection of individuals within the society.
Another great philosopher was Ibn Rushd , the Qazi of Cordova, a jurist, and interpreter of the Shariah. Ibn Rushd was a rationalist and wrote about religion and philosophy. In his book “Kitab Fasl al Makal”, he wrote about the creation of the world, divine knowledge of particular things, and the future of the human soul. He also wrote commentaries on Aristotle, and those too of such caliber that in the west he was known as “The Commentator” during the Western Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Ibn Rushd’s influence on Medieval and Renaissance European history is found to be greater than that of his influence on the Islamic World.
Jalal Al Din Rumi’s influence on philosophical thought cannot be ignored, though he is commonly recognized more for his poetry. His work is widely referred to by all philosophers since his time.
Reproduced from 2004 calendar by PharmEvo (Pvt.) Ltd.
pharmevo@cyber.net.pk