The Problem of Religion in Ibn SinZ'sPhilosophy Amin Abclullab Abstrak Persoalan Agama dalam Filsafat lbnu Sina I l r n t r S i r r .
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Seiarnittr.
Ibnu Sina ielasterpengaruh oleh ide-iclePlatonis rnelalui reologi :\rr:tt.
rtcies,ketik:r Ibnu Sina cenderung ticlak rnengakui adanya kebangkiran kerrbali badan yang sudah terpisahdari iiwa.
Bagi Ibnu sina, arti simbolih tidak hanya diperlukan unruk menaf'sirkan rkna kebangkitan jasmani kembali, rerapi juga rerhadap hukum agama.
4l-Jartt al.
Nt' J9/I996 M.
Amlfl AHr.
Selainitu, pemaknaanmistisluga tidak dapat dipisahkandari persoalanagama Akhirnya, tata aturan sirnbolisasipsikologis iuga .
dalarn memahamifilsafatIbnu Sina,karenasimbul - sepertiyangdikemukakanFazlur R a h m a n - m e m i l i k i k e w a j i b a n b a t i n u n t u k m e n j e m b a t a n ip e n a f s i r a n yang rerpis3h antagonistik,yakni bahq'asimbulbukanlahsimbulsemata-mata dari realitasdan tidak berkaitan.
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It&'5g19X M.
Anrh.
AMullalt Introduction p to this modern are.
Ibn Sinastill becomesa controversialfigure in Islamic philosophy.
There are many interpretationson his religious Actual, he r"'rotemany sublectscoveringfrom logrcs.
rnetaphysic, psychology, religion, medicine and natural sciences.
From these diverse subjects, the problem of religion had been a crucial p o i n t .
s i n c e h e l i a d a u n i q u e c o n c e p t i o n i n t r e a t i n ga r e l i g i o n , e v e n .
r t t i m c s .
contredictory to the most general orthodoxy.
Because of this position.
aiGhazili launchecl severe criticism and accused him as an infldel in hrs n'ork 'lncoherence of the Philosophers" If al-Ghazlli bluntly criticized hi.
s idea concernlng God's emanation in the acl of creation, s'here he pointed out that this icleais an arbitrarr' reasoning ancl a clark thought,r it is curiouslv enough that in opposite thoughr, tlic' rroclern n'riter such a.
sSe11'ec.
Jossein Nlsr, can understand and appreciate lbn Sini's thought frorn the point of his esoteric idea.
He n'rites as ''Thel,-niverse in this perspectlve is cornparecl to the ravsof the Sun.
God to the Sunitself The Revsoi the Sunare not rheSunbut alsothel'are nothrngotherthln the Sun.
This Perspective in aliento the exotencejernent of nronotherstrc rn q'hrchthe absoiuteclistrnctron betq'eenthc creatorencthe creaturcrs presc'necl.
in lslen-r the ctoctnneof en:ltlon, or eflLsion,therefbre.
can be unclerstoodand integrarecl only in the esoteric aspectof the Traclition.
both opposite ideas.
T h e c e n t r a l q u e s t i o n s\ \ .
I b n S i n i t r c ' a t: l r e l i g r o n : r : :
treat a religion syrlbolicri.
both'l' R e a i i z i n gt h e c i i v e r s e: * , l a c u s o n t h e p r o b l e r n o | r e.
: .
s v s t c m o f l > c l i c ta n c i r r .
, r .
The root of controversr.
in Ibr I t h a s l > e c nn ' r u c l t : r - i - .
_ -
suclras,al-Kindi.
al-Farltt: .
'-Greck pirilosopht' In cra.
- :
R a h r n a ni n h i s r .
' a l u a b l cr of Ibn Sir-riirvhich can .
-r.
I s l r t l t tl t .
s: l r c \ c : l i ( ' .
:: .
c o n t r a r y ,G r e e k p h i l o s .
: - .
is a tension benveen b: :.
-ent tension.
" In doing \--':.
,stood on a suspectecl3ni: ::-' j person or an heretic Tit:.
_,:
Froln another part of his book n'e reacl :
''In some of lbn Sinx'smore esotericworks.
in fact.
God is iclentifieciq'ith the sourcetal-manba')of the overflorringol lighr tfaltdan al-nu.
q'hrch fills all things.
So,one can saythatCreationis the realization of the intelligible essenceanclexisrence,the theophany.
of rheseessences.
that beingand light are uitirnatelythe sameto grveexistenceto creatureancl to illuminatethem with the Divine Light n'hich is the ray emanaringfrom His Being" ' These rwo ideas presented by al-Ghazeli and Se1ryedHossein Nasr are the mirror of the sharply dichotomical approach to Ibn Sini's philosophy This approach will give rw'o kinds of opposite ideas, both of them blame each other, and will not give us lead us to a diametricallv op:,r convergence which mighr ex:s real understanding of Ibn Sina's whole p o s r t i o r rr v l r r c l rc ' n .
r b i t .
-' .
p r o b l e r n o f l h n S l n l l- r Despitc of the err.
:::.
son and rational explan.
,:: : '.
he Qur:t: ::>.
r ' c s s o r .
l l .
l 7 r ) .
\ ' , l L , ', : .
- : .
- .
:-.
its audiencc .
, .
l - upon divine authoritv ile, llring rbout faith Tlre riru, .
::'
reason and Muslims are com:--Many of the rituals are desiqne:
To approach the problem of religion in his philosophy, to mv knor'ledge, we need not dichotomical models of approach as the models e'rll only ()O(,.
(IX, 60r UX understanding is a much \'3,re lims are suspicious of philos::
Ausnt'ab, ^b 5y19% AlJaml'ah, t.
Tbe Mlar of Rehgton tn lbn Stna's pbft<xt4b1t lead us to a diametrically opposire direction, withour being able to grasp the convergence which might exist in its deepest and genuine problem shared by both opposite ideas.
The central questions which l would discuss in this article are: How.
Ibn Srnd treat a religron ? and, to borrow Fazlur Rahman's term.
dicl Ibn sinii treat a religion syrnbolically or literally or a kind of colnltination bcrween both!'' Realizing the ciiverse subiects of religron thar can be ciiscussed,I woulci tacus on the problem of 'religion' in its comrnon feature.
rnrclv religiorr as u slrsternof belief ancl its lal's rn practrcal lifc The root of controver.
'in tbn Sina's philosophy I t h a s b e e n t t l u c h a r g u c c l .
t l x t i u l r t t o s t : r l lp r o n t i n c n r l \ , l u s l i r tpr l t i k r s o p l t e r - : .
such as, al-Kindi, al-Far.
Ibn Sinx, and Ibn Rushd are l-reavilr"inf'lr.
G r e e k p l - r i l o s o p h v .
I n e x p l o r i n g I b n S r n as p h i l o s o p h y , f o r e x a r r p l e.
F a z i u r Rahrnan in his valuable book Prophcc.
gi','esa footnote on alrpgsr e!.
cn, 16.
<>fIbn Sinii rvhich can be casil,v ref'errcclr<>Greek pl-rilosoplry.
Islatn a.
sa rer,'ealccirciigicrn is based on God's revciation un<i.
on tl-rc Greek philosophv is based ncrcly' on human reas()n It .
is a tcnsion bern'een both Ibn Srna n'antecl to rcconcile benveen tlri.
sapparent tension.
" In doing such a great ancl arnbitious wclrk, consc.
entll he stood on a suspecte.
ancl debatable position ',vhether he was still a religious sonor an heretic l-his l-raphazardjudgcnrcnt will not bring us closer ro a sitic-u-r vhich enablcs us r<>obtlrn real unclerstanding of thc core oi tSe p r o b l e m o f I b n S i n a ' sp h i l o s o p h y Despitc of the exlsting controversies betq,cen reason ancl rer.
'eltrtion.
re:lson and rational explanation rvere he lcl in suclt a high esrccrn by sctnterluslirit The Qur'an itself rvarns again.
stltlincl obediencc to one 's preclccessors.
,170.
and rcperrtedly addresse-sirself ro rhc undersranding oi i t s a u d i e n c e ( l l l , 6 5 .
x I I , 2 ) .
A l t h o u g h t l - r er e a c h i n g so f r h e e u r ' a n a r c b a s e c i upon divine authority, they' ofien seek, through by rational pelsuasion, rr, bring about faith.
The rituals mentioned in the Qur'an are oftcn gror-rndeclirr reason and Muslims are commanded to understand their spr:irit ancl purpose.
Many of the rituals ere designed to contribute to the welfare of lv.
slims themselves.
()O(,.
X,60.
LlX,.
So, the point here is that to establish rarional understanding i.
sa much valued aspect of traditional Islarn even where Muslims are suspicious of philosophy.
AlJamt'ab,lvo.
5Y1996
'4n trr AMullab The problem, then, why did not Muslims enthusiastically embrace Greek ? A variety of tentative anlems which arose in the interpretation of Islam that philosophy is an swers may be of'fered.
one of them is a suspection and indeed still essenrially alien way of thinking.
Muslim intellectuals themes which beare, sornetimes wary about pre-lslamic and non-lslamic 'For example, some of the customs and rituals of come incorporateci in Islam.
be reflections of older and Islam are assumed to have a non-lslamic origin, to have pagan precedents and pagan, traditions, yt:t accepting that such pratices un\\'orthv of the considerhas secnred.
to sollte Nluslirns.
to be impious ancl ledge' among the categon -.
Of course, thi.
r n a n ) ' : l r h l t r l r n 'u l l c g o r i t ' 3 .
- philosophical It is l.
r rr ( (.
rttin tit,: , c n : r b l t ' rh i r r r t o i n t c .
r p r c t r' :
Q u r .
' l r ni t s e i fa l l o n s l r u r t l , : .
: .
rlerelv to follrln s()ntctiti:ri l t l i t ' < lG r c c k p l t i l r - r s o p i t i' .
t ( ) r V l ) c 1 .
l l r nt r .
i l l ) l ) t .
: rI i i l r S l n : r l n t e r l ) r L .
i ( .
ablereligiousrespectinrvhichthosepracticesareheldbr'theconllnunitr.
l ) ( ' l r ' .
r ( l i l i r ' l t .
r l .
l isr'r , .
Plrilosoplrr'istleanttoonething,thepre-Socretics.
snothertoArrstotle.
age Pl-rilosophvclearll' to the sroics ancl ro rhe rhinkers of the Hellenistic \\'as transnlittecl to the lslanrtc bore the marks of its Greek creators, ancl ir n t t r r l i : r t t ' l t r ' ,i t t .
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waysitn,ascloubl-valienincharacterduetoitsoriginser'enbefbreitscon' tent $'as considered e r t r p l t l r s i z co n i t .
su n p ' : - .
Thiskindofjudgrllent,actually,makeslbnSini'spositiondifficult.
ln heretic $'ings accuse hirn even controversial Alrnost the orthoclox "rs al faksi.
or rnticlel cuhninatecl in :rl-Ghazxlr'srvork Tabafut lbn Sinit conRegardlessof a suspecticlncorlling trorrt his contelnporarres I'hc -inragin:rtive bv Qur'Xn' too' Q u r ' a n I I I , 6 s a Y sa s f b l l o w s 'ltisHeq'}-rosentclo,'r'nupontheBook.
q'hereinare\'erscscleer.
theEssenceoftheBook.
anclothersambigiousAsforthoseinq'hose dissension'end heansis sn'erving'they follow the ambigiouspan' desiring s3!'eonlv Gocl none knows desiringio ,n,arp?"o,io^.
"n.
A n d t h o s e f i r m l y r o o t e d i n k n o w l e c l g e s e y " ' V e b e l i e v 'e .
i n i t .
a l l r s f r o m o u r of minds' Lorcl.
Yet none renlembersbur men possessecl the latter kind of lv'erses There is a controversy in lslam, however, whether aretobeinterpreteclornot:theextremeorthodoxn'ingoflslamdisallows ambigious'versesandthevputafull God,intheabovequotationSoaStoexclude.
firmlyrootedinknowledge''fromunderstandingthem'Themoreliberal, however,includingmanymoderateorthodoxulama,allon'interpretationand | r ' l i g i r - r n: r n c i r t s n ( ) i ) l ( .
: : .
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t t L r t l t n l r fc I'ler:ri.
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: i n c l .
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No.
5/1996
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59/lX Tlte Pr&lenr ol Religron itt lhtt Sirn,s pbilxoDby ledge' among the categon/ of those who can understancl.
of course, thi.
sdoctrine musr have arisen our of an attempr to justify so r t r a n l ' l r b i t r a n ' l l l e g o r t c a l i n t c r p r e t a t i o n - t h e S h i ' i t e .
t h e l r t y s t i c a la n c l t l i c It i.
s l.
'r .
t i crtlit't tltlit lltn Srni prrelcrrcrl tc.
rbe in u lilteral position u:srt e n a l l l e s l .
r i r r t c t i n t c r p r c t e t l t e v c r s e s o f Q u r ' a n a s h i .
s r c e s ( ) n c l i c t u t c ss i n c g Q u r ' : r n i t s e i t a l l o s ' s l t t t t l t r t nr s r t s ( ) nt < >t h i n k n t o r c d e e p l r l r n c l o r r g i l r l l l r ' .
n 9 t tllerelv to firllos' s(),llc'thingblindlv I)cliix:rutelr'.
lbn liinrr lrorros,ccl lncl lp.
l l i t ' c lG r c c k p l t i i r t s o l t l t vr , rh i c l t I t : r c il l o r - r n s l r c cl ol r r r tt r n t c i r c l i r r c I s l u - r n i r .
h i s tor-\ lrcglrn t(, .
t':iti i r l l S l r l l ri n t c r l l r t ' t u t l i i t t t c r ' : t r u t t l r r ( ] i u : i n s v r r t i t o J i c .
r l t in ( ) t l i t r l r l i \ : l : , l i t e t r - : r c l r t r t , r - r i i r r s io: u l rrl r l r l , r r c l i c i l t .
l c l r " ,l r n r r .
r r c s l i r i nu i r i c .
l t i r f r \ .
r ) r r ' , i l c t l l t ' r l i r r t 5 i r t l ts s t r t i i r o l r i r n l t r ' 1 ' l l r ' t l r t i oir, rn l s l l r r ) u ( ( l ( ) ( .
( r u t ( r.
ttlt'clr:t'lV I t r l l i t r : i n t i n t l r ' t .
' t ' r - , : , i v i ' i 1:)t r \ i o t , t C l r r c [ .
l t r l : f r l r t ' l t l t t .
l > 1 t t 1 r ! : r n 1 f il.
]llriir r c .
l i g r t - , rl t- r - t crl t s n ( ) l ) l ( , t l l l ( l t t i ( ) r ' .
i r ' ( .
:l s t l t i .
s v r i t i _ l t .
, l t t .
i r t c u n i n gn c c e s s l r n , / I l n c c _ c s s i l l l .
r ' ,l i l r t i s t l l e n i t s t t t i t : t n l l t t i e 'I f n o l .
u l r v c i o l r l u r o s r\ l r r s l u n t ' t i t i l t .
, s r > n h c r s ( r l t i ) i l l l \ i : / ( ' o n l 1 .
r1 1 1 1 1 ' l r , r 1 )1 t r Thc *imurginative faculq" of the prophet ) L ' c r i l r ( ) l l l i r t ' t ' k p l l i l o s r l l t l t r t : t l l l c r - s P c t' rl \ c .
l l t ( .
I ) l ) c n ( ) n l ( , l t ( ) n( ) f l ) r .
( , 'l-hcr p l l c ( \ ' l l .
s( ) n c t l ) c l l t ( ) s t l t l t s r c p i l l r r r o f r r r e v c u l c c l r e l i g r o n r s r e l r l l l n c t i t : t c i I t r ) l l l l l c - \ l ) r r l L ' n ( ' c t ( , c l c l r l u i r l i s r r c ' l ri s s u r u l t h o r .
r g h t l i c y h : r r l u l r c : r c l r .
t i t c i c l r .
' .
i n t r r i t i r > r t ' p r .
r ft i r n r ' : t r c l l r v A r i .
s t o t l t ' I n r - l e t r c li,t h : r t l n o r : l s r r ( ) n g p ( ) \ \ ' ( .
r s t l l c J ) r o p l ) c r ( \ ' h a c l , i c t a i c .
r n cr h c c l c .
r r r n i .
s s i i ) nb r o u g h t l r y a p r o p f i c c y i p l t t t l t t l t t l l r f t , ' .
l ' l c r ' : r L t s ,t ,' 1 l J l .
r l r r : : r : r r n .
I t ) n S r n .
ls c x p i l r n l t i ( ) l r .
r r r t l c l : t l r o n t t i o i t ( ' ( ) n ( ' ( r n r i n l lt l r e i < .
l c :or f P r r .
r p l r c r - r 'r.
r i ( ) s ti r r o h : r l r l v r .
sl t i s o r r n l ) t - , r s o n a l( ' ( ) n c e p ' Iton l l o l r t t l t t s .
- ( ) n ( c [ ) t i ( ) r l l,l r c r c l c u< t l s v r t r b o ] i .
r ' n t .
u n i r ) gr r l r t .
l i { l ( ) L l s c l ( ) c t r i n c ' : t n c l : t l s o t l t c ' n ) 1 1 r r n l ( ' : r n r n g o l t l t e * ' o r c l c c - Jv c r .
\ c s t r l \ \ r l l l ) ' r l r i l : r l l Il , , l l ,' r , .
A c c o r c l i n g t o I l t t t S l n l t .
t l t r ' [ ) r ( ) l ) l ) ( ' t , t l t e p h i l < .
s o p h c r a r r c ir n y s t i ( .
u r c i c l c n ricel in rlic'ir intcllcctual lcvcl W l t u t n r l r k e s u p r o p l - r c t c l i l l c r c n t f i ' i .
r r rt w ' g r .
r t [ L ' r s i s h i s s t r ( ) n g i n r a g i n a t i v e 1 : r c ' u l t t' .
A function peculiar ro the rmaginative f'aculryis figurizatiorr and symbollzlltlott.
Even'datr-rm,q'hether it is intcllercrualor sensible or enrotional, imaginatlon transfornr.
qir into vivid and potcnt svmbol capable of impelling to i c i i o n l f .
, o l l r a p p e r i t i v e f a c r r l t f i s i n a s t a t e o f p r e p a r e d n e s s ,s a y t o Nard.
spleasure, but is not strong enough to ntove the organisnl, the irnagina- -lr't! tlt.
59/l9Xl M.
Atitt Akhtllalt tive faculry stirs up symbols and images of pleasure so lively that they move the organims.
Al-FadblandlbnSinxappliedthiskindofexplanationintotherealnrof Imaginationmustnecessarily language since' not being an immaterial expresses tl'tis truth in figurative ,itCannotgrasptheunir'ersalandtheimmaterial.
Br'rtimaginationcan in ordinary n'aking lif-eit is engagnor alwavs perfo'rr this function because it reperceptual ancl intellectual fhcurlties:
ed as intenuecliery Lrerrv'eenthe ceir'essensualilrlagesfrortlref<lrtlter'actsupontherlbydivisionandconrbrnatr<.
,n.
lrr-rclpl:rcestll.
rtatthesen'iceofthertrirrcltclrpracticalneecisol Iife r' lnSlnlbeliert:cltlrlrttheproPnet.
anclspiritulltrutli,anclreceir.
esperticulariragesfronlthelrear'enlr'boclies.
Itcannotusual'representthcnlrkedtruthSinceitisor'erpronetosr'rnbolizationby.
hus,fr<-lrtr.
reearlr'beginninghestaned, beforegoirrg,intothecletailcliscu'ssiononthetlleanln!.
ltl-tc\'ersesofthe Quran'thebasicbeli.
']bnSlnlhadlrguedthat'hos\'.
in tlle propllec\'' ever, titerc rr'as a s1'rrlbolicaspect l'iris of his fund:rrllentel tl-tought in notior-ris Ven' significlnt ils the blsis frltrrlc*'ork in clellirrg $'ith religion l-risc-,ncru'rificcl svstcl c.
,fphilosolicltl rr'hrt notion rr ri ill bc harcl t() underst"lncl Vithout urasping this furncllrr.
rr'ith rcligtt'tr h e s a i c ll s a p h i l c l s o p h e rc l c a l i n g Stertingfr<-lrtr.
tiskinclotinrerprctaticln<lnthcessenceofprophecl'.
intelligible, and i: :
is in these situations rh:: ::
fleeting life on eanh T':.
: :
deducing thc unknosr n :: :.
s t a n te f l b r r a n d a c r i o n - .
- :
souls and then as bodres > and gocs to join rhe inlq.
tions, who is God He::: :
l ' i g u r a t i v e .
I t i s i n l f , c i t i t r : - .
It ts the soul anc .
- :
In such q'ar.
Ibn :::_ :
resurrection of human :rc::.
resurrection together \\:::.
The mannerin svh::: .
still berrer illustrated br ::.
sesof the Qur'an l: :.
a c c e p t e d t h e S c r r p t u r e s: : : : :
b o l i c a n c l n r e t a p h o r r c a , : r - .
of imagery.
that is in o:-:.
:- :-
unable ro apprecltre rhe ::_:
e c c e p t t h e S c r i p t u r e :.
: : c : , .
gences,which for ltun r.
fbund it idle ro induiqe :: -- dealtlr'itlrreligiouslattersfrorrlthelooplroleofitssyrnbolicmeaning.
The tl'ran its literal one b1' most Muslim sytllbolrc lncantng is trtore unclerlinecl shools of theologr' He s,__:.
t h e r n i n t o h i s s y s t e m :h e .
: : :
p h i l o s o P l t er s .
porting his inrerprerarror:
The symbolic meaning of religious lbnSrnl,obviously,wasunlrappyandf.
therearethingswhichthereligiouslan'laysdown'othersq'hi.
-rwecan ln lenghthy expositions he completely prove l>y reason and demonstration He certainlv acceprec i:C thority of Mu.
mmad 3_(:--.
f-endedon theoritical gro-:.
his faith.
But it can nor be Je:rl clisregardecltheresurrectionofthebo.
yanclclwellsonthereturnofthesoul n'ritings he knew so q'el.
,G:,
His interpretation ol ::= afieritsSeparatlonfionrtlrebody.
in the Qur'an, where GoC rs s:
byPlotinianideasonthelslamicworldthroughthesocalledTheologyof is a most revealing exampie :'i anitude he chose to ake He q'orld of the sense, a s-odc d Aristotle is achieved in atuining full intellecf i're Perfcction of the rational soul order of imprint of the fbrm of the universal tual knowledge, in receiving the AtJtn.
No.
5Y19%
that the senses desen.
es tc te Al*it'ah No.
SgIg% Tfu Mlm ofReltgtm tn lbn StM's phllNqbt intelligible, and in parraking of the Good that emanares is in these situations that it finds eternal existence, from God.
not in the pleasure of a essence of perfection by deducing the unknown from the known, and by striving rowards it with constant effort and action.
,Justas beings, originated first as intelligences, then as souls and then as bodies, so on its return the sour leaves the body behincr and goes to ioin the intelligences and through them the source of all emana_ tions, who is God.
Hence to speak of the resurrection of the body is only figurative lt is in f'act the release and the resurrection of the soul thar takes It rs the soui and nor body'that rs immortal.
In such way.
Ibn Sinls purel,v reasonal thought grasps the nreaning of resurrection of human being, q,hereas the orthodox wing srressesthe bodii' resurrection together s,ith .
soul resurrection.
fleeting life on earth.
The sour must preceive the The manner in which lbn Sini treated the doctrine of the ressurrectlon is still better illustrated by the interpretations that he placed on some of the verses of the Qur'an.
It is n,ith slncen.
, and in perfect good f-aith that he accepted the scnprures of his religion, but he considered the language synlbolic ancl metaphortcal.
meant to rnake the ideas rnore r.
'ivicl.
In fact, it is full of imagery.
that is in ordcr that ir shoulcl appeal ro rhe ordinary r'an r,hois unable to appreciate the true srgnificance of all that hc reacl Othenvrse.
accept the Scriptures literally and in their entirety is an aflionr to the intelligences, which for hirn *as .
something that is in divine essence divine.
fbund it idle to indulge in the fbrrnal exegesis associated q,ith the different shools of theology.
He sought phirosophicar meanings and he rncorporated thenr into his system.
he didn't hesitate to quore Greek phirosophers in sup_ porting his inrerpretations.
c':-li :.
/) He certainly accepted the doctrine of prophetic inspirarion, and the au_ thority of Muhammad as the Lawgiver of Islam: he both practised and de_ fended on theoritical grouncls, the ritual worship and religious obligations of his faith.
But it can nor be denied rhat for him, as fbr the Greeks of old whose writings he knew so well.
God's highest gift to man not faith but reason.
His interpretation of one of the most impressive and elevating in the Qur'an, where God is spoken of as "the light of the heavens and earth, rs a most revealing example of his religious writings.
and showed clearly the anitude he chose to take.
He still went funher and asserted that there is w'orld of the sense, a world of imagination, and a wodd of the minds.
that the senses deserves to be considered .
'the world of the graves, .
and the ai-hat'ah.
No.
SyI996 M.
Af,tin AMullab whicil needs According to hin, it is not only the doctrine of resurrection the religious laws similarlv inrerpretationfront the symbolic meaning, but I.
risbookRi-salarliadbau',iya,hewroteasfollows :
'Asf<lrreligior.
onegenenrlprincipleisirnponantnanrelythetrelrwith the gions encl their larls' procl-rieclby a prophet' seek to communicate .
e real ltrassesas a wnole lt is <il.
violrs that the cleeper rnr$,.
rr,hichleadtoth.
place it ts obvrous tirat he can not be pointeclto as existing in a perticular rhcsc,ll.
:epertruthscanrrotbepasseclontoth(:nlultrtrrtlt-'}.
thishacl Arabs ancl the crtrde been cotnunicateci in it.
s true form to the bedoin en<lqottlcl h:rve llebreu's.
the'"'rrould thev rccept \r'as unanlnl()rl:llycieciareclthrt the belref *'hich "'v''esbclief in an absolute nonentrry IbnSinlrStronglyheldthatifapersonspeakstltebaretruthtothepublic' clevoicl of cli'"'ine origin anci that the s rnessage lnusr be considerecl to be fbr the largest pan <.
unlanlt\' livmbols nlust retnatn the litcral truth Ibn Sini's mystical understanding '['he in ln Slnt s pltilosoI'robleln of religir-rnand its syt'nbolic .
eanlng phycannotbewhollyseparatedfronlhrstrcatiseonlvsticismScholars lbn sinx a ratronal nlvstic or :l have been unclecided as to $'l.
rether to call Therelavbelittleinhiscrrlrorkstosho\\'aninclinathe closing pages of one of his rron ton,arclsmvsticism.
And yet he cievotecl lnystic thought'n latest b<,roks,viz, the Isbarar' to tvhat i-savou'edly orthodox wing aCCuSlng !|/hen tlrere are many rr,riters, especiallr, appreciative to philosophl' than tcr irini as purely rationalistic thinker.
Qur.
anicteaching,thentherewillbelittledoubtindoingSuChaCCusation.
w c r e a d l t i s t r c a t i s eo n t n y s t i c i s n l ' which fbrm the parts ot a grear Ibn sinl wrote three visionary narratives cycledifferingir'rpointofviewfrornhisbener-knol'nPeripatetics,orksThese writingsConstitutealongwith.
leRifrlabfi'l-,isbqanclthelastciraptersofthe Isbdrat, most of what remains of his esoteric visions of author deintellectual Thel.
e narratl'es are the records itself constitutes all integral aspect of scribeci in a svmbolic language which lntlresenarrativeslbnSinihada symbols" through which the inivision of the Universe as a vast "cosmos of Al-loml'ab.
No.
tiate seekingDivine knc,r.
mos, insteadof being a:.
interior realig.
he seesa.
:_his own being.
Ibn Sini, despire : -.
always rried his bes: :: :-.
s p e c t l v e .
I t r s t r u e I l ' .
: : t : .
^ .
the utter nothingnes::: .
c l r a r a c t e r i s t i co f I : .
i : .
^ Q u r ' a n i c r ( ' \e l 3 i l .
: .
s c h o o l s v o u l r lp r : : : .
: i : :
p h i l o s o p l r vo f G r r .
: .
- .
s c s .
, i o rn, f t l t c l i t .
: - .
ln his book< .
:'.
n () t ( r u c l v f o l l , ' \ r .
u l r e n i h t ' G r t .
e i .
: :
real vics's rr'ac rr:::'a-ph!'-' A rnodernPe:s:,: .
P c ' r s r l nl u t l ) o r : .
- : ' .
lran and thc Neo P.
H Corlrin lmr .
--.
: .
siclersthe *'ord (--)r:c:.
:, : i l r g h t a n d n o t l u .
s tg c , ' i i - j : I]cv to the realnroi :i-- .
- A c l o s e s t u d v r .
) i: : : .
'Oriental sophr :.
s v s t e mo f d i a l e c r i cr t t - .
lonr or a "theosoph'.
tror this rvorld c''fin.
<::=-:.
sense that the speciir: :::
d i a l e c t i c a l .
I t s l a n g u a g e : : : : .
- : :
even if it begins \\ iil.
{::::.
:: .
cal ideas of Periparerrc::.
_>:
T h e O r i e n t a i P h r i , s _ : .
* ' .
: :
They were concc-meC r': -:_.
:rons for life in their so,:e:, )-l 4Jamt',eb,Ib.
tbe Mlefl .
&gtott tn lbn Stnaf pbilqby tiate seeking Divine knowledge, or Gnosis .
a'rifa.
musr travel.
The cosmos, instead of being an exterior object, becomes for the Gnostic ('ariJ) an interior reality.
he sees all the diversities of Nature reflected in the mirror of his own being.
Ibn Sinl, despite of his great admirarion for the Greek philosophers, always tried his best to make his philosophy conformable to the Islamic perspect!\.
'e.
It is true thar in nranv of his $'ritings he ctid not express the sense of the utter nothingness of the finite befbre the Majestv of the Divine rvhich is clraracteristicof Islantic .
spintuality,br-rrhe dicl trv ro confbrrn his idees t() the Qur'anic rer.
'elationa.
snruclt as ttre ratronalistic approacit in the pcripatetic school woulcl perrnit.
Iic llrvrrys kept before hirn the iclcal of cornbining thc:
philosoplrl' of Greek v'ith Hikmab or r{'isdorn rvhich u.
'asoriginallv rhcrp6s.
s e s i .
i o no f t l t c I l c b r c s ' p r o p h e t s a n d l a t c r r r - ' r ' c l l l c di n i t s f t r i l n c s sr n I s i u l r r In his books 'Motq al-.
Ilashriql1vl.
Ibn Sin:t clearlv stete.
ther lig u':i:.
n ( ) t t r u e l v f o l l o * ' c r o f t h c G r e e k p h i l o s o p i r < .
r sH e h a d a n a l t c r n r t r r t .
l c l e r r n ' h e n t i r e G r e e l .
p h i l o s o p h i ' c l o e s n o t f i t h i m a n v m o r e .
I I e s t r e s s e dt h a r l r r s real vie*'s rvas n'ritten in his 'Mantiq at-Mashrlqiyin or Oriental pirilclsr.
>pn,v -' A rnodern Persian scholar, easim Ghani.
like most other contenrpor.
i-icntal I)crsian aut.
ors, cortl.
I'hilosophy' to lic outsicle botli A.
istc>1.
,Iian and the Neo Platonlc sch<>ols.
H Corbin, has stuciicd thc question ofIsbraq nrost tlroroughly.
IIe"crrp.
si<lersthe wctrcJ'()rtental' as primarily' a syrnbolic terni signifying thcrre.
l 9f lighr and not jr-rstgeographrcal designarron.
'orienral philosopiry' rneans journcV to the realm of thc spirit ancl w'av fiom rhc prison of sense and rnarter,rl A close study of rhe esoterrc wrirrgs of rbn sine will reveal rhat the 'oriental philosophy' is not at all a philosophy in the rationalistrc sensc, ()r a system of dialectic to fulfill certain menral needs .
rather it is a fbrnr of ,*.
isdom or a "theosophy" which ha.
s fbr its purpose the deliverance of a man frorn this world of impedecrion to the 'worlcl of light'.
It is non-Greek in tire sense rhat the specific 'genious' of the Greeks of the historical perioc! u'as Its language is therefore primarily symbolic rarher than dialectical even if it begins rvirh Aristorelian logics and employs sorne of the cosmological ideas of Peripatetic philosophers The orientai Philosophv enrphasized'wisdom' and mystical experience'.
They were concerned not only to explain it but also to explore is implications for life in their sociery.
on the oriental interpreration, philosophy AQarrn'ab.
IVo.
Amtn AMullab 'Being' but also the concrete is not just an abstract and systematic account of has consequences for and practical search for genuine human happiness, it tilat this kind of human behaviour public ancl private.
uslv enough, influencecl rwo predenorion q.
,hich originally came fiom lbn sinir hacl muclt \west Tulayl in spain' the cessors Of Ibn Rushcl,namely Ibn Bajlah ancl lbn 'fwelfth century' ro part of lvluslim w'orld in Hossein Nasr cleFrom his deep and long research, eventual" Seyryecl 'Oriental Philosophy' can only be known cides tlrat the inner tneaning of the i n g e n c r l t la n c l t a s a w w u t i n t l r c l i g h t 9 l l l l n S l n a ' sr e h t i < l nt o l s l e l n i ce s o t e r i c i s l t t have strongly colourec l:: ireligion.
in particular.
spiritr'ral Acc-orclingto Sr.
rfisthellrsclves, tasarvrvuf is a set of'cloctrine' $'hich c.
nstitutes tecirniclues,ancl finally a grace or barakah, tlte totalitv .
'au'lti.
Unit-v tire essencc of Islarn, the rcalizatron 1n tirc rJornlin of cosnlolclgy, the l.
ite wclrks cji lbn Sinl gnostics (.
,)' .
polnts of srrnilaritywitlr rhe COnCeptlon.
Narure of tnc of the coslos' tilc iottrboth cases there is the concept of tire tnteriortz-ation a svm.
olic lnternret:ltion nev thrc.
,ughthe Universe to what iies above it, and of ril natural Phenornena.
spiritull \trti()n (.
l - h e r e f b r e , w h a t e v c r t h c e f l e c t i v e r e a l i z a t i o na n d r h e ( ' o l ) s c n lo l l l t s : t r v r r ' u f ' : r ntdh c ( ' x l ) r ( ' \ Ilrn Sini rrtlV hevc bcen.
ltis thctlrcticll his q'ork on "Oriental Phrsron ol rnanl' Sufi cioctrines ln the coslrtologv of Firstiy.
v"e nlay icientih' perrllts ursstucly him in nvo distirtct s'aVs as the nlost corllplete hrs eerl,v vu,orks,especially the Shifr' and the Naial' lslam' a school that expressions ol'the philosophy of I'eripatetic School L l y t l r c l l l t r ' s i c st , t \ v a s n - } u c hi n f l u e n c e d , e s p e c i a l l l ' i n t l r e c a s e o f I b n S ] n l .
AristotleandNeoplatoniscostnology.
Secondly'wemavstud\Ihecos.
lolrlgyofhislaterworkS,especiallytlrevisionarynarrative,asanearlr.
expreswere developed nlore fully sion of the doctrines of the Ishraqi school which cll ccnltin clettlcnt' ' l lltc in the lollowing ccnturies ancl as :r dcst'ripti,n gnostic concePtion o[ Nature'2- the purelv spl:::*i- .
,--'nraterialistic sv.
- -: :: - Fromtheseexplanation.
s'itprovestlrattherearerwokindsofsr.
*'ith the svmbolic nleanmeaning proposed by lbn Srni.
The first is concemed the religious doctrine and religious lasr's as ing of the verses of the Qur'an, by orthodon' The second opposei to the merely literal meaning proposed rituch as he bc-lrer:, :
symbolicmeaningisconcerne<lwiththegnosticorthem,vsticalexperience a s p e c t ,s o i t r * i l l f l r i n = :
andtheinnerunderstandingofreligiousperson'notmerelytounderlinedre aspects of symbolic meanlng external aspect of religious Pracdces.
These two Unfortunatell.
u:<- Atw'd.
If the comp-.
:-.
Al-Jamt'ab,No.
,--
TbePn*lern of Reilgtotn lbn Stna'spbtlqbJ) have strongly coloured Ibn sina's philosophy in dealing with the problem of The Psychological Law of Symbolizalist The mosr crucial point being suspecreclby the traditionalist and the orthodox wings rn the case of symbolic meaning of the vcrses of the eur'an introduced by' philosophers or mystics is the philosophical conception of reiigion - both its belicf and its laws - as a mere symbol which is entirely scparateclfronr thc realitv and their ignorance conccrning the practicul especr of' thc rcligious tcaching e.
xenrplified by daily activities of the I)rophct.
their <jiscrimineti','eoutlook bct\\'een the-orclinan, pcople or nlrss/,rs rvhich belong to the rcligior.
rsll'ntindecl one in one sidc ancl the higher rank o f t h e r t r r r ' i t i c i r b e l o n g t u t l r c p i r i l , l .
o p h c r .
so n t l r c o t l r e r s r c i c So.
not onl,v clicl this syrttbol-realitv dichotolrtv cut at the r.
()tsof thr-' t r a c l i t i o r l aIl s l a r t lb u t r i s o u g l t t t ( ) i n t r ( ) c l u c ca d i s t i n c t i o n o l t h c n a t u r a l l y ' p r i v i l e g c d a n d t h c n a t u r a l l v b a r r c c l r n s o c r c r \ .
t o u ' h i c h e s s c n t i a l e g a l i t a r i a n i s n i w a s a c a r d i n a l a r t i c l e o f t h e I s l a r r i i cf a i t h .
F o r r h a t r e a s o n ,t h e p h i l o s o p h i c a l c l i s t i n c t i o n .
i n f r c t , q ' a s i n c u r a b l e a n d f a r m o r e d a n g e r o u s t h e n t h e r n y s t i c strnctionbetn'een ti'rosel'raving an inner sprntuai lifc ancl thosc q,n6 n.
conrent oniv n'ith the external obsen'ance of the larr', fbr.
a para-rnystical clistinctron- that of Islinr and Iman - was accepted bl.
rs expressrng a distrnction q'ithin a rvhole, bcrween the spint ancl lencr of thc lan.
not an absolute separation of the two.
As a mattcr of thct, symbol is not nrerely vague symbol.
cxtremely sepurated fiorn reality, or passively resides in the realm of human imagination and has nothing to cictwitlt cxternal human individual or.
sgcial behariour on the contrary, thi.
ssynrbol has 'inner compulsion'which is called by Fazlur Rahman as Psychological Law of syrnbolization.
This notion will rnediate llerq'een rwo antagonistic interpretation.
sand will includc thc "J-echnicalRcvelation" or the practical aspect of that symbol.
Since the rnas.
can not grasp the purely spirirual truth, rhe prophets communicare this rrurh ro them in materialistic symbols and metaphors.
If the compulsory larv of symbolization is seriously taken, for it would, then, mean that the prophet himself believes in the truth of symbol iust as tuch as he believes in the truth of its spiritual inspiration and ir.
s practical aspect, so it will nrake a great problem fbr the philosophers.
Llnfortunateiy, these philosophers do not often do so.
Usually they sepa- Al-Jaml'ab.
No.
Amln AHutbb rate sharply between symbolic aspect and its practical aspect.
They look degeneratively to the Technical Revelationwhich works as political manoeuvre of mankind for a good end by a shrewd and good man through deliberate pious lies.
They said that when thesecontemplativeand practicalvirtues come to exist by themselves,e.
not figuratively, in the mind of the l^awgiver.
constitutephilosophy,while in the minds of massesthey are religion.
Religion, then, exists oly for the masses,for the prophet himself on.
' the highest prize of philosophy.
Religioussymbols, if they are to be properly understood,musl be interpreted.
But this interpretation can be only for the sake of a feru svho are posseseclof sufficient intelligence to understandit .
for the mass of dullards the letter of the revelation and the materialisticsymbols must remain the This doctrineis very common among the muslim philosophers.
This is why the whole accountof the Unity .
f Go.
in religionis anthropomorphism.
The Qur'an does not contain even a hint to the deeper truth about this imponant problem, nor a detailed account conceming even the obvious mattersneeded about the doctrine of Unity, for a part'of the account is apparentlyanthropomorphicwhile the other part containsabsolutetranscendence.
total unlikenessof God to His creatio.
but in generalterm.
without specification or detail.
The anthropomorPhicphrases3re rnnumerable but they .
the orthodox interpretersof the Qur'a.
do not accept rhem .
s they stanc.
If this is the position concerningthe Unin', n'hat of the less important mattersof belief as the resurrectionof the bodies.
the meaning of religiousobservanceand the inner spiritualmeaningof lslamic teaching.
What the philosopherscan not realize,in fact, is the intimate connection berween the symbol and its reality, and effect of the symbol in the practical life of human being to pursue the good life in sociery They onl.
the symbolic aspect of the religious doctrine without being conveved to apply the truth symbolized in materialword to the real five in the human society.
No matter how true their symbolic interpreUtion on the religious doctrine is, but if the society live in chaos-sincethey do not apply *'hat the truth dictates in their conscience in their practical life, so that symbolic meaning will be no much use.
It is rhe Technical Revelation,then, which impels people to action and to be good, and not purely intellecrual insight and inspiration' No religion therefore, can be based on pure intelleCt.
However, the technical revelation, in AlW'e4r*.
order to obtain the ne:ts,:-, the fact that it does nr: :-:' But to what ac:::: :_( moral insight inro je:::.
i n t o a s o c i o - p o l i t i c : .
: : : _ , - ' _- :
n a t i v e - r e v e l a t i o fnc : : - .
- - - ,
g i v c r : r n d s t a t e n l 3 : .
? -.
= : - - This nre e t, ' :
the prophet\tu:.
,:*: .
- - be suCh th3: :' ):.
- remind thenr G:': :: : :.
tneasureln :Ji: : ' a --.
: ,:_: -: -
attaln to a \':sl::.
The L:sr :s :.
:: ir--.
:':
cal visron ci t:e ::-::.
-is attarnec :L: .
-:- .
rt q'oulC s : : 1 .
l\ntc:,3t Jni.
::.
>-:'.
: _a'.
i:--- -i:3::
Ie:.
:--:i ornn ir^ r ''.
to be carei-.
-:r'.
n::'"":
: Li -:, _- : -__ : -<- -' ::.
--':f.
- - -
svmbolicapo::.
- :- :,.
-: lated to and c:.
::,-:-- .
--- -the practical ife :.
' --:.
---.
Religion can n-n :C i:,:'::
':r'.
religion corrunllr q'.
:, -*-",a The toahn c:j --.
-:-jhuman life and inre.
,e,-*-.
ses of religions *'tuch oc-".
Al.
mt'a4 .
Tbe Mletn of Rehgton tn lbt Shaf order to obtain rhe necessary qualify of potency, also inevitably suffers from the fact thar ir does nor present the naked rruth bur trurh in the garb of symbols.
But to what action does it impel'/ Unless the prophet can express his moral insight inro definite enough moral purpose, principles, and indeed into a socio-political srructure, neither his insight nor the porency of his imaginative-revelation be much use.
The prophet, therefbre, needs to be a Lawgiver and statemani indeed the real lon'giver and smtesmanis only a prophet.
Thi.
spractical crtterion throws into still bolcler relief of the per.
the prophet Muharnmad in the philosopher's mind.
The Larv (Syari,a.
must be such that it should be ef'fbcrir.
'ein nraking people socially goocl, shoulcl remind them God ar every srep, and should also serve for them as a pedagogic measure in order to open therr eves beyoncl rt.
'n extcrior, so that they mav attain to a vision of true spiritual purpose of the Lan,giver.
The Laq' is not abrogared ar any srage for anybody, br.
rtthe phitosophical vision of the truth giv'esto rhe Lan' its real meaning.
and when that vision is attained, the l^a*' seerns to be a ladder which one has climbed bur q,hich still be unn'ise to discard.
For those relatively unfortunate souls tvhrch can not see throught the law its philosophlc truth, the rechnlcal revelation and the latter of the Lan' must rernaln the literal truth.
it would Conclusion The problem of religion has to be approached fiom many differenr aslects l-he dichoromical approach, either from symbolic or literal approach, sr ril srve no much benefir fbr understanding the totality ancl the complexiry t n e p h e n o n r e n J o t r e l i g i o n s B o t h i n t e r p r e t a r i o n sh a v e t o b e c o n r e o n e s i n g l e unrired svsrent of approach Ibn Sint as a I.
slim philosopher had paved the way to undersrand religion from its absrract entit\'.
namely from an intellectual aspect, but we have to be careful in understanding his conception.
This conception, narnely the symbolic approach ro rhe religion has irs deep meaning only when it is related to and combined si'irh rhe literal approach which has a real contact with the practical life of rhe human being.
Religion can nor be approached only by either side of approach, since a religion commir si'ith the totalin' of the human life, not only to its intellectual The totaliry of human life includes psychological, social, and ethical, human life and inrellecrual aspecrs as well as some other aspects.
All analyses of religions which onJv emphasize on one aspect of human AI.
t'ab.
Ivo.
5Y19X
life will fall M.
Amtn AMullab into reductionism,and will not give us the real understandingof the totaliry of human being.
Fazlur Rahman'sapproach to the problem of religion in lbn Sina'sphilosophy has an aestheticrichness- not dichotomical approach as to cover and unite the both sidesof an antagonlsticapproacheso End Notes:
'$(/an.
Tlte Faitb and Practice oJ al-Gbazrtll ( Inndon.
George Allen Monrgomery and Unwrn l.
td , 1.
,P.
,AI-Ghazli.
TabaJut al-Falds.
b, translated by Sahib Ahrnad Kamali.
(Lrhore.
Pakisnn PhilosophicalCongress'1.
, p.
Selyed Hossein Nasr, /4r' Introdttctiort to Isl^trtic CosntologrcalDoctines.
(Gre?I Britain.
Thames and Hudson.
Lrd .
P 2O2'
Ibid.
-fhe Llni.
Fazlur Rahman.
Propbec.
yin Islam.
PbilosopbVand Onbodoxi', (ChicaSo versiry of Chicago Press.
Mrdway Reprint.
Soheil M.
Afnan.
Auicenrra.
HrsLife and Worles.
,ondon.
George Allen ancl Llnq'in Ltd.
, 1.
,P 168.
CamOliver Leaman.
An Introduction to Medieual Islanric Philosopb\'.
Cambrrclge bridge UniversiryPress,1.
' P.
1-1-14.
,soheil M.
Afnan, op.
13 and Oliver Leanran.
op ctt, p l-l Neq' York.
collier Books.
Mcmillan Publtshrng "AJ.
Arberry.
Tltc Qur',an Interpreted.
Company, 1955,P 73.
r,FazlurRahnran,op.
,p.
rammadAb[ zahnh.
Ibrr Tai.
'ah Ha\atubtt 'ASntbttArrt'ubu u.
'aFtqbttbrt' dZr al-Fikr al-Araby' 279-80' Irsoheil M Afnan.
,p 141 " Faziur Rahman, oP.
,P 36
" Fazlur Rahlnan,oP.
,P.
'rsoheil M.
Afnan, oP.
cit-,P 783 ''Quoted from Fazlur Rahman's fupbecy' p 42 '8Soheil M.
Afnan, op.
r" seyyed Hossein Nast' op ctt p.
2"Ibitl.
Ibid.
2'Loc.
24Ani Nasri, ,The ,Mystic' and Sociery According to Ibn Baiiah ancl lbn fufayl International Pbilosopbical Quaneilv, vol lO(M.
No 3, 1986' P 223 2sseyyed Hossein Nasr, oPcit p 191 ^ Ibkl.
'z1lbitl.
28FazlurRahman, o?.
8 lbitl.
i'Fazlur Rahrnan, op.
rrlbn Rushd, fal'iat Uiqdt f md baina al-tlibnab ttn al-Svari'ab mrn alJni$I.
Egypt.
Dar al Ma'arifl Egypr,1969, p.
*38
(Ed')' 12Fazlur nahman,llbn sine", /4 History of Mtslim Philosopbv.
M M' Sharif Al#rrl'ab, l,lo.
\blume One.
Germanr'.
Onc 'Ji.
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Voiunte on< /:
:-.
i:-,:.
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Rusdi: Ihr.
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