- Department of Religious Studies
Yale University
POB 208287
New Haven, CT 06520
USA
Office:
Room 407
Humanities Quadrangle (HQ)
320 York Street
New Haven, CT 06510 - Tel. (203) 432 0829
Frank Griffel
Yale University, Religious Studies, Faculty Member
- Yale University, Council on Middle East Studies and Religious Studies, Faculty Memberadd
- Islamic Philosophy, Islamic Law, Kalam (Islamic Theology), Islamic Political Thought, Avicenna, Averroes, and 47 moreAbu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111), Ibn Taymiyya, Philosophy, Epistemology, Middle East (Area Studies), Jewish kalam, Maimonides, Mu'tazilites, Medieval Islam, Intellctual and social history of the Mamluk Period, Ibn Sina, Arabic Philosophy, Islamic Thought & Philosophy, Medieval Islamic History, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Abu al-Barakat al-Baghdadi, İbn al-Malahimi, Imam al-Ghazali, Salafism, Salafi-jihadist groups, Contemporary Salafism, Salafi-Jihadi Ideology, Salafi, Reception of Ibn Taymiyya between the 13th and 16th centuries, Ibn Taimiyya, Ibn Qayyim, Salafi, Natural Law, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Mamluk Studies, History of Philosophy, History of theology, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Modernity, Religion and Modernity, Muhammad Abduh, Jamal Al-Din Al-Qasimi, al-Afghani, Ibn Rushd (Averroës), Medieval Arabic Philosophy, Ibn Kammuna, Islamic Studies, Islamic History, Islamic History and Muslim Civilization, History of the Islamic World, Religious Studies, Islamic philosophy in the post-classical period, and Islamic Theologyedit
- Frank Griffel studied philosophy, Arabic literature, and Islamic studies at universities in Göttingen (Germany), Dama... moreFrank Griffel studied philosophy, Arabic literature, and Islamic studies at universities in Göttingen (Germany), Damascus, Berlin, and London. He received his PhD in 1999 from the Free University in Berlin. In his thesis he researched about the development of the judgment of apostasy in classical Islam. After a short period as a research fellow at the Orient Institute of the German Oriental Society in Beirut, Lebanon, he came in 2000 to Yale where he teaches courses on the intellectual history of Islam, its theology (both classical and modern), and the way Islamic thinkers react to Western modernity.edit
Whereas Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's "al-Mabāḥith al-mashriqiyya" is available in print since 1925, his second philosophical summa "al-Mulakhkhaṣ fī l-ḥikma wa-l-manṭiq" was unedited until 2021, when two editions came out almost simultaneously... more
Whereas Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's "al-Mabāḥith al-mashriqiyya" is available in print since 1925, his second philosophical summa "al-Mulakhkhaṣ fī l-ḥikma wa-l-manṭiq" was unedited until 2021, when two editions came out almost simultaneously in Cairo and Amman. These publications coincided with that of my book "The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam" in July 2021. Since these two editions were not available to me when my book was put to print (in March of 2021), I refer my readers to a manuscript at the Berlin Staatsbibliothek, which is available online, and where that has lacunae, to a manuscript in Leiden. This concordance allows readers of my book to convert those references to the two new editions of "al-Mulakhkhaṣ."
Research Interests:
Scholars have come to recognize the importance of classical Islamic philosophy both in its own right and in its preservation of and engagement with Greek philosophical ideas. At the same time, the period immediately following the... more
Scholars have come to recognize the importance of classical Islamic philosophy both in its own right and in its preservation of and engagement with Greek philosophical ideas. At the same time, the period immediately following the so-called classical period has been considered a sort of dark age, in which Islamic thought entered a long period of decline. In this monumental new work, Frank Griffel seeks to overturn this conventional wisdom, arguing that what he calls the “post-classical” period has been unjustly maligned and neglected by previous generations of scholars.
The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam is a comprehensive study of the far-reaching changes that led to a re-shaping of the philosophical discourse in Islam during the twelfth century. Earlier Western scholars thought that Islam’s engagement with the tradition of Greek philosophy ended during that century. More recent analyses suggest that Islamic thinkers instead integrated Greek thought into the genre of rationalist Muslim theology (kalām). Griffel argues that even this new view misses a key point. In addition to the integration of Greek ideas into kalām, Muslim theologians picked up the discourse of classical philosophy in Islam (falsafa) and began to produce books in the tradition of Plato, Aristotle, and Avicenna—a new and oft-misunderstood genre they called “ḥikma"—in which they left aside theological concerns. They wrote in both genres, kalām and ḥikma, and the same writers argued for opposing teachings on the nature of God, the world’s creation, and the afterlife depending on the genre in which they were writing. Griffel shows how careful attention to genre demonstrates both the coherence and ambiguity of this new philosophical approach.
A work of extraordinary breadth and depth, "The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam" offers a detailed, insightful history of philosophy in Iraq, Iran, and Central Asia during the twelfth century. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of philosophy or the history of Islam.
The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam is a comprehensive study of the far-reaching changes that led to a re-shaping of the philosophical discourse in Islam during the twelfth century. Earlier Western scholars thought that Islam’s engagement with the tradition of Greek philosophy ended during that century. More recent analyses suggest that Islamic thinkers instead integrated Greek thought into the genre of rationalist Muslim theology (kalām). Griffel argues that even this new view misses a key point. In addition to the integration of Greek ideas into kalām, Muslim theologians picked up the discourse of classical philosophy in Islam (falsafa) and began to produce books in the tradition of Plato, Aristotle, and Avicenna—a new and oft-misunderstood genre they called “ḥikma"—in which they left aside theological concerns. They wrote in both genres, kalām and ḥikma, and the same writers argued for opposing teachings on the nature of God, the world’s creation, and the afterlife depending on the genre in which they were writing. Griffel shows how careful attention to genre demonstrates both the coherence and ambiguity of this new philosophical approach.
A work of extraordinary breadth and depth, "The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam" offers a detailed, insightful history of philosophy in Iraq, Iran, and Central Asia during the twelfth century. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of philosophy or the history of Islam.
Research Interests: Islamic Philosophy, Kalam (Islamic Theology), Islamic Studies, Ibn Sina, Arabic Philosophy, and 15 moreIlm al-Kalam, Islamic Political Thought, Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111), History of Islamic Astronomy, Islamic Thought & Philosophy, Philosophy and Thought in Islamic Science, Islamic Science, Avicenna, Imam al-Ghazali, Islamic philosophy and theology, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, History of Medieval Philosophy, Abu al-Barakat al-Baghdadi, History of Philosophy, and Ilmu Kalam
This is the Arabic translation of my 2009 book "Al-Ghazālī's Philosophical Theology." Mariam M. Shehata did a marvelous job in translating the book from English into Arabic. That's not an easy task, given that the book itself contains... more
This is the Arabic translation of my 2009 book "Al-Ghazālī's Philosophical Theology." Mariam M. Shehata did a marvelous job in translating the book from English into Arabic. That's not an easy task, given that the book itself contains many translations from Arabic into English that need to be replaced with the original Arabic texts and the translation needs to adapt to that. I am very grateful to Mariam.
Research Interests:
Was ist das eigentlich: »Islam« – handelt es sich um eine Religion wie das Christentum, die ähnlich von Auseinandersetzungen mit der weltlichen Macht und der Vernunft geprägt wurde? Gibt es im Islam einen Konflikt zwischen Glauben und... more
Was ist das eigentlich: »Islam« – handelt es sich um eine Religion wie das Christentum, die ähnlich von Auseinandersetzungen mit der weltlichen Macht und der Vernunft geprägt wurde? Gibt es im Islam einen Konflikt zwischen Glauben und Wissen? Hat der Islam eine Reformation versäumt und sollte sie nachholen? Wie kann man über islamistisch geprägte Anschläge anders denken, als dass es Racheakte von fanatischen Glaubenskriegern sind, die mit Ideen aus dem islamischen Mittelalter einer Gehirnwäsche unterzogen wurden? Oder haben diese Fragen letztlich nichts mit dem Islam an sich zu tun, sondern eher mit Sichtweisen des Westens?
Für eine Leseprobe, klicken Sie bitte auf den Link unter "Files" (siehe oben) und gehen Sie auf der Reclam-Webseite des Buches zu "Leseprobe."
Für eine Leseprobe, klicken Sie bitte auf den Link unter "Files" (siehe oben) und gehen Sie auf der Reclam-Webseite des Buches zu "Leseprobe."
Research Interests:
Al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) is one of the most influential thinkers of Islam. There is hardly a genre of Islamic literature where he is not regarded as a major authority. Islamic Law, Sufism, ethics, philosophy, and theology are all deeply... more
Al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) is one of the most influential thinkers of Islam. There is hardly a genre of Islamic literature where he is not regarded as a major authority. Islamic Law, Sufism, ethics, philosophy, and theology are all deeply shaped by him. Yet in the past thirty years, the field of Ghazālī-studies has been shaken by the realization that Avicenna (Ibn Sīnā, d. 428/1037) and other philosophers had a strong influence on him. Now, after the 900th anniversary at his death, the field emerges stronger than ever. This second volume of Islam and Rationality: The Impact of al-Ghazālī brings together twelve leading experts on al-Ghazālī who write about his thought and the impact it had on later Muslim thinkers.
Contributors are: Anna Ayşe Akasoy, Ahmed El Shamsy, Kenneth Garden, Frank Griffel, Jules Janssens, Damien Janos, Taneli Kukkonen, Stephen Ogden, M. Sait Özervarlı, Martin Riexinger, Ulrich Rudolph, and Ayman Shihadeh.
Contributors are: Anna Ayşe Akasoy, Ahmed El Shamsy, Kenneth Garden, Frank Griffel, Jules Janssens, Damien Janos, Taneli Kukkonen, Stephen Ogden, M. Sait Özervarlı, Martin Riexinger, Ulrich Rudolph, and Ayman Shihadeh.
Research Interests:
Al-Gazali (d. 1111) is considered to be one of the most prominent and influential Muslim thinkers and scholars of the Islamic scholarly tradition. His works cover a wide range of topics, disciplines, and their corresponding discourses.... more
Al-Gazali (d. 1111) is considered to be one of the most prominent and influential Muslim thinkers and scholars of the Islamic scholarly tradition. His works cover a wide range of topics, disciplines, and their corresponding discourses. Many of his works are still discussed and deemed relevant today, dealing with matters such as philosophy, speculative theology, kalam, fiqh, and usul al-fiqh, as well as with questions of ethics, logic and tasawwuf. The present volume aptly demonstrates the depth and diversity of scholarly debates about al-Gazali. In five distinct chapters headed "Al-Gazali Reflected through Time and Religions," "Al-Gazali and Islam and Science in Dialogue," "Al-Gazali and kalam and tasawwuf," "Truth, Logic, Qur'an and al-Gazali" and "Al-Gazali and Scholarship and Philosophy", ten authors take a variety of approaches and perspectives to further examine and provide new and original insights.
Al-Gazali (gest. 1111) gilt als einer der einflussreichsten und wirkmächtigsten unten den von der islamischen Wissenschaftstradition hervorgebrachten muslimischen Denkern und Gelehrten. Seine Forschungen umfassten weite Felder mit Bezügen zu einer Vielzahl von Disziplinen und den dazugehörigen Diskursen. Viele seiner Werke werden noch heute rezipiert und befassen sich mit Philosophie, spekulativer Theologie, kalam, dem fiqh und usul al-fiqh, bis hin zu Fragestellungen von Ethik, Logik und dem tasawwuf. Diese Mannigfaltigkeit spiegelt sich in der wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung mit al-Gazali wider, wie der vorliegende Band aufzuzeigen vermag.
Al-Gazali (gest. 1111) gilt als einer der einflussreichsten und wirkmächtigsten unten den von der islamischen Wissenschaftstradition hervorgebrachten muslimischen Denkern und Gelehrten. Seine Forschungen umfassten weite Felder mit Bezügen zu einer Vielzahl von Disziplinen und den dazugehörigen Diskursen. Viele seiner Werke werden noch heute rezipiert und befassen sich mit Philosophie, spekulativer Theologie, kalam, dem fiqh und usul al-fiqh, bis hin zu Fragestellungen von Ethik, Logik und dem tasawwuf. Diese Mannigfaltigkeit spiegelt sich in der wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung mit al-Gazali wider, wie der vorliegende Band aufzuzeigen vermag.
Research Interests:
This is the Turkish translation of my book "Al-Ghazali's Philosophical Theology," which has come out in December 2012 with Klasik Yayınları in Istanbul. I am very grateful to Mehmet Cüneyt Kaya, the editor of the series "İslam Felsefesi... more
This is the Turkish translation of my book "Al-Ghazali's Philosophical Theology," which has come out in December 2012 with Klasik Yayınları in Istanbul. I am very grateful to Mehmet Cüneyt Kaya, the editor of the series "İslam Felsefesi Dizisi," and İbrahim Halil Üçer as well as Muhammed Fatih Kılıç, the two translators of the book.
Here is the text of the Turkish blurb:
Gazâlî, İslâm düşünce tarihinin en dikkat çekici isimlerinden birisidir. Onun kelâm, felsefe, tasavvuf ve fıkıh gibi disiplinlerin tarihinde bir dönüm noktası teşkil ettiği, hatta eserleriyle İslam toplumlarının dini algılayış ve yaşayışlarında da derin izler bıraktığı, bilinen bir gerçektir. Etkileyici hayat hikâyesiyle o, zihinlere, ömrü boyunca hakikatin peşinde koşmaktan vazgeçmeyen bir entelektüel, tarih boyunca filozoflara yöneltilmiş en derinlikli eleştiriyi kaleme almış bir kelâmcı, dinî ilimlere diriltici bir ruh üflemek için uğraşan bir âlim ve tasavvufun sunduğu ilim-amel/bilgi-eylem birlikteliğinden derinden etkilenen bir sûfî olarak kazınmıştır.
Frank Griffel’ın Gazâlî’nin Felsefî Kelâmı adlı eseri, onun bu çok yönlü entelektüel birikimini, kozmolojiye dair öğretilerini merkeze alarak ustalıkla incelemekte. Griffel, Gazâlî’nin hayatı, ilmî mirası ve yorum yöntemi ile âlemin yaratılışı, ilahî, insanî ve tabiî nedensellik hakkındaki görüşlerini hayranlık uyandıracak bir titizlikte ele almakla kalmamakta, bu konularda Batılı ilim çevrelerinde hâkim olan yanlış anlamaları sorgulayarak Gazâlî gibi önemli ve etkileyici bir düşünüre dair tutarlı ve incelikli bir resim sunmayı da başarmaktadır.
Here is the text of the Turkish blurb:
Gazâlî, İslâm düşünce tarihinin en dikkat çekici isimlerinden birisidir. Onun kelâm, felsefe, tasavvuf ve fıkıh gibi disiplinlerin tarihinde bir dönüm noktası teşkil ettiği, hatta eserleriyle İslam toplumlarının dini algılayış ve yaşayışlarında da derin izler bıraktığı, bilinen bir gerçektir. Etkileyici hayat hikâyesiyle o, zihinlere, ömrü boyunca hakikatin peşinde koşmaktan vazgeçmeyen bir entelektüel, tarih boyunca filozoflara yöneltilmiş en derinlikli eleştiriyi kaleme almış bir kelâmcı, dinî ilimlere diriltici bir ruh üflemek için uğraşan bir âlim ve tasavvufun sunduğu ilim-amel/bilgi-eylem birlikteliğinden derinden etkilenen bir sûfî olarak kazınmıştır.
Frank Griffel’ın Gazâlî’nin Felsefî Kelâmı adlı eseri, onun bu çok yönlü entelektüel birikimini, kozmolojiye dair öğretilerini merkeze alarak ustalıkla incelemekte. Griffel, Gazâlî’nin hayatı, ilmî mirası ve yorum yöntemi ile âlemin yaratılışı, ilahî, insanî ve tabiî nedensellik hakkındaki görüşlerini hayranlık uyandıracak bir titizlikte ele almakla kalmamakta, bu konularda Batılı ilim çevrelerinde hâkim olan yanlış anlamaları sorgulayarak Gazâlî gibi önemli ve etkileyici bir düşünüre dair tutarlı ve incelikli bir resim sunmayı da başarmaktadır.
Research Interests:
""One of the most extensive and insightful studies of al-Ghazali ever undertaken... Griffel's book is a veritable tour de force that will remain a benchmark in Ghazalian studies for a long time to come." --Jon Hoover, University of... more
""One of the most extensive and insightful studies of al-Ghazali ever undertaken... Griffel's book is a veritable tour de force that will remain a benchmark in Ghazalian studies for a long time to come."
--Jon Hoover, University of Nottingham, in Theological Review.
"[An] excellent new study on Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's thought, easily the most comprehensive to date (...)."
-- Eric L. Ormsby, Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, in Journal of Shia Islamic Studies.
"Fascinating (...) Griffel's book is provocative, comprehensive, and valuable."
--Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Michigan State University, in Review of Middle East Studies.
"Masterly... I strongly recommend this book to every student of Arabic intellectual history."
--Damien Janos, Göttingen University, in Journal of the American Oriental Society.
"This work of historical theology is essential reading for those wanting to understand with new depth and clarity the life and teachings of al-Ghazali."
--Martin Whittingham, Regent's Park College, Oxford, in The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences.
"... a major contribution to the study of al-Ghazali, both his life and his thought. (...) It may be hoped that this book will receive the attention it deserves and may offer as well an opportunity to futher studies on one of the greatest thinkers of Islam."
-- Jules Jansses, De Wulf-Mansionscentrum, Leuven, in Muslim World.
"This work is a detailed examination of Al-Ghazali's position with respect to Greek science and philosophy as it was presented to the Muslim world in the works of Avicenna. In making this examination the author has been able to correct certain misconceptions about Al-Ghazali which have long been held by some Western scholars."
--Nicholas Heer, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, University of Washington, Seattle.
"Frank Griffel's new book is a lucid synthesis of the latest scholarship on al-Ghazali's life and legacy, his interpretive method and his ideas about the world's creation and about divine, human and natural causality. Griffel succeeds in presenting a coherent and nuanced picture of the cosmology of this complex thinker, who was both a scholar of jurisprudence and a mystic, both a critic of philosophy and a philosophical theologian."
--Robert Wisnovsky, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University."
--Jon Hoover, University of Nottingham, in Theological Review.
"[An] excellent new study on Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's thought, easily the most comprehensive to date (...)."
-- Eric L. Ormsby, Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, in Journal of Shia Islamic Studies.
"Fascinating (...) Griffel's book is provocative, comprehensive, and valuable."
--Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Michigan State University, in Review of Middle East Studies.
"Masterly... I strongly recommend this book to every student of Arabic intellectual history."
--Damien Janos, Göttingen University, in Journal of the American Oriental Society.
"This work of historical theology is essential reading for those wanting to understand with new depth and clarity the life and teachings of al-Ghazali."
--Martin Whittingham, Regent's Park College, Oxford, in The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences.
"... a major contribution to the study of al-Ghazali, both his life and his thought. (...) It may be hoped that this book will receive the attention it deserves and may offer as well an opportunity to futher studies on one of the greatest thinkers of Islam."
-- Jules Jansses, De Wulf-Mansionscentrum, Leuven, in Muslim World.
"This work is a detailed examination of Al-Ghazali's position with respect to Greek science and philosophy as it was presented to the Muslim world in the works of Avicenna. In making this examination the author has been able to correct certain misconceptions about Al-Ghazali which have long been held by some Western scholars."
--Nicholas Heer, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, University of Washington, Seattle.
"Frank Griffel's new book is a lucid synthesis of the latest scholarship on al-Ghazali's life and legacy, his interpretive method and his ideas about the world's creation and about divine, human and natural causality. Griffel succeeds in presenting a coherent and nuanced picture of the cosmology of this complex thinker, who was both a scholar of jurisprudence and a mystic, both a critic of philosophy and a philosophical theologian."
--Robert Wisnovsky, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University."
Research Interests:
"Das besondere an dieser Ausgabe von Frank Griffel ist einmal die Kommentierung von einem der eine umfassende Monographie dazu geschrieben hat. Das ist Wissenschaft auf bestem Stand und verständlich. Das zweite ist die hervorragende... more
"Das besondere an dieser Ausgabe von Frank Griffel ist einmal die Kommentierung von einem der eine umfassende Monographie dazu geschrieben hat. Das ist Wissenschaft auf bestem Stand und verständlich. Das zweite ist die hervorragende Geschichte, wie der Text des Ibn Ruschd aufgenommen bzw. abgelehnt wurde. (...) In Übersetzung, Kommentaren zu den einzelnen Stellen und einer einmaligen, oft verblüffenden Rezeptionsgeschichte liegt die Stärke dieser Ausgabe von Frank Griffel."
-- Christoph Auffarth, Professor für Religionswissenschaft, Universität Bremen, on rpi-virtuell.net
-- Christoph Auffarth, Professor für Religionswissenschaft, Universität Bremen, on rpi-virtuell.net
Research Interests:
“… a major contribution to the history of Islamic thought. (…) Most welcome is the systematic tracing of the development of the relation between the judgement that a person is an unbeliever and his exclusion from Islam. The work is well... more
“… a major contribution to the history of Islamic thought. (…) Most welcome is the systematic tracing of the development of the relation between the judgement that a person is an unbeliever and his exclusion from Islam. The work is well decumented by reference to a plethora of sources and secondary literature. It should be on the desk of every student of Islam.”
-- Michael Schwarz, Tel Aviv University, in Jerusalem Studies of Arabic and Islam (JSAI).
“… an important, most valuable book, a pioneering work that focuses attention on a very difficult issue—a considerable achievement of great value to the scholarly community.”
-- Jules Janssens, De Wulf-Mansionscentrum, Leuven, in Journal of Islamic Studies
“Il existe assez peu de travaux préliminaires sur l’appartenance à la communauté de foi en Islam en relation avec le développement des critères de l’apostasie, problèmes qui ne sont pas rapport avec la situation de la philosophie en Islam. Au centre du débat, se trouvent la position ou les positions d’Algazel face à la philosophie et les réactions des philosophes à son endroit, comme l’a bien compris F. Griffel dans un ouvrage qui ne passera pas inaperçu (…).”
-- Claude Gilliot, Université d’Aix-Marseille, in Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques
-- Michael Schwarz, Tel Aviv University, in Jerusalem Studies of Arabic and Islam (JSAI).
“… an important, most valuable book, a pioneering work that focuses attention on a very difficult issue—a considerable achievement of great value to the scholarly community.”
-- Jules Janssens, De Wulf-Mansionscentrum, Leuven, in Journal of Islamic Studies
“Il existe assez peu de travaux préliminaires sur l’appartenance à la communauté de foi en Islam en relation avec le développement des critères de l’apostasie, problèmes qui ne sont pas rapport avec la situation de la philosophie en Islam. Au centre du débat, se trouvent la position ou les positions d’Algazel face à la philosophie et les réactions des philosophes à son endroit, comme l’a bien compris F. Griffel dans un ouvrage qui ne passera pas inaperçu (…).”
-- Claude Gilliot, Université d’Aix-Marseille, in Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques
Research Interests:
"Frank Griffel legt die 'Kriterium'-Schrift jetzt unter dem Titel 'Über Rechtgläubigkeit und Toleranz' erstmals in einer deutschen Übersetzung und mit einem ebenso gelehrten wie informativen Kommentar vor– eine Ausgabe, die helfen kann... more
"Frank Griffel legt die 'Kriterium'-Schrift jetzt unter dem Titel 'Über Rechtgläubigkeit und Toleranz' erstmals in einer deutschen Übersetzung und mit einem ebenso gelehrten wie informativen Kommentar vor– eine Ausgabe, die helfen kann einen seinerseits fundamentalistischen westlichen Antifundamentalismus abzubauen."
-- Ludger Lütkehaus in der Neuen Züricher Zeitung
-- Ludger Lütkehaus in der Neuen Züricher Zeitung
Research Interests:
Table of Contents: 1) Introduction by Frank Griffel 2) Gudrun Krämer: Justice in Modern Islamic Thought 3) Frank Griffel: The Harmony of Natural Law and Shari’a in Islamist Theology 4) Felicitas Opwis: Islamic Law and Legal Change: The... more
Table of Contents:
1) Introduction by Frank Griffel
2) Gudrun Krämer: Justice in Modern Islamic Thought
3) Frank Griffel: The Harmony of Natural Law and Shari’a in Islamist Theology
4) Felicitas Opwis: Islamic Law and Legal Change: The Concept of Maṣlaḥa in Classical and Contemporary Legal Theory
5) David L. Johnston: ʿAllāl al-Fāsī: Shari’a as Blueprint for Righteous Global Citizenship
6) Noah Feldman: Shari’a and Islamic Democracy in the Age of al-Jazeera
7) Abbas Amanat: From ijtihād to wilāyat al-faqīh : The Evolution of the Shi’ite Authority to Political Power
8) Shahrough Akhavi: Shi’ite Theories of Social Contract
9) Saïd Amir Arjomand: Shari’a and Constitution in Iran: A Historical Perspective
10) Anna Würth: The Normativity of the Factual On the Every Day Construction of Shari’a in a Yemeni Family Court
11) Roy Mottahedeh: Afterword
1) Introduction by Frank Griffel
2) Gudrun Krämer: Justice in Modern Islamic Thought
3) Frank Griffel: The Harmony of Natural Law and Shari’a in Islamist Theology
4) Felicitas Opwis: Islamic Law and Legal Change: The Concept of Maṣlaḥa in Classical and Contemporary Legal Theory
5) David L. Johnston: ʿAllāl al-Fāsī: Shari’a as Blueprint for Righteous Global Citizenship
6) Noah Feldman: Shari’a and Islamic Democracy in the Age of al-Jazeera
7) Abbas Amanat: From ijtihād to wilāyat al-faqīh : The Evolution of the Shi’ite Authority to Political Power
8) Shahrough Akhavi: Shi’ite Theories of Social Contract
9) Saïd Amir Arjomand: Shari’a and Constitution in Iran: A Historical Perspective
10) Anna Würth: The Normativity of the Factual On the Every Day Construction of Shari’a in a Yemeni Family Court
11) Roy Mottahedeh: Afterword
Research Interests:
Was man in deutschsprachigen Lehrbüchern der Philosophiegeschichte über die philosophischen Aktivitäten von Muslimen, Arabern, Persern oder Türken lesen kann, ist schnell zusammengefasst. In vielen Fällen nämlich gar nichts. In diesem... more
Was man in deutschsprachigen Lehrbüchern der Philosophiegeschichte über die philosophischen Aktivitäten von Muslimen, Arabern, Persern oder Türken lesen kann, ist schnell zusammengefasst. In vielen Fällen nämlich gar nichts. In diesem Artikel versuche ich die Ergebnisse meines 2021 erschienenen Buches "The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam" kurz und bündig (und mit vielen Auslassungen) auf Deutsch darzustellen. Darin geht es vor allem darum, "nach-klassische Philosophie im Islam vorzustellen und zu erklären, was es ist und wie sie funktioniert. Ich hoffe, der Text ist für Einführungskurse geeignet.
Research Interests:
This is my contribution to a conference on the popularization of philosophy in the Middle Ages, convened at Freie Universität Berlin, in July 2016.
Research Interests:
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Preserved in what seems to be a unique manuscript at the Bodleian Library, al-Nafs wa-l-rūḥ wa-sharḥ quwāhumā (The Soul and the Spirit together with an Explanation of Their Faculties) of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210) is a curious... more
Preserved in what seems to be a unique manuscript at the Bodleian Library, al-Nafs wa-l-rūḥ wa-sharḥ quwāhumā (The Soul and the Spirit together with an Explanation of Their Faculties) of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210) is a curious book. At the beginning, the author decribes the text as part of the philosophical sciences (as opposed to the religious ones) and clarifies that it deals with ʿilm al-akhlāq, meaning Aristotelian virtue ethics. The text is divided into two parts, the first explaining subjects of philosophical psychology, such as the nature of the soul, its faculties, and its survival after the death of the body. The second part explains how one can “treat” or “heal” the soul from certain negative character traits or vices. In both parts, the book makes liberal use of quotations from the Qur’an, from prophetical ḥadīth, and from sayings by other prophets and sages. This is quite unlike any other “book on philosophy” that Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī wrote.
The article explains the distinction between philosophical and non-philosophical books in Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī and what it means for a book to belong to the former group. Al-Rāzī’s works in the theoretical fields of philosophy (logic, the natural sciences, metaphysics, and theology) do not use evidence derived from revelation and hardly ever refer to it. The relationship between revelation and the practical disciplines of philosophy (among them ethics), however, is different from the relation between revelation and theoretical philosophy. This difference leads in Avicenna to an almost complete abandonment of the practical disciplines. In authors who follow Avicenna in his Farabian approach to the relationship between philosophy and revelation it leads to hybrid works such as al-Nafs wa-l-rūḥ wa-sharḥ quwāhumā that follow a philosophical agenda but employ means and strategies that mimic and imitate revelation.
The article explains the distinction between philosophical and non-philosophical books in Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī and what it means for a book to belong to the former group. Al-Rāzī’s works in the theoretical fields of philosophy (logic, the natural sciences, metaphysics, and theology) do not use evidence derived from revelation and hardly ever refer to it. The relationship between revelation and the practical disciplines of philosophy (among them ethics), however, is different from the relation between revelation and theoretical philosophy. This difference leads in Avicenna to an almost complete abandonment of the practical disciplines. In authors who follow Avicenna in his Farabian approach to the relationship between philosophy and revelation it leads to hybrid works such as al-Nafs wa-l-rūḥ wa-sharḥ quwāhumā that follow a philosophical agenda but employ means and strategies that mimic and imitate revelation.
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This paper offers a preview into some of the results of my forthcoming monograph study "The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam," to be published with Oxford University Press some time in 2020. Here, I focus on the distinction... more
This paper offers a preview into some of the results of my forthcoming monograph study "The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam," to be published with Oxford University Press some time in 2020. Here, I focus on the distinction between books of "hikma" and those of "kalam" among the works of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606/1210) and I suggest that these are two distinct genres, each with its own rules and that books of hikma come to quite different conclusions about central subjects of research (such as God's nature) than books of kalam. Given that Fakhr al-Din lets both books stand by themselves, I conclude that he held both results for cum-possible. More about this in my forthcoming book.
With a view of the 1277 Paris condemnation of 219 teachings, I suggest that the double-truth theory that Bishop Tempier hints at in the introduction of that document describes the philosophy of Fakhr al-Din much more accurately than that of Averroes.
With a view of the 1277 Paris condemnation of 219 teachings, I suggest that the double-truth theory that Bishop Tempier hints at in the introduction of that document describes the philosophy of Fakhr al-Din much more accurately than that of Averroes.
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Ibn Taymiyya’s (d. 728/1328) harsh polemics and his polarizing attitude toward disputes with his opponents pose obstacles for identifying similarities between their positions and the ones that he holds. This article wishes to shed light... more
Ibn Taymiyya’s (d. 728/1328) harsh polemics and his polarizing attitude toward disputes with his opponents pose obstacles for identifying similarities between their positions and the ones that he holds. This article wishes to shed light on two important issues connected with Ibn Taymiyya’s "Rejecting the Notion That Revelation and Reason Contradict Each Other" ("Dar’ ta’aruḍ al-‘aql wa-l-naql"). The first is the position that Ibn Taymiyya is arguing against in the initial passages of this book. Given that it presents itself as a work of refutation (radd), what exactly is it trying to refute at the outset? The second is the position Ibn Taymiyya develops in response to the views he rejects. The two questions are closely connected and have - despite several attempts - not yet received a satisfactory answer in the available secondary literature. One of the results of this study is that Ibn Taymiyya’s own position on the relationship between reason and revelation shows very significant similarities with that of his Ashʿarite opponents. Another result of this paper is the insight that Ibn Taymiyya’s reception of and his reaction to the Ashʿarite position on the priority of reason over revelation leads him into a circular argument about the authority of reason and revelation.
Research Interests: Islamic Philosophy, Kalam (Islamic Theology), Ilm al-Kalam, Islamic Political Thought, Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111), and 10 moreIslamic Thought & Philosophy, Islamic Theology, Ibn Taymiyya, Ash'arites, Imam al-Ghazali, Al Ghazali, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, ibn Taymiyyah, Reason and Revelation In Islam, and Islamic philosophy in the post-classical period
For a long time, the Western academic study of Islam could not escape making implicit comparisons between its own religions, culture, and "civilization" and that of Islam.One would think that the events of September 11, 2001,... more
For a long time, the Western academic study of Islam could not escape making implicit comparisons between its own religions, culture, and "civilization" and that of Islam.One would think that the events of September 11, 2001, and the polarization that followed—including the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now in Syria—only aggravated that situation.But the opposite is true. Among the generation of scholars of Islam who matured in the West after 9/11 are some who reached a new level in a project that earlier scholars in their field had already demanded: trying to understand Islam on its own terms. The two books reviewed here are thus far the two most outstanding examples of that development. Neither of them ever uses the word "decline." Unlike Ahmed, who only discusses academic voices, Bauer also deals with popular notions in politics and culture and hence is a much more polemical—and less well-structured and well-argued— engagement with Western views on Islam than Ahmed's. In the end, however, Bauer produces a more convincing approach to Islam in its post-classical period than Ahmed.
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Whereas Western scholars of al-Ghazali of the 19th and early 20th centuries demonized him as an enemy of philosophy trying to destroy it, Muslim modernists in India (Sayyid Ahmad Khan and Shibli Nu'mani) had a very different understanding... more
Whereas Western scholars of al-Ghazali of the 19th and early 20th centuries demonized him as an enemy of philosophy trying to destroy it, Muslim modernists in India (Sayyid Ahmad Khan and Shibli Nu'mani) had a very different understanding of al-Ghazālī's intellectual contribution to Islam. Their view, in fact, matches quite remarcably the perspective of those Western Ghazali-scholars who have been active since R. M. Frank and the 1990s.
Research Interests: Islamic Philosophy, Kalam (Islamic Theology), Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111), Islam in India, Islamic Thought & Philosophy, and 7 moreIslamic Theology, Islamic philosophy and theology, Al Ghazali, Aligarh muslim university, Islamic Thought and Theology, Sayyid Ahmad Khan, and falsafah dan pemikiran politik sayyid Qutb
In 2010, the editors of an important new edition of al-Ghazālī's Ihyaʾ ʿulūm al-dīn claimed that MS Yale, Landberg 318, contains an ijaza written by the hand of al-Ghazālī. Naturally, I was very much intrigued when I first read this in a... more
In 2010, the editors of an important new edition of al-Ghazālī's Ihyaʾ ʿulūm al-dīn claimed that MS Yale, Landberg 318, contains an ijaza written by the hand of al-Ghazālī. Naturally, I was very much intrigued when I first read this in a bookstore in Doha, Qatar. In a stone-throw's distance from my office at Yale is the only known material witness of al-Ghazālī's life? Here I look into this claim and assess its credibility.
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In contemporary academic literature, the word “Salafī” has a variety of meanings. Most importantly, Western academic literature of the 20th and 21st centuries applies the word to (1) an Islamic reform movement founded by Jamāl al-Dīn... more
In contemporary academic literature, the word “Salafī” has a variety of meanings. Most importantly, Western academic literature of the 20th and 21st centuries applies the word to (1) an Islamic reform movement founded by Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī (d. 1897) and Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849–1905) in the last decades of the 19th century and (2) to contemporary Sunni reform movements that criticize manifestations of Sunni Islam which are based on Sufism, Ashʿarism, and traditional madhhab-affiliations to the Shāfiʿī, Ḥanafī, and Mālikī schools. In a 2010-article Henri Lauzière argued that the use of the word “Salafī” to describe these two movements is an equivocation based on a mistake. While the movement of contemporary Salafīs may be rightfully called by that name, al-Afghānī and ʿAbduh never used the term. Only Western scholars of the 1920s and 30s, most importantly Louis Massignon (1883–1962), called this latter movement “salafī”. This paper reevaluates the evidence presented by Lauzière and argues that Massignon did not make a mistake. The paper describes analytically both reform movements and draws the conclusion that there is a historic continuity that justifies calling them both “salafī”. The paper draws an analogy from the use of the word “socialist” in European political history, which first applied to a wider movement of the late 19th century before its use was contested and narrowed down in the course of the 20th.
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Fakhr al-Din Muhammad ibn ‘Umar al-Razi (b. c. 1149–d. 1210) was one of the most important philosophers and theologians of the post-classical period of Islam, that is, the period after al-Ghazali (d. 1111). In philosophy, Fakhr al-Din... more
Fakhr al-Din Muhammad ibn ‘Umar al-Razi (b. c. 1149–d. 1210) was one of the most important philosophers and theologians of the post-classical period of Islam, that is, the period after al-Ghazali (d. 1111). In philosophy, Fakhr al-Din rearranged the structure of the philosophical summa in the Islamic East and thus also the curriculum of philosophical studies. His work completes the process of integrating the discourse of Aristotelian philosophy (falsafa) into Muslim rationalist theology (kalam), a process that began with the works of Ibn Sina (Avicenna, d. 1037). Original in his own thinking, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi was influenced by the systematic philosophy of Ibn Sina but developed an alternative that aimed at avoiding philosophical realism and essentialism. In theology he adopted teachings of Ibn Sina and “the falasifa” (meaning the teachings of Ibn Sina and his followers) and did not shy away from accepting suggestions made by Mu’tazilite authorities, particularly Abu Husayn al-Basri (d. 1044) and his successors. Fakhr al-Din’s works were widely studied, particularly during the 13th and 14th centuries. His commentaries on Ibn Sina’s works, in which he often keeps a critical distance to falsafa, became the subject of super-commentaries that are among the most influential texts in Arabic philosophy and Islamic theology. Even more influential, however, was his monumental Qur’an commentary Mafatih al-ghayb (Keys to the unknown), in which, through a well-structured rationalist analysis, he aims at resolving most questions that are brought up in the text of revelation. With the caveat that the study of post-classical Muslim philosophy and theology is not far advanced, we can nevertheless say that Fakhr al-Din al-Razi was the most influential theologian in the period between 1150 and 1450 and the most influential writer of philosophy within the Ash’arite tradi
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This is a fascinating passage from al-Tawhidi (d. c. 1009) that I use in undergraduate education for some time now. I had prepared my own translation and together with my colleague Klaus Hachmeier from Berlin, who was a visitor at Yale in... more
This is a fascinating passage from al-Tawhidi (d. c. 1009) that I use in undergraduate education for some time now. I had prepared my own translation and together with my colleague Klaus Hachmeier from Berlin, who was a visitor at Yale in 2009, I decided to re-work that, polish it, and make it available in print. The passage offers an extremely lifely account of philosophical and theological debates in Baghdad during the 10th century and on top of that also discusses important and interesting ideas. It includes, for instance, the famous passage in al-Tawhidi, where he tells us who wrote the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa' and where he discusses the ideas of one of these authors, namely Abu Sulayman al-Maqdisi. Even more important than that, I would say, the passage also informs us about the ideas of the influential but little known philosopher Abu Sulayman al-Sijistani al-Mantiqi (d. c. 987) regarding the relationship between reason and revelation.
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Research Interests: Islamic Philosophy, Arabic Philosophy, Medieval Islamic History, Wisdom Literature, Medieval Islamic and Turco-Iranian world, Mongol world empire, and 3 moreSeljuk, Mongol, post-Mongol, and Ottoman Anatolia (1200-1500), Comparative empire, frontier, and political culture, and Persian and Ottoman Turkish historical writing
Starting with al-Ghazali's famous statement at the beginning of his autobiography, al-Munqidh min al-ḍalāl, that his innermost prompted him "to seek the true meaning of the initial fiṭra and the true meaning of the convictions that come... more
Starting with al-Ghazali's famous statement at the beginning of his autobiography, al-Munqidh min al-ḍalāl, that his innermost prompted him "to seek the true meaning of the initial fiṭra and the true meaning of the convictions that come about by emulating parents and teachers," this paper analyses his use of the word fiṭra. The path leads via al-Ghazali's logical writing (Miḥakk al-naẓar and Miʿyār al-ʿilm) to Ibn Sīnā's (Avicenna's, d. 428/1037) systematic exposition of fiṭra as a combination of "primary judgments" (awwaliyyāt) and "judgments of the etimative faculty" (wahmiyyāt). These are constrasted with other judgments, particulary the “commonly accepted judgments” (mashhūrāt or dhāʾiʿāt). In al-Ghazālī, the judgments of the fiṭra are seen in direct opposition to those that one accepts on the authority of parents, teachers, or other kinds of social pressures. The inquiry ends in the results that in his understanding of fiṭra, al-Ghazali depends on Ibn Sīnā's much more systematic treatment, which can help us to fill the blank spots al-Ghazālī left in his exposition. There are, however, still significant differences in al-Ghazālī's understanding of fiṭra, as he, for instance, unlike Ibn Sīnā, claims that knoweldge of God as a creator is part of the human fiṭra, while knowledge of Islam and its rules and revelation is not.
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Among subjects of Islamic theology, the cosmology of al-Ghazali has received much attention in the West. Scholars in the Renaissance were familiar with al-Ghazali’s critique of philosophical theories of causality in the 17th discussion of... more
Among subjects of Islamic theology, the cosmology of al-Ghazali has received much attention in the West. Scholars in the Renaissance were familiar with al-Ghazali’s critique of philosophical theories of causality in the 17th discussion of his "Incoherence of the Philosophers" (Tahāfut al-falāsifa). During the first half of the 19th century, when the Western academic study of Islamic theology began, scholars came to the conclusion that in this chapter, al-Ghazali denied the existence of causal connections. That position was connected to an apparent lack of progress in scientific research in the Muslim countries. Ernest Renan (d. 1892), for instances, understood al-Ghazali's critique of philosophical theories of causality as an anti-rationalist, mystically inspired opposition to the natural sciences. This view became immensely influential among Western intellectuals and is still widely held.
When al-Ghazali’s "Niche of Lights" (Mishkāt al-anwār) became available during the first decades of the 20th century, Western interpreters understood that at least here al-Ghazali does not deny the existence of causal connections. During much of the 20th century, Western scholars favored an explanation that ascribes two different sets of teaching to al-Ghazali, one esoteric and one exoteric. The last decades of the 20th century saw two very different interpretations of al-Ghazali’s cosmology in the works of Michael E. Marmura and Richard M. Frank. Both rejected that al-Ghazali held exoteric and esoteric views. Marmura explained causal connections as direct actions of God and Frank regarded them as expressions of secondary causality. Their contributions led to the understanding in the West that al-Ghazali did not deny the existence of causal connections and cannot be regarded as an opponent of the natural sciences in Islam. Quite the opposite, he was a champion of the natural sciences and was often quoted as someone opposed to unscientific views of the world.
When al-Ghazali’s "Niche of Lights" (Mishkāt al-anwār) became available during the first decades of the 20th century, Western interpreters understood that at least here al-Ghazali does not deny the existence of causal connections. During much of the 20th century, Western scholars favored an explanation that ascribes two different sets of teaching to al-Ghazali, one esoteric and one exoteric. The last decades of the 20th century saw two very different interpretations of al-Ghazali’s cosmology in the works of Michael E. Marmura and Richard M. Frank. Both rejected that al-Ghazali held exoteric and esoteric views. Marmura explained causal connections as direct actions of God and Frank regarded them as expressions of secondary causality. Their contributions led to the understanding in the West that al-Ghazali did not deny the existence of causal connections and cannot be regarded as an opponent of the natural sciences in Islam. Quite the opposite, he was a champion of the natural sciences and was often quoted as someone opposed to unscientific views of the world.
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A survey of philosophy in the first half of the 6th/12th century that deals with al-Ghazali, al-Lawkari (d. after 1109), and Abu l-Barakat al-Baghdadi (d. c. 1165). I particularly focus on the relationship between Abu l-Barakat and... more
A survey of philosophy in the first half of the 6th/12th century that deals with al-Ghazali, al-Lawkari (d. after 1109), and Abu l-Barakat al-Baghdadi (d. c. 1165). I particularly focus on the relationship between Abu l-Barakat and al-Ghazali and present here at first the argument that Abu l-Barakat's philosophy is a reaction to al-Ghazali's critcism of Ibn Sina. In this paper I argue that Abu l-Barakat's method of "i'tibar" ("careful consideration") is developed as a conscious alternative to the demontrative method, whose application in metaphysics al-Ghazali rejects.
Research Interests: Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Communication, Multiculturalism, and 13 moreTheology, Kalam (Islamic Theology), Media, Arabic Philosophy, Islam, Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111), Jewish Philosophy, Islamic Thought & Philosophy, Intercultural dialogue, Citizenship, Identity, al-Lawkari, and Abu al-Barakat al-Baghdadi
An overview on al-Ghazali's role in the history of philosophy. It focuses particularly on works translated into Latin and Hebrew as well as his contribution to the debate on causality.
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A re-contruction of Fakhr al-Din's life based on the available sources in Arabic and Persian. I look particularly into his relationship to the ruling dynasties of his time (the Khwarezmshahs, the Ghurids, and the Ayyubids) and find that... more
A re-contruction of Fakhr al-Din's life based on the available sources in Arabic and Persian. I look particularly into his relationship to the ruling dynasties of his time (the Khwarezmshahs, the Ghurids, and the Ayyubids) and find that they competed to become his patons. This should revise an earlier view (which goes back to Ignaz Goldziher) that the kind of rationalism Fakhr al-Din represented was under thread by “an orthodoxy entrenched in the spirit of persecution [that] terrorized all free intellectual mind.” Quite the opposite, Fakhr al-Din's kind of philosophical inspired Ash'arism would conquer the madrasa curricula of his day and become the leading direction in Sunni theology for at least until the 14th century.
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This paper tries to answer the question of whether there is an overall line of argument in al-Ghazali’s Tahāfut al-falāsifa. The book is divided into twenty discussions, most of which could stand by themselves and are not explicitly... more
This paper tries to answer the question of whether there is an overall line of argument in al-Ghazali’s Tahāfut al-falāsifa. The book is divided into twenty discussions, most of which could stand by themselves and are not explicitly connected to an overall aim of the book. The book, however, also has five different “introductions” (singl. “muqaddima”) where al-Ghazali addresses a number of subjects. This paper offers a close reading and analysis of these introductions and concludes that there is indeed an overall strategy in the Tahāfut that is different from being a straightforward “refutation” (radd) or the philosopher’s (falāsifa) teachings. Al-Ghazali identifies two kinds of adversaries, first a group of “vulgar followers” (“jamahir”) of the philosophers, who misunderstand their teachings, believe that the falāsifa offer an alternative to revealed religion, and use their teachings as an excuse to neglect religious duties. Then, there are the philosophers themselves, or “leaders and the heads of the falāsifa,” who do believe in God, divine prophecy, and who abide by the religious law. Yet, through their claim of apodictic or demonstrative knowledge in the field of metaphysics they have led people astray. In his Tahāfut, al-Ghazali aims at addressing this claim of apodeixis or demonstration (Arab. “burhān”) in the metaphysical sciences. While he acknowledges that demonstration is possible in such sciences as geometry, for instance, he denies its possibility in metaphysics. In the twenty discussions, he aims to show that “in [their] metaphysics, they are unable to fulfill apodeixis (burhān) as they have set it out as a condition in their logic.” Thus, al-Ghazali made his “refutation” of the teachings of the falāsifa easy for himself. He does not need to show that their teachings are wrong, he only needs to show that they are not supported by demonstrative arguments.
This article presents a manuscript at the British Library in London that has been miscatalogued as a copy of al-Ghazali's well-known "Maqasid al-falasifa." The mis-identification is due to a title page that was added after the original... more
This article presents a manuscript at the British Library in London that has been miscatalogued as a copy of al-Ghazali's well-known "Maqasid al-falasifa." The mis-identification is due to a title page that was added after the original beginning had been lost. The text, however, is different from the "Maqasid," even if both pursue similar aims. Like in the "Maqasid," the author of MS Or. 3126 gives a neutral presentation of the teachings of the falasifa, in this case limited to metaphysics (ilāhiyyāt). Whereas in the "Maqasid," al-Ghazali bases his presentation on Ibn Sina's Persian "Danishnamah-yi 'Ala'i," here the author combines quotes from works by Ibn Sina, al-Farabi, and Mishkawayh to a seamless text. The most important source for this book is Ibn Sina's "al-Shifa'."
In thoroughly describing the manuscript I locate and date its paper according to known characteristics of paper-making in the Orient to Iran in the 12th century (or slightly earlier). The handwriting is "Seljuq," which also points in that direction.
The manuscript is both acephalous and suffers from lacunae at the end so that we do not know its original title, nor the author. The text, however, mentions the "Tahafut al-falasifa" among the works of the author. Through a detailled comparison of a passage on the categories with its source in al-Farabi as well as with al-Ghazali's "Mi'yar al-'ilm," I can show that the text of this manuscript adopts al-Farabi and was further adopted by al-Ghazali in his "Mi'yar." This together with the note on the "Tahafut" proves, in my opinion, al-Ghazali's authorship of this text.
This is the unicum of an early text by al-Ghazali reporting the teachings of the falasifa in metaphysics.
In thoroughly describing the manuscript I locate and date its paper according to known characteristics of paper-making in the Orient to Iran in the 12th century (or slightly earlier). The handwriting is "Seljuq," which also points in that direction.
The manuscript is both acephalous and suffers from lacunae at the end so that we do not know its original title, nor the author. The text, however, mentions the "Tahafut al-falasifa" among the works of the author. Through a detailled comparison of a passage on the categories with its source in al-Farabi as well as with al-Ghazali's "Mi'yar al-'ilm," I can show that the text of this manuscript adopts al-Farabi and was further adopted by al-Ghazali in his "Mi'yar." This together with the note on the "Tahafut" proves, in my opinion, al-Ghazali's authorship of this text.
This is the unicum of an early text by al-Ghazali reporting the teachings of the falasifa in metaphysics.
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There is a long dispute whether al-Ghazali’s “nisba” or family name should be written with a geminization (tashdīd) of the zay as “al-Ghazzali” or without the shadda as “al-Ghazali.” Reviewing a debate on this subject among Ayyubid and... more
There is a long dispute whether al-Ghazali’s “nisba” or family name should be written with a geminization (tashdīd) of the zay as “al-Ghazzali” or without the shadda as “al-Ghazali.” Reviewing a debate on this subject among Ayyubid and Mamluk historians in Damascus, I present the evidence for both versions. After the destruction of Nishapur as an urban center in the early 13th century, the tradition of studying al-Ghazali’s legal works moved from there to Damascus. Numerous scholars, chief among them Ibn al-Salah al-Shahrazuri and al-Nawawi engaged with al-Ghazali’s oeuvre. This triggered deeper interest into al-Ghazali’s biography and his family background. There were, for instance, reports that one of al-Ghazali’s great-uncles was an important scholar of fiqh, questioning the narrative that al-Ghazali was an orphan from a poor family without scholarly background.
In the course of following the discussions among medieval scholars in Damascus, among them al-Dhahabi, al-Subki, and al-Safadi, the article reviews the several arguments in favor of the two versions of the name. It shows that there were conflicting ideas about al-Ghazali’s family background. While there is some evidence that al-Ghazali himself preferred the spelling with one zay, the historians of Ayyubid and Mamluk Damascus had to admit that more than three centuries after his death, the issue could not be resolved and only “God knows best.”
In the course of following the discussions among medieval scholars in Damascus, among them al-Dhahabi, al-Subki, and al-Safadi, the article reviews the several arguments in favor of the two versions of the name. It shows that there were conflicting ideas about al-Ghazali’s family background. While there is some evidence that al-Ghazali himself preferred the spelling with one zay, the historians of Ayyubid and Mamluk Damascus had to admit that more than three centuries after his death, the issue could not be resolved and only “God knows best.”
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Ash’arite authors before al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111) held that prophecy can only be verified through miracles performed by the prophet. Early Ash’arite authors denied a human capacity able to confirm a prophet’s claim either through his... more
Ash’arite authors before al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111) held that prophecy can only be verified through miracles performed by the prophet. Early Ash’arite authors denied a human capacity able to confirm a prophet’s claim either through his message or his actions. This position has completely changed by the time of Fakhraddin ar-Razi (d. 606/1210). He relies in his views on prophecy heavily on the teachings of Ibn Sina (d. 429/1037), and ar-Razi reproduces the philosophical argument that humans can best judge the truthfulness of a prophet from his message. The reception of Ibn Sina’s views on prophecy starts with al-Ghazali. Although he shares the early Ash’arite position that humans are unable to judge a prophet’s claim from his message, he introduces elements of Ibn Sina’s teachings in his works. In his Faysal at-tafriqa, he explains divine revelation as a representation of “beings” within the minds of the prophets. The several divisions of these beings follow the philosophical divisions of the inner senses (hawass batina). Al-Ghazali attempts to explain elements of prophecy that his Ash’arite predecessors have left unexplained. His filling of a desideratum, however, leads to a significant shift in perspective, and in his late work al-Ghazali develops a novel method to verify the claims of a prophet.
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Research Interests: Islamic Philosophy, Mamluk Studies, Ibn Khaldun, Islamic Thought & Philosophy, Philosophy and Thought in Islamic Science, and 4 moreHistory of Arabic Science. Islamic Instruments. Astronomy under the Mamluks, Intellctual and social history of the Mamluk Period, Ibnu Khaldun, and Islamic philosophy in the post-classical period
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Research Interests: Islamic Philosophy, Kalam (Islamic Theology), Arabic Philosophy, Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111), Jewish Philosophy, and 8 moreAvicenna, Asharites, Medieval Arabic Philosophy, Ash'arites, Imam al-Ghazali, Al Ghazali, Abu al-Barakat al-Baghdadi, and Islamic philosophy in the post-classical period
The Shi’ah Institute in London arranged the publication of an English translation of one of the most popular Iranian textbooks of the Avicennan tradition of metaphysics in Islam. First printed in Persian in 1956, Mahdī Ḥaʾirī Yazdī’s... more
The Shi’ah Institute in London arranged the publication of an English translation of one of the most popular Iranian textbooks of the Avicennan tradition of metaphysics in Islam. First printed in Persian in 1956, Mahdī Ḥaʾirī Yazdī’s Universal Science gives an un-contextualized presentation of the most important discussions that happened within Avicennan metaphysics since its inception in the 11th century.
Research Interests: Islamic Philosophy, Ibn Sina, Arabic Philosophy, Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111), Islamic Thought & Philosophy, and 23 moreMadrasa education, Avicenna, Suhrawardi, Medieval Arabic Philosophy, Islamic philosophy and theology, Mulla Sadra, İbn-i Sina, Al Suhrawardi, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Suhrawardi Maqtul, Tahafut, Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi al-Maqtul and his school of thought, Persian Philosophy, Islamic Philosophy (Mulla Sadra, Hikma, Islamic philosophy in the post-classical period, Iranian Philosophy, Filsafat Hikmah, History of Arabic Philosophy, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), İbn Sina(Avicenna), and avicenna's psychology
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Eines der umstrittensten Themen in Bezug auf den Islam ist die Apostasie - also der Abfall vom Glauben. Nach Auffassung von Hardlinern nicht nur bei Terrorgruppen wie dem IS kann man den Islam nicht verlassen. Wer es doch tut, muss ihnen... more
Eines der umstrittensten Themen in Bezug auf den Islam ist die Apostasie - also der Abfall vom Glauben. Nach Auffassung von Hardlinern nicht nur bei Terrorgruppen wie dem IS kann man den Islam nicht verlassen. Wer es doch tut, muss ihnen zufolge mit dem Tod bestraft werden. Frank Griffel, Professor an der Yale University in den USA, erklärt für den Deutschlandfunk einen der einschlägigen Koranvers.
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The conference brings new perspectives to Islamic discourses on ethics during the pre-modern period across the disciplines of law, theology, philosophy, and adab. While ethics is defined in broad terms to encompass various scholarly... more
The conference brings new perspectives to Islamic discourses on ethics during the pre-modern period across the disciplines of law, theology, philosophy, and adab. While ethics is defined in broad terms to encompass various scholarly discussions of morality, the conference adopts a contextualist approach to address the following issue: How did scholars think about ethics in their conception of the divine discourse on morality in light of the contingent nature of human reality? Earlier emic approaches to Islamic law led many to declare its literalist tendency an obstacle to rationalist ethics (as espoused, for example, by the Mu‘tazilite theologians, and by the philosophers). Exploring the question of contingency in Islamic ethics is predicated upon new findings in Islamic theories of law which not only underline jurists’ contextualist approaches to producing norms, but also the epistemological grounds of the theories which accommodate contingency (Johansen, Hallaq, Zysow, Gleave). In fact, in his recent work, Die Kultur der Ambiguität, Thomas Bauer has drawn attention to the complexity of Islamic normative discourses, depicting the tolerance of ambiguity as a key feature in the argumentation deployed in the production of the communally accepted in Islam. Evidently, these perspectives make room for adopting a contextualist approach to ethics; they help us overcome the tired opposition between scripturalism and rationalism as the only authoritative approaches to normativity in Islam.
Taking as central to its methodology Bauer’s perspectives, along with the contextual ethics of casuistry put forward by Jonsin and Toulmin in The Abuse of Casuistry, the conference is intended to explore further and more widely the contingency of ethical discourses in Islam. More specifically, discussions will include articulations of moral discourse in legal reasoning and argumentation, theological discussions of theodicy and divine command theories, the epistemology behind collecting moral knowledge in hadith collections, adab, aphoristic literature, rhetorical speeches and sermons, epistemological and ontological claims on morality, the reception of Aristotelian corrective philosophy of ethics and discussion of virtues. The conference will also serve to identify new questions, answers to which could give substance to the notion of the flexibility of norms across Islamic ethical discourses. Questions are to be answered from the perspective of each discipline, and speakers will be asked to reflect on the philosophical and theological implications that can be drawn. Comparative perspectives across the various Islamic sciences are especially encouraged.
Taking as central to its methodology Bauer’s perspectives, along with the contextual ethics of casuistry put forward by Jonsin and Toulmin in The Abuse of Casuistry, the conference is intended to explore further and more widely the contingency of ethical discourses in Islam. More specifically, discussions will include articulations of moral discourse in legal reasoning and argumentation, theological discussions of theodicy and divine command theories, the epistemology behind collecting moral knowledge in hadith collections, adab, aphoristic literature, rhetorical speeches and sermons, epistemological and ontological claims on morality, the reception of Aristotelian corrective philosophy of ethics and discussion of virtues. The conference will also serve to identify new questions, answers to which could give substance to the notion of the flexibility of norms across Islamic ethical discourses. Questions are to be answered from the perspective of each discipline, and speakers will be asked to reflect on the philosophical and theological implications that can be drawn. Comparative perspectives across the various Islamic sciences are especially encouraged.