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5 Islamic Philosophers Every Muslim Must Read

Posted: 03/23/2015 12:05 pm EDT Updated: 05/23/2015 5:59 am EDT

Islamic intellectual culture sufers rom a pilosop! de"cit# $ile tere are a e%

pilosopical tin&ers in te 'uslim $orld toda! none o tem en(o!s te roc&

star status tat man! pedestrian preacers and )ouTu*e stal%arts en(o!# $attis tells us is tat people are *e+innin+ to ,alue &no%led+e *ut are una*le to

distin+uis *et%een preacin+ and tin&in+#

$at %e need toda! are critical tin&ers %o orce 'uslims to tin& and not eel-

+ood narrati,es tat create comort *u**les and ini*it tou+t# It is onl!

trou+ readin+ and en+a+in+ in pilosopical discourses %ill te intellectual

le,el o te 'uslim communit! rise# To%ards tat end I %ant to recommend ",e

'uslim pilosopers tat all 'uslims must read# Te purpose o tis introduction

is to +enerate enou+ curiosit! so tat people can start readin+ tem#

.ne does not need to *e a student or teacer o pilosop! to read te %or&s o

tese +reat pilosopers# Te compleit! and sopistication o teir %or& is anindication o te ualit! o intellectual lie tat pre,ailed in %at is oten reerred

to as te +olden a+e o Islam# ll educated 'uslims sould amiliarie

temsel,es %it teir %or& (ust to *e intellectuall! plu++ed into teir o%n

erita+e# .ne does not a,e to read tem in te ori+inal +reat i !ou can#

4eadin+ at least secondar! sources o teir %or&s can +o a lon+ %a! in elpin+

one +rasp te *road intellectual contours o Islamic ci,iliation#

Al-Farabi (872-5! A"#

*u asr 'uammad al-6ara*i also &no%n in ra*ic as l-'uallim l-Tani te

second teacer 7ater ristotle8 is easil! one o te +reatest pilosopers o te

%orld# is contri*ution to *ot ristotelian and Platonic tou+t is immeasura*leand te modern a+e o%es a +reat de*t to tis entral sian pol!mat %o not

onl! preser,ed *ut de,eloped ;ree& pilosop!# e contri*uted to pilosop!

matematics music and metap!sics *ut I am partial to is %or& in political

pilosop!# is most important *oo& on political pilosop! %as <r< al al-

mad=na al-<>ila 7Te ?ie%s o te People o Te ?irtuous it!8#

In is ?irtuous it! l-6ara*i see&s to esta*lis a cit! *ased on (ustice muc li&e

Plato@s 4epu*lic tat see&s te ultimate appiness o its citiens and is +uided

*! te enli+tened ,ie%s o its pilosopers# I tin& o l-6ara*i as te "rst

'uslim to eplicitl! consider te merits o democrac!# 6or someone %o as

*een ar+uin+ tat Islam and Democrac! are compati*le it %as deli+tul to read

is ,ie%s on democrac! %ic are ,er! positi,e# l-6ara*i su++ests tat ree

societies a,e te potential to *ecome ,irtuous societies *ecause te +ood

people in ree societies a,e te reedom to pursue ,irtue# 4eadin+ l-6ara*i is

illuminatin+# e not onl! ma&es !ou tin& a*out a (ust polit! *ut also ma&es !ou

tin& a*out tin&in+ itsel#

Al-$ha%%ali (!&58-!!!! A"#

*u amid al-;aali is one o te most important scolars o Islamic tou+t#

e %as a pilosoper a le+al scolar and a teolo+ian and to%ards te end o

is lie a m!stical tin&er in te class o I*n ra*i# 6or man! 'uslims al-;aaliis te para+on o te 'u(addid a re,i,er o Islam# omin+ at a time %en tere

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%ere man! disputations *et%een pilosopers and teolo+ians *et%een

rationalists and traditionalists and te '!stical and te ortodo e tried to

*rid+e tese di,isions# is I!a Ulum al-Din Te 4e,i,al o 4eli+ious Aciences

em*ar&s on a massi,e endea,or to "nd a +olden mean *et%een all tese

di,er+in+ trends#

 Te mature al-;aali is ,er! interestin+# ter is intellectual crisis and

su*seuent spiritual a%a&enin+ e *ecomes more li&e Aei& 4a**ani o India

%o *alanced Aaria and Taria 7la% and m!sticism8# $ile is I!a is

important and sould *e read *! all Islamic scolars all 'uslims %o +o to

colle+e sould at least read l-;aali@s Bita* al-'unid min al-Dalal

7Deli,erance rom Error8 in %ic te esteemed Aa!& discusses is intellectual

and spiritual dou*ts and is uest or trut# Tis one *oo& is an entire li*eral arts

education in itsel#

Ib' Rushd (!!2-!!8 A"#

I*n 4usd &no%n in te $est as ,erroes as pro*a*l! ad a *i++er impact on$estern reli+ion and pilosop! tan on Islamic tou+t# Aome 'uslim istorians

a,e descri*ed te modern enli+tened $est as te ima+ination o ,erroes# I*n

4usd %as a remar&a*le tin&er# e %as a (ud+e epert in Islamic la% 7'ali&i8 a

p!sician and a pilosoper#

In is 6asl al-'aal 7Te Decisi,e Treatise8 e ma&es te case or pilosop! and

or te compati*ilit! o science and reli+ion ait and reason# is Taaat al-

 Taaat 7Incoerence o Incoerence8 is a s!stematic re*uttal to l-;aali@s

 Taat al-6alasia 7Incoerence o Pilosop!8 and a stron+ deense o

ristotelian pilosop!# To+eter te t%o classics *! I*n 4usd and l-;aali

are a i+li+t o Islamic pilosopical erita+e# 'uslims must read tesepilosopersC some o teir ar+uments are still +ermane#

Ib' Arabi (!!5-!2)& A"#

I*n ra*i is peraps te most uniue most perplein+ and at te same time

most proound 'uslim pilosopical tin&er# e %as not a rational pilosoper

li&e al-6ara*i or I*n 4usd# e %as m!stical speculati,e and indescri*a*le# I*n

ra*ia %as peraps te "rst postmodern and eminist tin&er in uman

intellectual erita+e# is %or&s 6usus al-i&am 7eels o $isdom8 and 6utuat

al-'a&i!!a 7Te 'eccan .penin+s8 are peraps te acme o Islamic m!stical

and pilosopical tou+t# .ne can ne,er ull! appreciate Islamic intellectual

erita+e %itout tr!in+ to understand I*n ra*i#

6ortunatel! Proessor $illiam ittic& as %ritten se,eral *oo&s tat translate

and comment on I*n ra*i@s tou+t and ma&e im partiall! compreensi*le to

ordinar! mortals li&e me# To me personall! I*n ra*i pro,ides te most

compellin+ eplanation o te purpose and meanin+ o creation as a continuous

sel-disclosure 7Ta(alli8 o ;od# is readin+ o te sacred tets is al%a!s surprisin+

and tantaliin+ to te tin&in+ mind# 'ost ortodo scolars ear and ate I*n

ra*i *ecause te! cannot understand im# .nce te! do te! are no more

ortodo# It %ould *e a colossal tra+ed! i !ou are a 'uslim and a,e intellectual

leanin+s and ne,er read I*n ra*i l-Aei& al-&*ar#

Ib' *haldu' (!++2-!)& A"#

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I*n Baldun is te Aei& o all social scientists# e %as a pilosoper o istor!

and te "rst social scientist# e %as te "rst ma(or Islamic tin&er %o

empasied empirical tou+t o,er normati,e teor!# I*n Baldun made tree

,er! important contri*utions to social sciences# e empasied te importance

o empirical acts de,eloped a teor! o can+e and identi"ed tri*al solidarit! as

te dri,er o can+e# $at 'uslims need toda! are literall! a million suc socialscientists tat can elp *rin+ +ood +o,ernance to te 'uslim $orld#

ast !ear I spo&e at te conerence osted *! te I*n Baldun Aociet! in

Istan*ul# I %as *ot surprised and deli+ted to see te +ro%in+ interest in is

%or&# Tere a,e *een man! suc conerences tr!in+ to re,i,e e,en *uild a

social science *ased on Baldunian approac# I am not sure i is ideas matter

su*stanti,el! *ut is spirit is reall! needed# e must *e tau+t in all 'uslim i+

scools and all colle+es re+ardless o te discipline# is interests in political

teor! and diplomac! +i,e im a ,er! special place in m! li*rar!#

Fi'al ,houhts

I ope tis ,er! sort introduction to some o te +reatest tin&ers o Islamic

erita+e +enerates enou+ curiosit! tat !oun+ 'uslims ta&e interest in tem#

 Tere is no point in *ra++in+ tat once %e ad a +reat ci,iliation and tat %e

ad a +olden a+e i %e are not amiliar %it te nu++ets and contents o tat

+lorious a+eC time to ead to te li*rar! ol&s#

 Tis article %as "rst pu*lised *! Tur&e! +enda#

ttp://%%%#uFn+tonpost#com/mutedar-&an/5-islamic-pilosopers-e,er!-

muslim-must-readG*GH91201#tml