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Islamic Philosophy from its Origin Present to the Philosophy in the Land of Prophecy Seyyed Hossein Nasr ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY FROM ITS ORIGIN TO THE PRESENT SUNY series in Islam Seyyed Hossein Nasr, editor ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY FROM ITS ORIGIN TO THE PRESENT Philosophy in the Land of Prophecy Seyyed Hossein Nasr State University of New York Press Published by State University of New York Press © 2006 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitte in any form or by any means including elecronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, 194 Washington Avenue, Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210-2384 Production by Marilyn P. Semerad Marketing by Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Islamic philosophy from its origin to the present : philosophy in the land of prophecy / Seyyed Hossein Nasr. p. cm. — (SUNY series in Islam) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-6799-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-6800-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Philosophy, Islamic. I. Title. II. Series. B741.N384 2006 181'.07—dc22 2005023943 ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6799-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6800-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5) The Quranic revelation is the light which enables one to see. It is like the sun which casts light lavishly. Philosophical intelligence is the eye that sees this light and without this light one cannot see anything. If one closes one’s eyes, that is, if one pretends to pass by philosophical intelligence, this light itself will not be seen because there will not be any eyes to see it. —Mullå Sadrå • Contents Preface ix Transliteration x Introduction: Philosophy and Prophecy 1 PART 1. ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY AND ITS STUDY 1. The Study of Islamic Philosophy in the West in Recent Times: An Overview 13 2. The Meaning and Role of Philosophy in Islam 31 3. Al-¡ikmat al-Ilåhiyyah and Kalåm 49 PART 2. PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES 4. The Question of Existence and Quiddity and Ontology in Islamic Philosophy 63 5. Post-Avicennan Islamic Philosophy and the Study of Being 85 6. Epistemological Questions: Relations among Intellect, Reason, and Intuition within Diverse Islamic Intellectual Perspectives 93 PART 3. ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY 7. A Framework for the Study of the History of Islamic Philosophy 107 8. Dimensions of the Islamic Intellectual Tradition: Kalåm, Philosophy, and Spirituality 119 9. The Poet-Scientist ‘Umar Khayyåm as Philosopher 165 10. Philosophy in Azarbaijan and the School of Shiraz 185 11. The School of Isfahan Revisited 209 vii viii Contents 12. Mullå Sadrå and the Full Flowering of • Prophetic Philosophy 223 13. From the School of Isfahan to the School of Tehran 235 PART 4. THE CURRENT SITUATION 14. Reflections on Islam and Modern Thought 259 15. Philosophy in the Land of Prophecy Yesterday and Today 273 Notes 281 Index 343