Indian and
Persian philosophy
Unlike Greek
philosophy, the Indian and Persian influence on Islamic philosophy is
comparatively small; nevertheless some Arabic-speaking scholars engaged with Persian
and Indian ideas, particularly in the scientific realms.
In the
Abbasid era, Indian medical and astronomical works were translated into Arabic.
Al-Biruni (d. 440/1048) wrote on Indian philosophical and religious beliefs,
and Muslim theories of atomism carry a number of marked similarities to Indian
thought. A number of Persian aphoristic works and moral treatises were
available to the Arabs through the work of writers such as Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ (d.
139/756) and Miskawayh (d. 421/1030). Importantly, many great figures in
Islamic thought were Persians, including Ibn Sina, al-Razi and al-Ghazali.
Muslim
philosophy
The earliest
texts translated into Arabic were of a practical nature and concentrated on
medicine, alchemy and astrology. This led to a developing interest in more
theoretical and speculative works. Arab philosophers emerged during the
third/ninth century. The Abbasid caliphs were interested in learning and gave
financial and material support to translators and scholars. The first prominent
example of an Arab-Muslim philosopher is considered to be al-Kindi (d. circa
260/873). From the time of al-Kindi, Muslim philosophy became a creative
phenomenon that moved beyond translation and commentary and developed into a
distinct Islamic discipline.
Muslim
philosophers sought to integrate Greek thought into their Islamic framework and
were interested in harmonizing rationality and religious faith. While the
scholars of theology (kalam) sought to defend the revealed truths of the
Qur’an and the Sunna with proofs, those who took the path of philosophy (falsafa)
resorted to reason exclusively to disentangle the problems that beset the human
intellect. They viewed the Neoplatonic conception of the universe as consistent
with Islamic beliefs, in particular the apocryphal Theologia Aristotelis with
its doctrine of emanation. There are two main types of philosophic literature:
commentaries on texts and independent creative works. Both followed Greek
methods of organizing scholarly work.
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