Introduction
The intellectual history of Islam is characterized by a profound dialogue between two primary modes of knowledge: Aql (Reason/Intellect) and Qalb (Heart/Intuition). While Western post-enlightenment thought often views these as contradictory, the Islamic trhttps://islamic-philosophy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/multiethnic-team-using-green-screen-tablet-to-over-MVKF9J9.jpgion, from the Peripatetic masters to the Gnostics of the Ishraqi school, sought a grand synthesis. This article explores the ontological and epistemological foundations of this harmony, providing a critical framework for contemporary researchers.
I. The Primacy of Reason in the Peripatetic School (Al-Mashsha’iyyah)
For figures like Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the Aql is not merely a logical faculty but a cosmic bridge to the Divine. Ibn Sina’s theory of the “Active Intellect” (Al-Aql al-Fa’al) suggests that human reasoning is a participation in a universal intelligence.
- Key Concept: Reasoning is the first step toward transcendence.
- Scholarly Insight: In his Kitab al-Shifa (The Book of Healing), Ibn Sina argues that logical demonstration is a necessary precursor to spiritual certitude.
II. The Epistemology of the Heart in Sufi Metaphysics
In the “Wahdat al-Wujud” (Oneness of Being) school of Ibn Arabi, the Heart (Qalb) is the only organ capable of encompassing the Divine Manifestations. Unlike the discursive nature of the mind, the heart perceives through Kashf (Unveiling).
- Analysis: The heart is dynamic, constantly changing (taqallub) to receive the ever-new self-disclosures of God.
- Scholarly Insight: As noted in the Fusus al-Hikam, the “Station of No-Station” is where the heart transcends the limitations of rational categories.
III. The Synthesis: Al-Ghazali and the Suhrawardian Light
Imam Al-Ghazali’s Mishkat al-Anwar (The Niche of Lights) serves as a bridge. He posits that the “prophetic spirit” is a higher level of the human intellect. Later, Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi founded the Ishraqi (Illuminationist) school, where logic (Bahth) and mystical experience (Ta’alluh) must go hand in hand.
- The Synthesis: Knowledge is a light that descends upon the soul only after rigorous intellectual preparation and moral purification.
Conclusion
The integration of philosophy (Falsafa), theology (Kalam), and Sufism (Tasawwuf) represents the peak of Islamic civilization. For the modern researcher, this legacy offers a holistic alternative to the fragmentation of contemporary knowledge, emphasizing that the “Reason of the Head” must eventually find its home in the “Reason of the Heart.”
References & Bibliography
- Avicenna (Ibn Sina). The Metaphysics of the Book of Healing. Translated by Michael E. Marmura. Brigham Young University Press.
- Ibn Arabi. The Ringstones of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikam). Translated by Caner K. Dagli. Great Books of the Islamic World.
- Corbin, Henry. History of Islamic Philosophy. Kegan Paul International.
- Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Islamic Philosophy from its Origin to the Present: Philosophy in the Land of Prophecy. SUNY Press.
- Chittick, William C. The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn al-Arabi’s Metaphysics of Imagination. SUNY Press