Sedanet's Suggested Reading Path for Islamic Philosophy

Islamic Philosophy and Alternative Readings

Today, Islamic philosophy is in a state of stagnation and is not taken seriously outside its own specific sphere. One piece of evidence for this claim is that no trace of this type of philosophical awareness can be seen in any cultural domains. Western philosophies receive far more attention and favor than Iranian philosophies. Of course, year after year, centers and institutions are formed to promote and revitalize this philosophy, but all of them are carried out with government support, and no one or group turns to this philosophy spontaneously. Outside those centers and institutions, no one cares about the theories of Muslim philosophers on love, friendship, human relations, individual identity, feelings and emotions, the body, death, and so on, and they prefer Western alternatives. In general, the connection between Islamic philosophy and the life of contemporary human beings has been severed. The main culprits are the custodians of this philosophy, who do not present a suitable form of it. These individuals are methodologically and substantively still behind the times and continue to engage with this philosophy in the same manner as they did several centuries ago. They still dispute over the origination and eternity of the world; they write articles and compose theses. In the West, too, the dominant view is to regard this philosophy merely as an ancient heritage that has only historical value and does not, in itself, possess valuable philosophical meaning. For this reason, it is addressed in departments related to Oriental studies, Iranian studies, and Islamic studies. It is not taken seriously in philosophy faculties or departments, because it is fundamentally not considered philosophy. In their view, Islamic philosophy is, in fact, a collection of discussions about the dogmatic beliefs of a specific religion for a specific period (the pre-modern era). All types of Islamic philosophies are the same as traditional Islamic theology and are only useful for pre-modern believers.

Such a view of Islamic philosophy is incorrect. The semantic richness and the value of this philosophy's content are far greater than they initially appear. Secondly, this philosophy is not a finished and concluded body of knowledge. Many people think that Islamic philosophy is a set of specific questions with definite answers, where today neither those questions are a problem for anyone nor are those answers of any use. But the reality is otherwise. Islamic philosophy does not have such a fixed determination and is far more capable of new rereadings and diverse understandings than is imagined. Even a clear and precise philosophy like that of Avicenna is far more flexible than imagined and has the capacity to be understood in various ways.

For example, the late and renowned Arab philosopher Mohammed Abed al-Jabri (1936–2010) considered Avicenna the greatest founder of obscurantist and superstitious thought in the Islamic world, which caused many of the intellectual calamities that followed. In the view of this Maghrebi philosopher, Avicenna was the destroyer of science, reason, and philosophy. Of course, Abed al-Jabri is not merely a critic and opponent of Avicenna. He views all the Eastern philosophers of the Islamic world, who are almost entirely Iranian, in the same way; that is, he extends this theory to philosophers such as Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadra as well. In contrast, he lavishly praises the Western philosophers of the Islamic world, especially Averroes, and considers the only path to the salvation of Islamic culture and civilization to be a return to the philosophy of Averroes; because, in his opinion, within the field of Islamic philosophy, only some of the philosophers of the Islamic West, such as Averroes and Ibn Khaldun, were able to escape the domination of Avicenna's harmful and destructive philosophy. Even today, only by turning away from this philosophy and turning towards the philosophy of Averroes can we hope for a better future. Henry Corbin (1903–1978), unlike Abed al-Jabri, considers Avicenna the founder of spiritual thought in the Islamic world, through a return to whose authentic ideas one can still find deliverance from the contemporary cultural crisis. The purpose here is not to judge the correctness or incorrectness of these thinkers' views, but rather to show that Islamic philosophies are capable of various understandings and different readings. When the clear and precise philosophy of Avicenna is like this, other philosophers, a fortiori, possess such a capacity. This itself demonstrates that Islamic philosophy has the potential to yield diverse understandings. Moreover, Islamic philosophy was very fruitful in the past. It can be so now as well, and there is no reason to consider it a dead or obsolete philosophy. The various readings of Islamic philosophies are not limited to Abed al-Jabri and Henry Corbin. Various individuals with diverse tastes have pursued and are pursuing such an aim, and have conducted research on this philosophy with a different perspective, who and whose works will be mentioned at the end.

All these individuals, despite their differences in perspective and conclusions, share the common ground that they have striven in their works to offer a new perspective and a contemporary reading of Islamic philosophies and to show that the issues raised in this philosophy are not local or regional; in the sense that the problems of Islamic philosophy are not intra-discursive and specific to a limited, closed culture. They believe that these issues are universal; that is, the problems raised by Muslim philosophers are entirely of the same kind as those with which the great Western philosophers have wrestled and continue to wrestle. Their theories are also answers to those same important and eternal questions of the great philosophies of history. Therefore, the discussions of Islamic philosophy find a place at the heart of contemporary philosophy, have the potential for serious dialogue and connection with other modern philosophies, and offer many benefits for contemporary human beings. Of course, the value of these works is greater than merely being studied with this perspective. The intelligent reader will also gain many insights from them.

In conclusion, we emphasize once again that Islamic philosophy is not a finished body of knowledge, but an intellectual horizon along which one can think about contemporary issues and philosophize about many matters. The claim is not that Islamic philosophy is the best possible philosophy. Such a claim is extravagant and meaningless for any philosophy. The point is that Islamic philosophy is as useful as any other philosophy, possesses philosophical value, and should be placed alongside other philosophies and taken just as seriously.

What follows is a list of books in which a contemporary reading of Islamic philosophy can be observed. The authors, with different perspectives, present a contemporary form of this philosophy in a new language to the reader. None of these works are recommended for the beginner reader, and having at least a minimal familiarity with the discussions of Islamic philosophy is a necessary condition for a proper understanding of these books. Just as these works differ in subject and theme, they are also not on the same level. Here, we have generally arranged them into two categories: intermediate level and advanced level. Within each level, the order of the works has generally been from easier to more difficult, although due to significant differences in content, this precedence cannot be considered very logical.

A) Intermediate Level (suitable for those with at least an undergraduate background in Islamic philosophy):

 

1_ Islam of the Philosophers / Manji Lesud / translated by Mohammad Baher / Negah-e Moaser Publications

2_ The Restless Institution of the World / Abdolkarim Soroush / Serat Publications

3_ The Heart of Islamic Philosophy (In Search of Self-Knowledge in the Teachings of Afzal al-Din Kashani) / William Chittick / translated by Shahab al-Din Abbasi / Morvarid Publications

4_ History of Islamic Philosophy Volumes 4 and 5 edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Oliver Leaman / Hekmat Publications

5_ The Neo-Mu'tazilites / various authors / translated by Mohammad Reza Vasfi / Negah-e Moaser Publications

6_ Allameh Tabatabai's Constructed Perceptions and the Philosophy of Culture / Ali Asghar Mosleh / Roozegar-e No Publications

7_ Iranian Philosophy and Comparative Philosophy / Henry Corbin translated by Javad Tabatabai / Minou-ye Kherad Publications

8_ Farabi, Philosopher of Culture / Reza Davari Ardakani / Sokhan Publications

9_ We and the History of Islamic Philosophy / Reza Davari Ardakani / Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought

10_ The Adventure of Philosophical Thought in the Islamic World (3-volume set) Gholamhossein Ebrahimi Dinani / Tarh-e No Publications

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B) Advanced Level (suitable for those with at least a master's background in Islamic philosophy):

 

1_ A New Reading of the Life and Philosophy of Ibn Rushd / Mohammed Abed al-Jabri translated by Seyyed Mohammad Al-e Mahdi / Nasl-e Aftab Publications

2_ A Compendium of Universal Metaphysics / Frithjof Schuon translated by Reza Kourang Beheshti and Fatemeh Sanei / Hekmat Publications

3_ The Foundation of Sabzevari's Wisdom / Toshihiko Izutsu translated by Seyyed Jalal al-Din Mojtabavi / University of Tehran Press

4_ Reason in Peripatetic Wisdom / Ali Morad Davoudi / Hekmat Publications

5_ History of Islamic Philosophy / Henry Corbin / translated by Javad Tabatabai / Minou-ye Kherad Publications

6_ The Philosophy of Mulla Sadra with a New Look on the Scales of Critique Fazlur Rahman / translated by Mehdi Dehbashi / Risman Publications

7_ Tradition and Modernity / Mohammed Abed al-Jabri translated by Seyyed Mohammad Al-e Mahdi / Donya-ye Eqtesad Publications

8_ Rereading the History of Philosophy in the Islamic East / Mohammed Abed al-Jabri translated by Esmail Baghestani / Hermes Publications**

9_ We and Our Philosophical Heritage / Mohammed Abed al-Jabri translated by Seyyed Mohammad Al-e Mahdi / Sales Publications**

10_ A New Reading of the Philosophy of the Maghreb and Andalusia / Mohammed Abed al-Jabri translated by Seyyed Mohammad Al-e Mahdi / Sales Publications

11_ Introduction to al-Mashāʿir / Henry Corbin / Translated by Karim Mojtahedi Sadra Islamic Philosophy Foundation Publications

12_ Spiritual and Philosophical Perspectives of Iranian Islam (Volume Two) Henry Corbin / Translated by Enshallah Rahmati / Sophia Publishing

13_ How Metaphysics is Possible / Mehdi Qavam Safari Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought

** There are overlapping sections between item 8 and item 9.

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PDF file of Sedanet's Suggestion for an Islamic Philosophy Reading Path

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Author: Dr. Ali Ghazalifar

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With thanks to the other friends who assisted Sedanet in compiling this piece:

Dr. Yaser Mirdamadi

Hossein Karimabadi

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