Papers by Müfit Selim Saruhan
DergiPark (Istanbul University), Jun 7, 2018
As a case study we will shed light on al-Hujwiri (Data Ganj Bakhsh) In his system. Hujwiri, estab... more As a case study we will shed light on al-Hujwiri (Data Ganj Bakhsh) In his system. Hujwiri, establishing a moderate link between the Revealed Law (sharia) and the Truth (haqiqa), and arguing that the Revealed Law without the Truth is a sanctimony while the Truth without the Revealed Law is hypocrisy. He tried to reconcile circumstances with truth and fight against fake and pseudo Sufis. He derived his strength in this struggle from his allegiance to the decisive informational authority of the Qur'an and the Sunna. Hujwiri had underlines, before Ibn Rushd, the Qur'anic verses that encourage thinking and reasoning. Contemplating about God's acts and wise purposes behind them gives an intellectual competence to a person. It makes reason operational. Hujwiri also competently addresses philosophical problems. He criticizes the sophists who doubt that knowledge can be obtained.
Eskiyeni, Dec 11, 2015
Öz Bu makalede, Tanrı ve ahlâk ilişkisi hakkında dinî ve felsefî literatürde kabul ve önyargıları... more Öz Bu makalede, Tanrı ve ahlâk ilişkisi hakkında dinî ve felsefî literatürde kabul ve önyargıların bir eleştirisine yer verilecektir. Ahlâkın kaynağı, Tanrı'nın ahlâkî muradını bilebilme imkanımız başta olmak üzere, kutsal metinlerde ve felsefede öne çıkan Tanrı tasavvurlarının ahlâk anlayışlarına etkisi eleştirel bir açıdan irdelenecektir. Teistik dinlerde ortak noktaların sanılanın aksine çok daha az olduğu tezi örneklerle işlenecektir.
Ankara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi dergisi, 2006
Fear of Death and Its Cure in lslamic Philosophers and Thinkers. In Islamic Philosophy during the... more Fear of Death and Its Cure in lslamic Philosophers and Thinkers. In Islamic Philosophy during the history had written many books dealing with the fear of the death. In these works, Islamic philosophers had classified the causes of fear of the death from many perspectives. Islamic philosophers also tried to cure the fear of death relying on reason. According to them fear should be removed firstly from mind. Islamic thinkers like, Rumi and Yunus Emre on the other hand cured this fear voicing the hearts of fearing people. In the border of this article we intend to examine these causes and their effects in our lives. The desire of immortality is the main concern of mankind.
Eskiyeni, May 30, 2018
Öz Bu makalede, hukuk-adalet ilişkisine eleştirel bir bakış geliştirilmeye çalışılacaktır. Hukuku... more Öz Bu makalede, hukuk-adalet ilişkisine eleştirel bir bakış geliştirilmeye çalışılacaktır. Hukukun adaleti ile adaletin hukuku kavramlarına dikkat çekilerek bu ayrımdan ortaya çıkan farklılıklar temellendirilecektir. Hukuk ve ahlâk felsefesi açısından adaletin olgusallığı ve değeri üzerinde bir tartışma alanı bulunmaktadır. Hukuk, din ve ahlâk sistemleri tarafından kendilerine güç bulmak adına sahiplenmeye çalışılan adaletin bağımsızlığına vurgu yapılacaktır.
Dini araştırmalar, Jun 1, 2004
In this article, I deal with mental and terror relationship. Mental roots of terror are being exa... more In this article, I deal with mental and terror relationship. Mental roots of terror are being examined. Religion has nothing to do with terrorism. Terrorist tries to misuse religion. Mental with prejudice and lack of knowledge occupies the personality of individual and his ability to judge. Purification of mind from any external and internal prejudices is the unique solution of terrorism. Only within extensive education we can overcome terrorism. Terrorism could not apply to a religion or a nation as we can not say English or French terrorism. Terrorism is a disease of humanity
Dini araştırmalar, Jun 1, 2006
DergiPark (Istanbul University), Jun 1, 2006
Eskiyeni, May 26, 2014
Öz Bu makalede, İslam düşüncesinde ahlâk ilminin konumu eleştirel bir bakış açısıyla değerlendiri... more Öz Bu makalede, İslam düşüncesinde ahlâk ilminin konumu eleştirel bir bakış açısıyla değerlendirilmeye çalışılacaktır. Kur'an ve Sünnet ekseninde Kelam, Tasavvuf, Fıkıh ve İslam Felsefesi disiplinlerinin İslam düşüncesinde ahlâk ilminin teşekkülüne kaynaklık edişi üzerinde durulacaktır.
Dinbilimleri akademik araştırma dergisi, Apr 1, 2009
Bu makalede İslam felsefesinin problemlerini değerlendirmeyi amaçlıyorum. Bir disiplin olarak, İs... more Bu makalede İslam felsefesinin problemlerini değerlendirmeyi amaçlıyorum. Bir disiplin olarak, İslam felsefesi, felsefi meseleler hakkında önemli tartışmaları içerir.Temel çabamız,günümüz İslam felsefesi çalışmalarının zorluklarını ve imkanını sorgulamak olacaktır.İslam felsefesinin alanının genişlemesi sorununu ele almak bu makalenin diğer bir amacıdır.Bu sahadaki araştırmacıların farklı yaklaşımları vardır.Bu makale, onların metotlarının özünün bir eleştirisi olacaktır.
Eskiyeni bu sayiyla birlikte otuzuncu sayisina erismis bulunuyor. Bu tur niteliksel kaygilarla ci... more Eskiyeni bu sayiyla birlikte otuzuncu sayisina erismis bulunuyor. Bu tur niteliksel kaygilarla cikartilmakta olan bir dergi icin bu husus gercekten mutluluk verici gorunmektedir. Ister populer ister akademik olsun, Turkiye’de ve dunyada dergi yayinciligi mesakkatli ve fedakarlik isteyen bir faaliyeti temsil etmektedir. Derginin kendi kurumsal cercevesinde tasidigi ve riayet etmek istedigi ilkesel cizgiler, bu mesakkati dayanilir kilmakta ve gerekli fedakarliklar konusunda da insani daha istekli hale getirmektedir. Ancak en buyuk faktor, Eskiyeni’nin kamuouyu nazarinda eristigi gorulen “sessiz” prestijidir. Bu prestij, kaynagini goze carpan, ses cikartan bir taninirliktan almamaktadir. Tam aksine bastan itibaren hitap etmek istedigi konular ve bu konularda cesitli katkilar getirmek durumunda olan arastirmaci ve yazarlarin ciddiyetli cizgilerinin dergiye bir agirlik katmalari bu yonde etkili olmus gorunmektedir.
DergiPark (Istanbul University), May 30, 2017
Bu makalede, Islam Ahlâk felsefesinde epistemolojik olarak erdemlerin ortaya cikisini belirleyen ... more Bu makalede, Islam Ahlâk felsefesinde epistemolojik olarak erdemlerin ortaya cikisini belirleyen olcu, denge, uyum, hak ve dogal olani niteleyen adâlet erdemi uzerinde durulacaktir. Islam dusuncesinin en merkezi kavramlarindan biri olan adâlet, Islam dusuncesinde itikad, ahlâk ve siyasetin yanisira Islami ilimlerin kendi sistematikleri icinde kurucu ilke olma ozelligi de gostermistir. Şuphesiz bu hayati ilke olmanin en temel sebeplerinden biri Kur’an’in muminlere adâleti ontolojik bir sorumluluk olarak yuklemesidir. Adâlet, her seye hakkini vermektir. Islam dusuncesinde, tevhid inancin, mantik dusuncenin, saglik bedenin, ahlâk ise davranislarimizin adâletidir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Islam Dusuncesi, Adâlet, Erdem, Islam Ahlâki, Islam Siyaset Felsefesi
DergiPark (Istanbul University), Dec 11, 2015
Öz Bu makalede, Tanrı ve ahlâk ilişkisi hakkında dinî ve felsefî literatürde kabul ve önyargıları... more Öz Bu makalede, Tanrı ve ahlâk ilişkisi hakkında dinî ve felsefî literatürde kabul ve önyargıların bir eleştirisine yer verilecektir. Ahlâkın kaynağı, Tanrı'nın ahlâkî muradını bilebilme imkanımız başta olmak üzere, kutsal metinlerde ve felsefede öne çıkan Tanrı tasavvurlarının ahlâk anlayışlarına etkisi eleştirel bir açıdan irdelenecektir. Teistik dinlerde ortak noktaların sanılanın aksine çok daha az olduğu tezi örneklerle işlenecektir.
Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, May 30, 2020
JIP published by SCAD Independent. All articles published in this journal are protected by copyri... more JIP published by SCAD Independent. All articles published in this journal are protected by copyright, licensed under a CC-BY-SA or an equivalent license as the optimal license for the publication, distribution, use, and reuse of scholarly works. Any views expressed in this publication are the views of the authors and not of Editorial Board Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun (JIP) or SCAD Independent. JIP or SCAD Independent cannot be held responsible for views, opinions and written statements of authors or researchers published in this journal. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of the research material. Authors alone are responsible for the contents of their articles.
Knowledge, from Islamic Theology point of view, tells us that moral values are attainable realit... more Knowledge, from Islamic Theology point of view, tells us that moral values are attainable realities while it also suggests that these values can be attained through divine knowledge beyond reason. Maturidi regards rational knowledge as sufficient tool for making value judgments. Ash'ari, on the other hand, argues that man is in need of divine guidance in making value judgments.
Maturidi (d.944) is the first Islamic scholar who attempted to build a system of religion and ethics based on knowledge as defined by kalam. Maturidi treats knowledge both in terms of source and benefit.His categorization has been widely adopted with minor changes throughout of the kalam tradition. He first classifies knowledge into two as divine knowledge and human knowledge. He peruses human knowledge, i.e., the temporal or originated (hadith) knowledge, both in terms of act and its value.
Maturidi refers to the relation between knowledge and ethnics in clear terms. For him, knowledge is an essence that exalts man and conveys him to wisdom. Certainly, in Maturidi's conception of knowledge and wisdom, man is supposed to act according to the knowledge he has obtained. In Kitab al-Tawhid, he offers the term safah as an opposite of hikmah (wisdom). Safah means stupidity, acting without knowing. Hikmah, on the other hand, comprises both knowledge and act. Hikmah means acting consciously and with knowledge and offers us a harmony of knowledge and ethics.Maturidi emphasizes that act must correspond to knowledge while man is directed by knowledge toward a certain form of act. Destination or target of knowledge is act. Man can achieve perfection in their acts and wisdom only via knowledge. The foregoing explanations can be summed up as follows:
Knowledge Act
Knowledge + Act Wisdom
Knowledge is true knowledge to the extent that it drives man into act. Maturidi further categorizes human knowledge into a priori knowledge and acquired knowledge and points out that there is certain sphere of knowledge that is attainable or obtainable by man.In his system, knowledge comes first, followed by act. Clearly, Maturidi's approach reminds one of Aristotle's proposition that "knowledge is beginning of act and act is the implementation of knowledge." If we adapt this to the moral philosophy, goodness is the manifestation of "knowledge of good."
Knowledge Act
Act Knowledge that is put into act
In all moral issues such as good and evil, wisdom and virtue, will, responsibility, etc., Maturidi relies on rational knowledge. For him, reason is not only a measure for knowing all these, but also, it is a faculty that distinguishing them from each other in the external world since all these concepts exist in toto in it.
In kalam tradition, we come across to diverse views about reason. Even the famous Mu'tazili definition of reason gives us hints about the place of ethics within the kalam thought, and the connection between knowledge and ethics. Mu'tazilites define reason as "faculty by which man knows the evil as evil and the good as good.
In Mu'tazili thought, moral principles do not necessarily rely on divine revelation. Mu'tazilites argue that these principles can be known by man even if they are not taught by divine revelation. However, reason cannot comprehend things related to hereafter. It just helps man evaluate moral behaviors. What gives us information about hereafter is Shariah. Reason serves as as the source of information for the physical, visible and experienced world while divine revelation offers us information about metaphysical, unseen world.
Qadi Abd al-Jabbar,(d.1024) a Mu'tazili scholar, notes that moral judgments are objective judgments arrived via reasoning, thereby distinguishing them from aesthetic judgments. Although he is a kalam scholar, he emerges as a moral philosophy in his book "al-Mughni."
Qadi Abd al-Jabbar points out that reason and religion do not impose values on actions; rather, they expose these qualities which are inherent in them. Approaches that place greater emphasis on reason or transmitted knowledge (naql) or that can be described as objective or subjective can be seen not only in kalam issues, but also in moral issues.
Qadi Abd al-Jabbar attaches great importance to the connection between knowledge and ethics.
we should emphasize the distinction in Islamic ethical system between innate morality and acquired morality. Innate morality is defined as behavioral patterns people have by birth or by their very nature, and it also refers to a potentiality for knowledge. In other words, innate morality corresponds to congenital knowledge. On the other hand, acquired morality accords with acquired knowledge.
According to the Mu'tazili school, knowledge is directly acquired through perceptions or reason, which is a priori knowledge. For instance, the evil in oppressing people, or cheating other people's rights or telling lies or any other disgraceful acts is a priori knowledge that can be directly understood by reason, without guidance from divine revelation. Acquired knowledge is obtained through reasoning. Acquired knowledge is proof-based knowledge.
Zakariyya ar-Razî is being known as a naturalist and deist philosopher within the history of Isla... more Zakariyya ar-Razî is being known as a naturalist and deist philosopher within the history of Islamic Philosophy. He is also well known by his rationalist approach and praise to the Reason. Starting from this point it will be interesting to deal with his views on love and knowledge.
Al-Razi's emphasis on reason and the rationalist methods he employed are saliently visible in the first chapter of al-Tibb al-Ruhani, titled “Perfection of Reason and Praise for Reason.
Razi's view on pleasures were influenced by Timaeus by Plato directly and indirectly. Accordingly, a-Razi not only directly read Plato, but also indirectly learned about him by reading Calinus' summary on Plato
Al-Razi treats reason as a factor that controls and counterbalances love. By putting his/her rational faculties, a lover may prevent the emotional damage love inflicts on him or her.
For al-Razi, knowledge and justice lies at the heart of a virtuous life. One should not let oneself to be driven by bodily desires. However, al-Razi is also against the Sufis who seek to lead a life that is deprived of all worldly desires. For him, justice is an act of refraining from extremities or excesses under the guidance of reason.
As he regards reason as the primary guide in all affairs, al-Razi argues that one should resist the desires as they prevent reason from functioning properly. In order to resist the desires, one need to have the willpower and knowledge.
To know is to change in al-Razi's rationalist system
Al-Razi tells us that two stages are needed for a moral education: to ensure that reason dominate over passions, and to restrain lust and passions. “If reason rules our behaviors, then our behaviors become better and improve. On the other hand, if reason is trapped by our ambitions, then our behaviors will be bad ones. By restraining our lust and passion, we can recast our behaviors as preached by good ethnics. Guided by willpower, knowledge and action will prevent us from engaging in bad behaviors,” he argues.
For al-Razi, it is hard to get rid of the disruptive bad actions of passion and lust. However, using a gradual method of education, a person should train himself or herself and yield to the reasoning soul (al-nafs al-natiqa). Reason plays an important role in the progress people make toward a virtuous life.
In addition to his gradual method, al-Razi also pays special attention to the reinforcement (tad'im) and reward methods
Ibn Miskawayh is representative of the school of Farabi (870-950) together with Abu Suleiman Siji... more Ibn Miskawayh is representative of the school of Farabi (870-950) together with Abu Suleiman Sijistani (932-1000) and Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi (930-1023). Researchers introduce Ibn Miskawayh, together with Tawhidi and Sijistani (d. 981), as a humanist philosopher
This is because, in addition to the importance they attached to pure reason, they attempted to learn without prejudice the ancient sciences of Christian, Jewish and pagan masters and disciples without making an issue of religious identities. Ibn Miskawayh advises those who want to deal with philosophy to be have pure heart in the first instance. For him, philosophy is the most supreme of all divine gifts and the most virtuous exaltation bestowed by God to His friends. A man who embraces philosophy would not mind other blessings. A person who departs from wisdom (hikmah) would not find consolation in anything. The relation of philosophy to reason is like that of light to eye
In Ibn Miskawayh's works, most references are to Aristotle, Plato, Galen and Porphyry. Ibn Miskawayh produced works in as variated fields as psychology and chemistry, and he did not attempt to conciliate philosophy and religion as it was the most prominent efforts in Islamic philosophy. He was mostly interested in Aristotle's idea of non-moving mover. In al-Fawz al-Asghar, Ibn Miskawayh attempted to use this idea in the Proof of God. For him, the ancient Greek philosophers having metaphysical orientation were in agreement in accepting the existence and oneness of God
Among Islamic philosophers, Ibn Miskawayh gives the most credit to the proof of motion. Although his intellectual background is influenced by Aristotle, Farabi and Ikhwan al-Safa, he had more success and improvement in the analysis of this subject. Intense desire (shawq), repulsion (karahah), will (iradah), dominance (qahr) and nature are the terms mainly used by Ibn Miskawayh to identify the source of movement.
In providing a basis for the proposition that God is not a body, Ibn Miskawayh argues that composition (tarkib) and motion cannot be argued for the prime and only being, based on the principle that body intrinsically contains plurality. Since motion is an effect, it needs a effector. Plurality is the opposite of one. Prime mover is that which does not move. Every body is mobile. Yet, body is not a mover. The prime mover has nothing do with body. Compared to Kindi, Farabi and Avicenna (Ibn Sina), Ibn Miskawayh's analysis is concise and shallow. The most fundamental point which he takes as basis in explain that God is not body is the quality of body which moves, but does not move something else. In spite of this characteristic of body, God is not body, and is the unmoved mover.
Facilities and Difficulties in Proving God with respect to Sensory Knowledge and Rational Knowledge
On Ibn Miskawayh and Negation Approach: What is not God?
Saruhan, MÜFİT S. . "On Time and Reincarnation: An Inquiry from Islamic Thought." Al-Qasemi Journal of Islamic Studies , vol.5, no.2, pp.29-48, 2020 , 2020
In this article, two essential matters of debate in the history of philosophy, the concepts of ti... more In this article, two essential matters of debate in the history of philosophy, the concepts of time and reincarnation, are discussed. The concept of time continues to stand at the center of philosophical discussions, with its obviousness on the one hand and its complete ambiguity on the other. The subject of reincarnation has sometimes been a way of thinking developed in the face of the fear of death. This article will discuss the grounds on which debates over reincarnation are dealt with in Islamic philosophy. In Islamic thought, reincarnation is discussed critically in the areas of history of religion, theology, and the mystical disciplines, as well as in philosophy.
Saruhan, MÜFİT S. . "Mustafa Rahmi Balaban' s Moral Book." İslami Araştırmalar , vol.26, no.2, pp.75-92, 2016 , 2016
Edebiyatı dersleri aldı. Üsküp Dâru'l-Muallimin Rüştiyesi'nde Pedagoji öğretmenliği yaptı. Adana ... more Edebiyatı dersleri aldı. Üsküp Dâru'l-Muallimin Rüştiyesi'nde Pedagoji öğretmenliği yaptı. Adana yatılı öğretmen okulunun kurucu müdürlüğünde çalıştı. Maarif Nezareti, başarılarından dolayı Mustafa Rahmi'yi Cenevre'ye Pedagoji eğitimine yolladı. Buraya talebe müfettişliği göreviyle gönderilmişti. Burada J.J. Rousseau Enstitüsü'nde Pedagoji ve Felsefe bölümlerindeki eğitimini tamamlayarak Cenevre'de psiko-pedagoji laboratuvarına Edouard Claparéde tarafından asistan olarak alındı. Fransızca'nın yanı sıra Almanca ve İngilizce de öğrenen müellifin en büyük gayesi Avrupa
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Papers by Müfit Selim Saruhan
Maturidi (d.944) is the first Islamic scholar who attempted to build a system of religion and ethics based on knowledge as defined by kalam. Maturidi treats knowledge both in terms of source and benefit.His categorization has been widely adopted with minor changes throughout of the kalam tradition. He first classifies knowledge into two as divine knowledge and human knowledge. He peruses human knowledge, i.e., the temporal or originated (hadith) knowledge, both in terms of act and its value.
Maturidi refers to the relation between knowledge and ethnics in clear terms. For him, knowledge is an essence that exalts man and conveys him to wisdom. Certainly, in Maturidi's conception of knowledge and wisdom, man is supposed to act according to the knowledge he has obtained. In Kitab al-Tawhid, he offers the term safah as an opposite of hikmah (wisdom). Safah means stupidity, acting without knowing. Hikmah, on the other hand, comprises both knowledge and act. Hikmah means acting consciously and with knowledge and offers us a harmony of knowledge and ethics.Maturidi emphasizes that act must correspond to knowledge while man is directed by knowledge toward a certain form of act. Destination or target of knowledge is act. Man can achieve perfection in their acts and wisdom only via knowledge. The foregoing explanations can be summed up as follows:
Knowledge Act
Knowledge + Act Wisdom
Knowledge is true knowledge to the extent that it drives man into act. Maturidi further categorizes human knowledge into a priori knowledge and acquired knowledge and points out that there is certain sphere of knowledge that is attainable or obtainable by man.In his system, knowledge comes first, followed by act. Clearly, Maturidi's approach reminds one of Aristotle's proposition that "knowledge is beginning of act and act is the implementation of knowledge." If we adapt this to the moral philosophy, goodness is the manifestation of "knowledge of good."
Knowledge Act
Act Knowledge that is put into act
In all moral issues such as good and evil, wisdom and virtue, will, responsibility, etc., Maturidi relies on rational knowledge. For him, reason is not only a measure for knowing all these, but also, it is a faculty that distinguishing them from each other in the external world since all these concepts exist in toto in it.
In kalam tradition, we come across to diverse views about reason. Even the famous Mu'tazili definition of reason gives us hints about the place of ethics within the kalam thought, and the connection between knowledge and ethics. Mu'tazilites define reason as "faculty by which man knows the evil as evil and the good as good.
In Mu'tazili thought, moral principles do not necessarily rely on divine revelation. Mu'tazilites argue that these principles can be known by man even if they are not taught by divine revelation. However, reason cannot comprehend things related to hereafter. It just helps man evaluate moral behaviors. What gives us information about hereafter is Shariah. Reason serves as as the source of information for the physical, visible and experienced world while divine revelation offers us information about metaphysical, unseen world.
Qadi Abd al-Jabbar,(d.1024) a Mu'tazili scholar, notes that moral judgments are objective judgments arrived via reasoning, thereby distinguishing them from aesthetic judgments. Although he is a kalam scholar, he emerges as a moral philosophy in his book "al-Mughni."
Qadi Abd al-Jabbar points out that reason and religion do not impose values on actions; rather, they expose these qualities which are inherent in them. Approaches that place greater emphasis on reason or transmitted knowledge (naql) or that can be described as objective or subjective can be seen not only in kalam issues, but also in moral issues.
Qadi Abd al-Jabbar attaches great importance to the connection between knowledge and ethics.
we should emphasize the distinction in Islamic ethical system between innate morality and acquired morality. Innate morality is defined as behavioral patterns people have by birth or by their very nature, and it also refers to a potentiality for knowledge. In other words, innate morality corresponds to congenital knowledge. On the other hand, acquired morality accords with acquired knowledge.
According to the Mu'tazili school, knowledge is directly acquired through perceptions or reason, which is a priori knowledge. For instance, the evil in oppressing people, or cheating other people's rights or telling lies or any other disgraceful acts is a priori knowledge that can be directly understood by reason, without guidance from divine revelation. Acquired knowledge is obtained through reasoning. Acquired knowledge is proof-based knowledge.
Al-Razi's emphasis on reason and the rationalist methods he employed are saliently visible in the first chapter of al-Tibb al-Ruhani, titled “Perfection of Reason and Praise for Reason.
Razi's view on pleasures were influenced by Timaeus by Plato directly and indirectly. Accordingly, a-Razi not only directly read Plato, but also indirectly learned about him by reading Calinus' summary on Plato
Al-Razi treats reason as a factor that controls and counterbalances love. By putting his/her rational faculties, a lover may prevent the emotional damage love inflicts on him or her.
For al-Razi, knowledge and justice lies at the heart of a virtuous life. One should not let oneself to be driven by bodily desires. However, al-Razi is also against the Sufis who seek to lead a life that is deprived of all worldly desires. For him, justice is an act of refraining from extremities or excesses under the guidance of reason.
As he regards reason as the primary guide in all affairs, al-Razi argues that one should resist the desires as they prevent reason from functioning properly. In order to resist the desires, one need to have the willpower and knowledge.
To know is to change in al-Razi's rationalist system
Al-Razi tells us that two stages are needed for a moral education: to ensure that reason dominate over passions, and to restrain lust and passions. “If reason rules our behaviors, then our behaviors become better and improve. On the other hand, if reason is trapped by our ambitions, then our behaviors will be bad ones. By restraining our lust and passion, we can recast our behaviors as preached by good ethnics. Guided by willpower, knowledge and action will prevent us from engaging in bad behaviors,” he argues.
For al-Razi, it is hard to get rid of the disruptive bad actions of passion and lust. However, using a gradual method of education, a person should train himself or herself and yield to the reasoning soul (al-nafs al-natiqa). Reason plays an important role in the progress people make toward a virtuous life.
In addition to his gradual method, al-Razi also pays special attention to the reinforcement (tad'im) and reward methods
This is because, in addition to the importance they attached to pure reason, they attempted to learn without prejudice the ancient sciences of Christian, Jewish and pagan masters and disciples without making an issue of religious identities. Ibn Miskawayh advises those who want to deal with philosophy to be have pure heart in the first instance. For him, philosophy is the most supreme of all divine gifts and the most virtuous exaltation bestowed by God to His friends. A man who embraces philosophy would not mind other blessings. A person who departs from wisdom (hikmah) would not find consolation in anything. The relation of philosophy to reason is like that of light to eye
In Ibn Miskawayh's works, most references are to Aristotle, Plato, Galen and Porphyry. Ibn Miskawayh produced works in as variated fields as psychology and chemistry, and he did not attempt to conciliate philosophy and religion as it was the most prominent efforts in Islamic philosophy. He was mostly interested in Aristotle's idea of non-moving mover. In al-Fawz al-Asghar, Ibn Miskawayh attempted to use this idea in the Proof of God. For him, the ancient Greek philosophers having metaphysical orientation were in agreement in accepting the existence and oneness of God
Among Islamic philosophers, Ibn Miskawayh gives the most credit to the proof of motion. Although his intellectual background is influenced by Aristotle, Farabi and Ikhwan al-Safa, he had more success and improvement in the analysis of this subject. Intense desire (shawq), repulsion (karahah), will (iradah), dominance (qahr) and nature are the terms mainly used by Ibn Miskawayh to identify the source of movement.
In providing a basis for the proposition that God is not a body, Ibn Miskawayh argues that composition (tarkib) and motion cannot be argued for the prime and only being, based on the principle that body intrinsically contains plurality. Since motion is an effect, it needs a effector. Plurality is the opposite of one. Prime mover is that which does not move. Every body is mobile. Yet, body is not a mover. The prime mover has nothing do with body. Compared to Kindi, Farabi and Avicenna (Ibn Sina), Ibn Miskawayh's analysis is concise and shallow. The most fundamental point which he takes as basis in explain that God is not body is the quality of body which moves, but does not move something else. In spite of this characteristic of body, God is not body, and is the unmoved mover.
Facilities and Difficulties in Proving God with respect to Sensory Knowledge and Rational Knowledge
On Ibn Miskawayh and Negation Approach: What is not God?
Maturidi (d.944) is the first Islamic scholar who attempted to build a system of religion and ethics based on knowledge as defined by kalam. Maturidi treats knowledge both in terms of source and benefit.His categorization has been widely adopted with minor changes throughout of the kalam tradition. He first classifies knowledge into two as divine knowledge and human knowledge. He peruses human knowledge, i.e., the temporal or originated (hadith) knowledge, both in terms of act and its value.
Maturidi refers to the relation between knowledge and ethnics in clear terms. For him, knowledge is an essence that exalts man and conveys him to wisdom. Certainly, in Maturidi's conception of knowledge and wisdom, man is supposed to act according to the knowledge he has obtained. In Kitab al-Tawhid, he offers the term safah as an opposite of hikmah (wisdom). Safah means stupidity, acting without knowing. Hikmah, on the other hand, comprises both knowledge and act. Hikmah means acting consciously and with knowledge and offers us a harmony of knowledge and ethics.Maturidi emphasizes that act must correspond to knowledge while man is directed by knowledge toward a certain form of act. Destination or target of knowledge is act. Man can achieve perfection in their acts and wisdom only via knowledge. The foregoing explanations can be summed up as follows:
Knowledge Act
Knowledge + Act Wisdom
Knowledge is true knowledge to the extent that it drives man into act. Maturidi further categorizes human knowledge into a priori knowledge and acquired knowledge and points out that there is certain sphere of knowledge that is attainable or obtainable by man.In his system, knowledge comes first, followed by act. Clearly, Maturidi's approach reminds one of Aristotle's proposition that "knowledge is beginning of act and act is the implementation of knowledge." If we adapt this to the moral philosophy, goodness is the manifestation of "knowledge of good."
Knowledge Act
Act Knowledge that is put into act
In all moral issues such as good and evil, wisdom and virtue, will, responsibility, etc., Maturidi relies on rational knowledge. For him, reason is not only a measure for knowing all these, but also, it is a faculty that distinguishing them from each other in the external world since all these concepts exist in toto in it.
In kalam tradition, we come across to diverse views about reason. Even the famous Mu'tazili definition of reason gives us hints about the place of ethics within the kalam thought, and the connection between knowledge and ethics. Mu'tazilites define reason as "faculty by which man knows the evil as evil and the good as good.
In Mu'tazili thought, moral principles do not necessarily rely on divine revelation. Mu'tazilites argue that these principles can be known by man even if they are not taught by divine revelation. However, reason cannot comprehend things related to hereafter. It just helps man evaluate moral behaviors. What gives us information about hereafter is Shariah. Reason serves as as the source of information for the physical, visible and experienced world while divine revelation offers us information about metaphysical, unseen world.
Qadi Abd al-Jabbar,(d.1024) a Mu'tazili scholar, notes that moral judgments are objective judgments arrived via reasoning, thereby distinguishing them from aesthetic judgments. Although he is a kalam scholar, he emerges as a moral philosophy in his book "al-Mughni."
Qadi Abd al-Jabbar points out that reason and religion do not impose values on actions; rather, they expose these qualities which are inherent in them. Approaches that place greater emphasis on reason or transmitted knowledge (naql) or that can be described as objective or subjective can be seen not only in kalam issues, but also in moral issues.
Qadi Abd al-Jabbar attaches great importance to the connection between knowledge and ethics.
we should emphasize the distinction in Islamic ethical system between innate morality and acquired morality. Innate morality is defined as behavioral patterns people have by birth or by their very nature, and it also refers to a potentiality for knowledge. In other words, innate morality corresponds to congenital knowledge. On the other hand, acquired morality accords with acquired knowledge.
According to the Mu'tazili school, knowledge is directly acquired through perceptions or reason, which is a priori knowledge. For instance, the evil in oppressing people, or cheating other people's rights or telling lies or any other disgraceful acts is a priori knowledge that can be directly understood by reason, without guidance from divine revelation. Acquired knowledge is obtained through reasoning. Acquired knowledge is proof-based knowledge.
Al-Razi's emphasis on reason and the rationalist methods he employed are saliently visible in the first chapter of al-Tibb al-Ruhani, titled “Perfection of Reason and Praise for Reason.
Razi's view on pleasures were influenced by Timaeus by Plato directly and indirectly. Accordingly, a-Razi not only directly read Plato, but also indirectly learned about him by reading Calinus' summary on Plato
Al-Razi treats reason as a factor that controls and counterbalances love. By putting his/her rational faculties, a lover may prevent the emotional damage love inflicts on him or her.
For al-Razi, knowledge and justice lies at the heart of a virtuous life. One should not let oneself to be driven by bodily desires. However, al-Razi is also against the Sufis who seek to lead a life that is deprived of all worldly desires. For him, justice is an act of refraining from extremities or excesses under the guidance of reason.
As he regards reason as the primary guide in all affairs, al-Razi argues that one should resist the desires as they prevent reason from functioning properly. In order to resist the desires, one need to have the willpower and knowledge.
To know is to change in al-Razi's rationalist system
Al-Razi tells us that two stages are needed for a moral education: to ensure that reason dominate over passions, and to restrain lust and passions. “If reason rules our behaviors, then our behaviors become better and improve. On the other hand, if reason is trapped by our ambitions, then our behaviors will be bad ones. By restraining our lust and passion, we can recast our behaviors as preached by good ethnics. Guided by willpower, knowledge and action will prevent us from engaging in bad behaviors,” he argues.
For al-Razi, it is hard to get rid of the disruptive bad actions of passion and lust. However, using a gradual method of education, a person should train himself or herself and yield to the reasoning soul (al-nafs al-natiqa). Reason plays an important role in the progress people make toward a virtuous life.
In addition to his gradual method, al-Razi also pays special attention to the reinforcement (tad'im) and reward methods
This is because, in addition to the importance they attached to pure reason, they attempted to learn without prejudice the ancient sciences of Christian, Jewish and pagan masters and disciples without making an issue of religious identities. Ibn Miskawayh advises those who want to deal with philosophy to be have pure heart in the first instance. For him, philosophy is the most supreme of all divine gifts and the most virtuous exaltation bestowed by God to His friends. A man who embraces philosophy would not mind other blessings. A person who departs from wisdom (hikmah) would not find consolation in anything. The relation of philosophy to reason is like that of light to eye
In Ibn Miskawayh's works, most references are to Aristotle, Plato, Galen and Porphyry. Ibn Miskawayh produced works in as variated fields as psychology and chemistry, and he did not attempt to conciliate philosophy and religion as it was the most prominent efforts in Islamic philosophy. He was mostly interested in Aristotle's idea of non-moving mover. In al-Fawz al-Asghar, Ibn Miskawayh attempted to use this idea in the Proof of God. For him, the ancient Greek philosophers having metaphysical orientation were in agreement in accepting the existence and oneness of God
Among Islamic philosophers, Ibn Miskawayh gives the most credit to the proof of motion. Although his intellectual background is influenced by Aristotle, Farabi and Ikhwan al-Safa, he had more success and improvement in the analysis of this subject. Intense desire (shawq), repulsion (karahah), will (iradah), dominance (qahr) and nature are the terms mainly used by Ibn Miskawayh to identify the source of movement.
In providing a basis for the proposition that God is not a body, Ibn Miskawayh argues that composition (tarkib) and motion cannot be argued for the prime and only being, based on the principle that body intrinsically contains plurality. Since motion is an effect, it needs a effector. Plurality is the opposite of one. Prime mover is that which does not move. Every body is mobile. Yet, body is not a mover. The prime mover has nothing do with body. Compared to Kindi, Farabi and Avicenna (Ibn Sina), Ibn Miskawayh's analysis is concise and shallow. The most fundamental point which he takes as basis in explain that God is not body is the quality of body which moves, but does not move something else. In spite of this characteristic of body, God is not body, and is the unmoved mover.
Facilities and Difficulties in Proving God with respect to Sensory Knowledge and Rational Knowledge
On Ibn Miskawayh and Negation Approach: What is not God?