Islamic philosophy
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| + | "Of the "four branches" of philosophy (geometry and mathematics, logic, theology, and natural sciences), some of the natural sciences "go against [[shari’ah]], Islam and truth" and except for medicine, "there is no need for the study of nature". --[[Al-Ghazali]], ''[[The Revival of Religious Sciences]]'', quoted in IslamQA[https://islamqa.info/en/88184] | ||
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| - | :'' See also, [[Israeli literature]]. | + | '''Islamic philosophy''' is a branch of [[Islamic studies]], and is a longstanding attempt to create harmony between [[philosophy]] ([[reason]]) and the religious teachings of [[Islam]] ([[faith]]). |
| - | '''Hebrew literature''' consists of ancient, medieval, and modern writings in the [[Hebrew language]]. Beyond comparison, the most important such work is the [[Hebrew Bible]] ([[Tanakh]]). | + | ==Opposition to philosophy== |
| + | Some Muslims oppose the idea of philosophy as un-Islamic. The popular Salafist website [[IslamQA.info]] (supervised by Shaykh [[Muhammad Al-Munajjid|Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid]] of [[Islam in Saudi Arabia|Saudi Arabia]]) declares philosophy to be an "alien entity": | ||
| + | <blockquote>The terminology of Islamic philosophy did not emerge as a branch of knowledge that is taught in the curriculum of Islamic studies until it was introduced by Shaykh [[Mustafa 'Abd al-Raziq|Mustafa ‘Abd al-Razzaaq]] – the [[List of Grand Imams of al-Azhar|Shaykh of al-Azhar]] – as a reaction to western attacks on Islam based on the idea that Islam has no philosophy. But the fact of the matter is that philosophy is an alien entity in the body of Islam. | ||
| + | </blockquote> | ||
| - | Most [[Rabbinic literature|Jewish religious literature]] is written in Hebrew. The [[Mishna]] is the primary rabbinic codification of laws as derived from the [[Torah]]. It was written in Hebrew about 200 CE. Jewish worship services were compiled in book form primarily in Hebrew, originally by [[Amram Gaon]] and [[Saadia Gaon]]. [[Torah]] commentaries from [[Abraham ibn Ezra]] to [[Rashi]] and beyond were written in Hebrew. So were the codifications of [[Halakha|Jewish law]], such as the [[Shulchan Aruch]]. | + | The fatwa claims that "the majority of ''[[Faqīh|fuqaha’]]'' [experts in ''[[fiqh]]''] have stated that it is [[Haram|haraam]] to study philosophy, and lists some of these: |
| + | *Ibn Nujaym (Hanafi) writing in al-Ashbaah wa’l-Nazaa’im; | ||
| + | *al-Dardeer (Maaliki) said in al-Sharh al-Kabeer; | ||
| + | *Al-Dasooqi in his Haashiyah (2/174); | ||
| + | *Zakariya al-Ansaari (Shaafa’i) in Asna al-Mataalib (4/182); | ||
| + | *al-Bahooti (Hanbali) said in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (3/34); | ||
| - | These works of Hebrew literature were in many cases combined or augmented with additional literature in a language that was more familiar to Jews at the time. The [[Gemara]] was added as an [[Aramaic language|Aramaic-language]] commentary on the [[Mishna]] to constitute the [[Talmud]]. Some of the traditional Jewish prayers are in Aramaic. Some important works of medieval philosophy, such as the ''[[Guide to the Perplexed]]'', were originally written in [[Arabic language|Arabic]]. | + | IslamQA quotes [[Al-Ghazali]] who declares that of the "four branches" of philosophy (geometry and mathematics, logic, theology, and natural sciences), some of the natural sciences "go against [[shari’ah]], Islam and truth", and that except for medicine, "there is no need for the study of nature". |
| - | During the [[golden age of Jewish culture in Spain]], some prominent [[rabbi]]s moved to Moorish Spain as religious repression increased elsewhere in the Muslim world. Their religious perspective depended on works in the Arabic language that their colleagues elsewhere in Europe could not read. These rabbis and their successors in Spain, Provence, and Italy translated many works of [[Jewish philosophy|Jewish]], [[Muslim philosophy|Muslim]], [[Greek philosophy|Greek]], and [[Roman philosophy]] and science into Hebrew from Arabic. The influx of subject matter into the Hebrew language forced an expansion of its vocabulary. | + | Maani’ Hammad al-Juhani, (a member of the Consultative Council and General Director, World Assembly of Muslim Youth) is quoted as declaring that because philosophy does not follow the moral guidelines of the [[Sunnah]], "philosophy, as defined by the philosophers, is one of the most dangerous falsehoods and most vicious in fighting faith and religion on the basis of logic, which it is very easy to use to confuse people in the name of reason, interpretation and metaphor that distort the religious texts". |
| - | In the eighteenth century, the [[Haskalah]] (Jewish enlightenment) movement worked to achieve equality and freedom for European Jews by promoting [[Jewish culture]] as equal. [[Moses Mendelssohn]]'s translation of the Hebrew Bible into [[German language|German]] inspired interest in the Hebrew language that led to the founding of a quarterly review written in Hebrew. Other periodicals followed. | + | [[Ibn Abi al-Izz]], a commentator on [[Al-Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah|al-Tahhaawiyyah]], condemns philosophers as the ones who "most deny the [[Islamic eschatology|Last Day]] and its events. In their view [[Jannah|Paradise]] and [[Jahannam|Hell]] are no more than parables for the masses to understand, but they have no reality beyond people’s minds." |
| - | In the late eighteenth century, some writers later known largely for their [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]] writing, such as [[Sholom Aleichem]], began to write in Hebrew under the influence of the Haskalah movement. | + | == See also == |
| + | * [[Early Islamic philosophy]] | ||
| + | * [[Contemporary Islamic philosophy]] | ||
| + | * [[Islamic ethics]] | ||
| + | * [[Islamic metaphysics]] | ||
| + | * [[Islamic Golden Age]] | ||
| + | * [[Islamic science]] | ||
| + | * [[Islam and modernity]] | ||
| + | * [[List of Islamic studies scholars]] | ||
| + | * [[Al-‘aql al-fa‘‘al]] | ||
| - | As [[Zionism|Zionist]] settlement in [[Palestine]] intensified, Hebrew became the shared language of the various Jewish immigrant communities. [[Eliezer Ben-Yehuda]] in particular worked to adapt Hebrew to the needs of the modern world, turning to Hebrew sources from all periods to develop a language that went beyond the sacred and was capable of articulating the modern experience. | ||
| - | |||
| - | In 1966, [[Shmuel Yosef Agnon]] won the [[Nobel Prize for Literature]] for novels and short stories that employ a unique blend of biblical, Talmudic and modern Hebrew. | ||
| - | |||
| - | Among other Israeli authors who were translated into other languages and attained international recognition are [[Ephraim Kishon]], [[Yaakov Shabtai]], [[A. B. Yehoshua]], [[Amos Oz]], [[Irit Linur]], [[Etgar Keret]] and [[Yehoshua Sobol]]. | ||
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| - | Today thousands of new books are published in Hebrew each year, both translations from other languages and original works by Israeli authors. | ||
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"Of the "four branches" of philosophy (geometry and mathematics, logic, theology, and natural sciences), some of the natural sciences "go against shari’ah, Islam and truth" and except for medicine, "there is no need for the study of nature". --Al-Ghazali, The Revival of Religious Sciences, quoted in IslamQA[1] |
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Islamic philosophy is a branch of Islamic studies, and is a longstanding attempt to create harmony between philosophy (reason) and the religious teachings of Islam (faith).
[edit]
Opposition to philosophy
Some Muslims oppose the idea of philosophy as un-Islamic. The popular Salafist website IslamQA.info (supervised by Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid of Saudi Arabia) declares philosophy to be an "alien entity":
The terminology of Islamic philosophy did not emerge as a branch of knowledge that is taught in the curriculum of Islamic studies until it was introduced by Shaykh Mustafa ‘Abd al-Razzaaq – the Shaykh of al-Azhar – as a reaction to western attacks on Islam based on the idea that Islam has no philosophy. But the fact of the matter is that philosophy is an alien entity in the body of Islam.
The fatwa claims that "the majority of fuqaha’ [experts in fiqh] have stated that it is haraam to study philosophy, and lists some of these:
- Ibn Nujaym (Hanafi) writing in al-Ashbaah wa’l-Nazaa’im;
- al-Dardeer (Maaliki) said in al-Sharh al-Kabeer;
- Al-Dasooqi in his Haashiyah (2/174);
- Zakariya al-Ansaari (Shaafa’i) in Asna al-Mataalib (4/182);
- al-Bahooti (Hanbali) said in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (3/34);
IslamQA quotes Al-Ghazali who declares that of the "four branches" of philosophy (geometry and mathematics, logic, theology, and natural sciences), some of the natural sciences "go against shari’ah, Islam and truth", and that except for medicine, "there is no need for the study of nature".
Maani’ Hammad al-Juhani, (a member of the Consultative Council and General Director, World Assembly of Muslim Youth) is quoted as declaring that because philosophy does not follow the moral guidelines of the Sunnah, "philosophy, as defined by the philosophers, is one of the most dangerous falsehoods and most vicious in fighting faith and religion on the basis of logic, which it is very easy to use to confuse people in the name of reason, interpretation and metaphor that distort the religious texts".
Ibn Abi al-Izz, a commentator on al-Tahhaawiyyah, condemns philosophers as the ones who "most deny the Last Day and its events. In their view Paradise and Hell are no more than parables for the masses to understand, but they have no reality beyond people’s minds."
[edit]
See also
- Early Islamic philosophy
- Contemporary Islamic philosophy
- Islamic ethics
- Islamic metaphysics
- Islamic Golden Age
- Islamic science
- Islam and modernity
- List of Islamic studies scholars
- Al-‘aql al-fa‘‘al
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