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A Civilization Philosopher

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A Civilization Philosopher PROF. DR. BEKiR KARLI6A A CIVILIZATION PHILOSOPHER /Л ПГ^П ПГЛПГЗ/О МІІІАЧ17ІIIЛ Ik » AL-FARABI A CIVILIZATION PHILOSOPHER Cover Design/Page Setup Biilent Avnamak Edition/Volume Uyum Ajans / Ankara 1st Edition, April 2016 ISBN: 978-605-9342-32-2 m edar Istanbul International Association For Civilization Studies Publications (M l P AlO T +90 216 350 33 49 www.med-ar.org • [email protected] A ll rights belong to the editor. PROF. DR. BEKIR KARLIGA Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Coordination Committee (Turkey) for the Alliance of Civilizations AL-FARABI A CIVILIZATION PHILOSOPHER ESKISEHIR TURKIC WORLD FOUNDATION AND ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CIVILIZATION STUDIES PUBLICATIONS (MED-AR) AL-FARABI An old view of Носа Ahmed Yesevi Mausoleum in Turkistan 6 PREFACE Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Tarhan or Tur- the classical system entirely by reclassifying die sciences so as han ibn Uzlug al-Farabi, known in Medieval Islamic World to include Islamic sciences, instead of using the classification as Muallim-i Sani, and in Medieval Latin World as Magister of sciences known as Trivium-Quadrivium which had been Secundus, namely second and greatest teacher of philosophy originally passed from Ancient Greece to Rome and thence to after Aristotle, is undoubtedly the symbol personage of the Christian Scholasticism, and would place philosophy of civili­ Turkic World, establishing leader of philosophical thought in zation in a crucial position for die first time in die new sche­ Islamic World, and one of the few philosophers who woke the ma of sciences diat he had established. Upon the philosopher ’s Western World from the Scholastic slumber it had fallen into. death, who grabbed attention with the pupils he educated as much as his works in areas of Philosophy, Theology (Kabm), As well as being the pioneer of philosophy of civilization with Logic, Music, Ethics, State, Political philosophy and idea of his works titled The Virtuous City (al-Madina al-Fadila), Civ­ Civilization, his work on Logic has been further extended by il Politics (al-Siyasat al-Madaniyya) and On the Philosophy of his pupils in Bagdad and has been turned into die reference Politics (al-Fusul al-Madani), he is also one of the founding fa­ source tor the prominent thinkers, artists and writers especial­ thers of modern political science. ly in die era named as Islam Renaissance, i.e fourth century In the beginning of the golden age of Islam civilization, the AH. great Turkish sage and philosopher has not only authored His system of Logic has also become a primary foundation for works in numerous topics ranging from theology to metaphys­ Methodology, which was founded in seventeenth century and ics, from ontology to logic, from ethics to political philosophy, was amongst the primary agents in the formation of modern from physics to astronomy, from psychology to musical the­ science and thought. Conversely, bodi Kalam and late period ory, but also passed Ancient thought on to middle ages and Islamic school of thought with emphasis on Sufism present ba­ to modern times with his profound philosophical knowledge. sic premises which succeed philosophy of al-Farabi. The ma­ jority of the system of thought of the great scholar al-Ghazali Al-Farabi’s system of thought is eclectic. On one hand, he was and of his successor Fakhruddin Razi -a well-known scholar of attempting to reconcile Aristotelian philosophy, which he was jurisprudence (fujh) and interpretation-which had emphasis strictly committed to, with Plato’s opinions; on die odier hand on Kalam, is once again related to philosophy of al-Farabi. In­ he attempted to reinterpret die fundamental issues of Theist deed, it is certain that the maratib-i wujiui, namely the theory Hellenistic philosophy, which was die mainstream philosophi­ of stages of being, on which Ibn Arabi’s philosophy of Wujud cal attitude of the era, dius he wanted to build a new and novel is based upon, is also related to al-Farabi’s theory of Being and system of thought (Islamic thought) based on the belief of ab­ Emergence. solute Tawhid conveyed by Islam. Al-Farabi’s influences on Western Islam world are .flso tre­ The unrivaled philosopher, who had tried to learn, be aware mendous. Avempace, Ibn Tufail and Averroes, who are ma­ of, recognize and understand die universal thought closely by jor representatives of the Andalusian thought, have not only journeying from steppes of Central Asia to cultural capitals of spread al-Farabi’s ideas in Muslim Spain, they enabled these Islamic world of die era, such as Bagdad, Aleppo, Damascus ideas to go beyond Pyrenees and reach deep inside Continen­ and Cairo approximately a thousand years ago, would change tal Europe. 7 AL- F ARAB I In short, we would not be exaggerating if we were to state that It is apparent that al-Farabi is a great world philosopher who the tradition of Islamic thought in its entirety is a continuation illuminated not just Turkic or Islamic worlds only during and extension of the outlines of al-Farabi’s ideas. his era, but the entire world from east to west in every era. As for al-Farabi’s influence on Western world, although not as Through both the works he authored and ideas he developed, prom inent as on the Islamic world, we can state that it was al­ and long lasting influences in the east and west, the great phi­ most as important, and it has been of great importance during losopher is also one of the major theorists of the thought of the Jewish and Christian Middle Age and it survived to this civilization, which is needed by today’s world that is writhing day to some extent. Al-Farabis ideas have been influential in a great depression. on Jewish thought through Jewish religious and philosophi­ The Turkmen descendant, who was bom and raised along cal scholar Maimonides; and on Latin world through Alber- the path of Silk road caravans where a large civilization in­ tus Magnus and his pupil Saint Thomas. Upon Maimonides’ heritance which had grown in Central Asia since the era of recommendation to read some works by al-Farabi in a letter Alexander the Great bearing civilization, and who has ob­ he wrote to his pupil Samuel ibn Tibbon, Jewish interpreters served and familiarized with a major portion of the quarter living in Southern France have translated a great portion of of inhabited world, than called “rub’u maskum had a chance his works to Hebrew. Some among these interpreters have to get himself acquainted with the cultural accumulation of even considered themselves pupils of al-Farabi. Today, we can universal civilization which had arrived at the cradle of civili­ read some of al-Farabis lost original Arabic works through zations - Mesopotamia, basin of Tigris and Euphrates - and these Hebrew transcriptions or translations. Likewise, many then probably went to Egypt from there. Christian interpreters, who have taken up Islamic science and Considering the origin and historical background ot die word thought, have also translated al-Farabi’s works to Latin, either civilization, we can state diat a philosopher ot civilization is ex- directly from Arabic or from Hebrew interpretations. It has acdy what al-Farabi is. Therefore, we can consider al-Farabi as been mentioned by many fair researchers that Western world die herald and founding tadier ot global humanitv and peace had woken from its Scholastic slumber and Renaissance had attempt ot die century - die Alliance of Civilizations protect, started in the end of this translation effort, which apparently which has been established under United Nations widi 12~ took almost three hundred years.1 participant countries, and which is со-chaired by then Prune This influence, despite diminishing until eighteenth century, Minister, now President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Indeed, has survived until today. Especially his ideas on philosophy of al-Farabi is a unique philosopher, who strived to construct die politics, of state and of civilization would be inspirational for foundation of universal thought of civilization m all his book*, the researchers of Jewish origin who stood up against Fascism especially in the three major works we mentioned previously during World War II. Among these researchers we must men­ (al Madinat al-Fadila, al-Siyas.it al Madaniyya and Fusul al tion one of the ideologists of Neo-conservatism: Leo Strauss. Madani). After approximately 1200 years, he authored a marginalia on Naturally, back in al Farabis time, the term civilization was the comment al-Farabi wrote on Plato’s Republic (a comment not used in the same sense as it is used today Any topic in on a comment) thus became a contemporary al Farabi com the scope of'the term civilization, which can despite lacking mentator who upheld the famous Medieval tradition of scho a clear cut definition . be put as the essence and sum of lughei lia and commentary. activities of humankind in general terms have been thorough ly studied by al Farabi. 1. For a detailed review, see Bekir Karliga, Islam Dtiftim оіиіи Pul1I in funccsi'ne Etkilcri, I, pp. 205 ff. 8 A CIVILIZATION PHILOSOPHER Moakva (Moacou) Astrakhan < Shlhazi Wulumuqi MER NOIRE OUZBEKISTAN (Urumql) KYRGYZSTtN Yerevan^ TURKMENISTAN fl Asgabat ^Tabriz ((Ashkhabad! Konya uarryacnon 1 Orunmryeh Mazar Lanzhou Төһёгап n r» , Dama^-'' AFGHANISTAN ^ (Dlrpd^hq) ^ |®Атдлап^*\ C h e n g d u Jerusalem 'YaruahJ^aylm) JORDAN Zahcdan v-V- PAKISTAN ■ NfPAL ^ Kqjmandoug Lucknow BHOUTAl фКиптпд GYPTE Ahmadabad ARABIE SAOUDITE « 2 ^ / OMAN {Bombay) IAIIANDE y £m en le la/Soie SOMAUE 9 AL-FARABI Turkistan Map in the 17th Century (from Kdtip Qelebi's work named Сіһдппйтд) 1 0 CHAPTER ONE HIS LIFE, WORKS, PHILOSOPHY AND INFLUENCE 11 AL-FARABI A library located in Hu Ivan around Baghdad (from Hariri's Makdmdt) 12 A CIVILIZATION PHILOSOPHER LIFE According to sources of Classical Islamic thought, Abu by sea.
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