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God and Humans in Islamic Thought Maha-FM.qxd 17/5/06 3:35 PM Page i God and Humans in Islamic Thought The explanation of the relationship between God and humans, as portrayed in Islam, is often influenced by the images of God and of human beings which theologians, philosophers and mystics have in mind. The early period of Islam discloses a diversity of interpretations of this relationship. Thinkers from the tenth- and eleventh century had the privilege of disclosing different facets of the relationship between humans and the Divine. God and Humans in Islamic Thought discusses the view of three different scholars of the time: ‘Abd al-Jabbmr, Ibn Slnm and al-Ghazmll. The relationships discussed in this work are: divine assistance, luyf, according to ‘Abd al-Jabbmr; human love and attraction to the Divine, ‘ishq, according to Ibn Slnm; and finally the mystical annihilation of the self in the divine unity, fanm’, of al-Ghazmll. They introduced three approaches of looking at this relationship. In order to perceive these concepts, their perception of God and of the human nature will also be examined here. The starting point of this research was the desire to set forth a variety of possible relationships which are all in accordance with Islamic belief but nevertheless demonstrate diversity in understanding the relationship between the human and the Divine which in turn suggests the concept of plurality within one religion. Examining these three concepts, which build firm connections between God and humans, reveals the importance of rational inquiry in medieval Islamic thought, not only because it was a source of logical arguments for Islam against its opponents, but mainly because it built different bridges leading to God. God and Humans in Islamic Thought attempts to shed light on an important aspect of medieval rational thought in demonstrating its significance in forming the basis of an understanding of the nature of God, the nature of human beings and the construction of different bridges between them. Maha Elkaisy-Friemuth is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Trinity College, Dublin and was formerly a lecturer at Manchester University. Her field of interest is the Islamic medieval thought and its intellectual influence on formulating Islam. Publications include “Al-Radd al-Jamll: Ghazmll or pseudo-Ghazmll” in ed. David Thomas, The Bible in Arab Christianity, Leiden: Brill, forthcoming; 64 entries in the Encyclopaedia for Islamic Religion, Routledge, 2005; and 9 entries in the Dictionary of Islamic Philosophers, Theommes Press, forthcoming. Maha-FM.qxd 17/5/06 3:35 PM Page ii Culture and Civilization in the Middle East Series Editor Ian R. Netton University of Leeds This series studies the Middle East through the twin foci of its diverse cultures and civilizations. Comprising original monographs as well as scholarly surveys, it covers topics in the fields of Middle Eastern literature, archaeology, law, history, philosophy, science, folklore, art, architecture and language. Although there is a plurality of views, the series presents serious scholarship in a lucid and stimulating fashion. Maha-FM.qxd 17/5/06 3:35 PM Page iii God and Humans in Islamic Thought ‘Abd al-Jabbmr, Ibn Slnm and al-Ghazmll Maha Elkaisy-Friemuth I~ ~?io~;~;n~~;up LONDON AND NEW YORK Maha-FM.qxd 17/5/06 3:35 PM Page iv First published 2006 by Routledge Published 2017 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 711 Third Ave, New York, NY 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright © 2006 Maha Elkaisy-Friemuth Typeset in Garamond by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd, Chennai, India The Open Access version of this book, available at www. tandfebooks. com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN13: 978-0-415-40028-2 (hbk) Maha-FM.qxd 17/5/06 3:35 PM Page v To my husband and my children Maha-FM.qxd 17/5/06 3:35 PM Page vi Maha-FM.qxd 17/5/06 3:35 PM Page vii Contents Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 1 Historical and cultural context 9 Political and cultural development 9 The life and works of ‘Abd al-Jabbmr, Ibn Slnm and al-Ghazmll 20 Development of luyf, ‘ishq and fanm’ 35 2 ‘Abd al-Jabbmr’s view of the relationship with God through divine assistance, luyf 41 The main characteristics of God 42 Human nature and the different ways of knowledge 52 Communication through God’s duty of assistance, luyf 62 Conclusion 72 3 Relationship with God through knowledge and love, ‘ishq, in the philosophy of Ibn Slnm 74 The main characteristics of God 79 The features of humans 90 Relationship with God through His manifestation of Himself, Tajalll 102 Conclusion 116 4 Relationship with God through self-annihilation, fanm’, according to al-Ghazmll 119 The features of God according to al-Ghazmll 121 The features of the human soul 129 Maha-FM.qxd 17/5/06 3:35 PM Page viii viii Contents Al-Ghazmll’s mystical approach to the relationship with God 137 Conclusion 150 5 Comparison and evaluation 152 God and humans in ‘Abd al-Jabbmr, Ibn Slnm and al-Ghazmll 152 Evaluation 168 Conclusion 171 Notes 172 Bibliography 203 Index 211 Maha-FM.qxd 11/10/06 8:11 PM Page ix Acknowledgements Many people have contributed in one way or another to the preparation of this study. I would like to thank, first of all, the staff members of the Centre for Islamic Studies and Christian–Muslim Relations at Birmingham University. I would like above all to express my deep regard for Dr David Thomas for his supervision and encouragement to me in all stages of the work. I also would like to express my deep gratitude to Prof. Ian Richard Netton for reading this work in all its previous versions and for his support and guidance. It is important to mention here also the effort of Prof. Oliver Leaman, who read this work in its version as PhD thesis and gave a clear guidance for its conversion to a book. For this I thank him deeply. I would also like to express my deepest regards and thanks to Dr Eve Richards for editing this work and constantly encouraging me while reading each chapter. Finally, my sincere thanks to professors John Dillon and Sean Freyne of Trinity College Dublin where I hold a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Centre for Mediterranean & Near Eastern Studies, a project funded by the Irish Government’s Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions. Maha-FM.qxd 17/5/06 3:35 PM Page x Maha-Intro.qxd 25/4/06 4:41 PM Page 1 Introduction The deepest aim of religions is to disclose the relationship between God and humans; in their religions, all people seek possible ways to approach God and God reveals different ways of communication with Him. In Islam the Qur’mn reveals certain characteristics of God and of human beings which present a variety of relationships between them. God on the one hand is transcendent: “There is nothing whatever like unto Him” (42:11); and “Say He is God the One the Only, God the Eternal the Absolute” (112:1–2).1 However, at the same time He is also immanent: “God knoweth well the secrets of your heart” (5:8), and also mysterious: “Whithersoever ye turn there is the presence of God” (2:115).2 Human beings, according to the Qur’mn, are, on the other hand, totally different from God – “For man was created weak” (4:28); “Truly man was created very impatient, fretful when evil touches him; and niggardly when good reaches him” (70:19–21). But yet other parts of the Qur’mn declare great similarities between the two natures – “I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My Spirit” (15:29);3 and “Thy Lord said to the angels: I will create a vicegerent on earth” (2:30). Accordingly, a variety of relationships can follow, such as “I have only created jinns and men, that they may serve Me” (51:56); “He who taught (the use of the) pen, taught man that which he knew not” (96:4–5) or “We are nearer to him than the jugular vein” (50:16). These relationships emphasize different tendencies in the obeying of the law, the interaction between human and divine knowledge, and also the experience of mystical union. The starting point of this research, then, was the author’s desire to set forth a variety of possible relationships which are all in accordance with Islamic belief but nevertheless demonstrate diversity in understanding the relation- ship between the human and the divine. These varieties, I believe, could introduce the concept of plurality within one religion. In this book, therefore, I will present three different approaches within Islam to interpreting the rela- tionship between God and humanity. These approaches are taken here by three rational thinkers from the tenth and eleventh centuries, who represent three important schools of thinking of the time: the Mu‘tazilites, the school of Islamic philosophers and the mystics. Maha-Intro.qxd 25/4/06 4:41 PM Page 2 2 Introduction One common element which draws these schools together is their use, though in different degrees, of Greek philosophy, which was widely known among the scholars of the period. This appears mainly in their approach to understanding God as an immaterial unity which transcends everything in the world.
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