The Views of Al-Farabi and Al-Ghazali
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THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF REVELATION AND REASON: THE VIEWS OF AL-FARABI AND AL-GHAZALI by Isham Pawan Ahmad Thesis presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts University of Edinburgh. February, 1998 I hereby declare that this thesis has been written by me and does not represent the work of any other person. Isham Pawaa Ahmad TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements v Note Transliteration........................................................................................................ on .................................................................................................. viii Table of Abbreviations ix Abstract ................................................................................................. .......................................................................................................................... x INTRODUCTION 1 .......................................................................................................... CHAPTER ONE AL-FARABI'S CONCEPT OF REVELATION 5 Introduction ............................................................5 ..................................................................................................................... Al-Färäbl's Epistemology The Soul Its Cognitive Powers 9 and ......................................................... Revelation, the Transmission Revelation Prophets Prophecy 23 of , and ............... (1) Revelation Defined 23 ............................................................................ (2) Transmission of Revelation How Revelation is Received? 27 (3)Prophets ..................................................... The Medium Revelation 32 of ......................................................... (4)The Mission of Prophecy The Purpose of Revelation 35 Concluding Remarks .......................................................... ............................................................................... 43 CHAPTER TWO AL-FARABI'S CONCEPT OF REASON 47 .................................................................... Introduction 47 The Role Reason......................................................................................................... of ............................................................................................. 50 Reason Revelation vis a vis ................................................................................. 53 CHAPTER THREE A1-GHAZALI'S CONCEPT OF REVELATION 59 Introduction .......................................................... ......................................................................................................... 59 IssuesSurrounding Revelation ............................................................................. 61 Challenging the Philosophers .............................................................................. 73 Al-Ghazäli's Writings on Revelation The Direct Approach ............................................................................................89 (1) Igtisäd fi al-i'tigäd ......................................................................................... 90 (1) Revelation Defined ............................................................................ 92 (2) Transmission of Revelation How is Revelation Received? 101 (3) Prophets ..................................................... ii Medium Revelation 103 The of ......................................................... (4) The Mission of Prophecy Revelation 103 The Purpose of .......................................................... (2) Kitäb 105 al-'ilm .................................................................................................. RevelationDefined 109 (1) .......................................................................... (2) Transmission of Revelation is Revelation Received? 114 How ..................................................... (3) Prophets Revelation 118 The Medium of ......................................................... (4) The Mission of Prophecy The Purpose Revelation 120 of .................................................................................. Allah 123 (3) Al-Magsad al-asnii fi sharh ma'äni asmä' al-husnä ........................... Revelation Defined 129 (1) ........................................................................... (2) Transmission of Revelation is Received? 133 How Revelation ..................................................... (3) Prophets The Medium Revelation 134 of ......................................................... (4) The Mission of Prophecy The Purpose Revelation 135 of .......................................................... CHAPTER FOUR Al-Ghazdli's Theological Positions and Their Implications on Revelation An Indirect Method Analysis 137 .............................................................................. Al-Ghazälian Ethics Theological Perceptions and their Implications on Ethical Concepts 140 .................................................................................................. Introduction Ethics Revelation 140 and .................................................................. The Significance Ethics 142 of ...................................................................... Theology Ethics 146 and ........................................................................................................ Al-Ghazäli's Definition of Necessary (al-wäjib), Good (al- hasan) and Evil (al-gablb) 149 Defining Good Evil ...................................................................... 155 and .......................................................................... From Theology to Law Legal Definitions Good Evil 162 of and .................................................................... Defining Good Evil 164 and .......................................................................... Some Problems in Subjective Ethics 172 .............................................................................. Theological Conclusions and Their Implications Ethics 175 ................................................................................................................... CHAPTER FIVE The Proof for the Truth of Revelation Miracles Its Messenger of ................................................................................... 179 Miracles ................................................................................................... 184 iii A1-Ghazäli Miracles 188 on ........................................................................... CHAPTER SIX Nature Causation 194 and ...................................................................................................... God's Acting on Nature: Volition Necessity 194 or .................................................................. Al-Ghazdli Nature Causation 202 on and ...................................................... Al-Ghazäli on God's Acting on Nature: Volition Necessity 203 or .................................................................. Theological Objectives and the Means Employed to Achieve Them: Al-Ghazäli's Rejection Causation 207 of ........................................... Theological Conclusions and Their Implications: Nature Causation 215 and .................................................................. CHAPTER SEVEN Al-GHAZALI'S CONCEPT OF REASON ................................................................... 218 Reason as a Source of Knowledge 218 The Constraints Reason .......................................................... on ..................................................................... 220 The Nature of the Intellect 221 The Role Reason ...................................................................... of ................................................................................. 224 Reason vis a vis Revelation 228 Concluding Remarks ..................................................................... ............................................................................... 234 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................237 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................... ......................................................................................... 240 Encyclopaedias, Lexicons, Dictionaries 240 and ....................................................... Primary Sources 241 SecondarySources ................................................................................................... ............................................................................................... 245 iv Acknowledgement In the course of writing this thesis, I have benefited immensely from my supervisors, members of staff and colleagues at the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, the Philosophy Department and the University of Edinburgh. It gives me great satisfaction to record here my sincere appreciation and acknowledgement of their kindness, help and assistance. To my first supervisor, Dr. Carole Hillenbrand, I owe a debt of gratitude I will never be able to repay. She took me under her wing and with her untiring guidance, encouragement, scholarship and rigorous approach to Islamic Studies inspired me and shaped my undisciplined mind and disorganised thoughts into a cogent presentable thesis. I will always feel her influence not only in this research but she has forever influenced and shaped my intellectual development. To my second supervisor, Dr. Ian Howard, I owe a debt