Arab-Islamic reception of Hellenistic science

This article is an overview of the Arab-Islamic reception and development of Hellenistic science. It particularly refers to mathematics, physics and astronomy. It focuses on the following topics: 1) Two interpretative models of this reception in the 19th, 20th, and 21st century scholarship: the “Indo-European model” (which supposes a cultural heterogeneity between Greece and Islam) and the “cosmopolitan Hellenistic model” (which supposes homogeneity between the two). 2) The channels through which Hellenistic science was transmitted to the Islamic world: the philological channel, and the oral channel which implies the pre-existence of a common Greek-Semitic cultural ground that made this transmission possible. 3) Three features of the Arab-Islamic sciences that highlight their essential contribution to the emergence of modern science in 16th and 17th century Europe: 3.1. The “democratising” character of the Arab-Islamic sciences resulting from a larger diffusion of literacy. 3.2. The higher precision of measurements and calculations. 3.3. The experimental approach of Muslim scientists. A positive role in the accomplishment of these advances has been played by the non-metaphysical character of orthodox Islamic monotheism. According to Muslim orthodoxy, there are no Neo-Platonic intermediaries between the almighty God and his creation. The whole universe is submitted to the same physical laws. I argue that today it is important to open an interdisciplinary debate on the Arab-Islamic sciences. It would certainly lead to a better appreciation of their historical contribution. It could also suggest answers to contemporary epistemological impasses deriving from the growing gap between the humanities and the sciences.status: publishe

RELASI CINTA DALAM TASAWUF

Abstract: This article discusses the relationship of love in the Sufi perspective. Opositorum Coindencia theory is used to dissect this relationṢip , so that the devil Sufism is seen as a "sparring partner" in human spiritual quality improvement activities. This article shows that the Sufi tradition mainly in Waḥdah al-Wujūd, using imaginal thinking mindset see and understand the duality (bipolar), even though this diversity is unity of opposites. In the context of Sufi, masculinity—whichstated that the dominant sociological—declared substantially have "weaknesses." Because masculinity will not appear if there is no femininity. While in the context of the birth of the universe and the form of anything that is in fact born out of the urge of love that goes on this feminine category. In other words, masculinity will not be born if it is not driven by the feminine aspect. This is the "mystery of immense power" aspect of femininity in Sufi discourse. Thus, there is nothing more superiority between these two aspects. Relation is equal based on and effect of love. Abstrak: Artikel ini membahas tentang relasi cinta dalam perspektif Sufi. Teori Coindencia Opositorum dipakai untuk membedah relasi ini, sehingga dalam Sufisme setan dipandang sebagai “sparing partner” manusia dalam melakukan kegiatan peningkatan kualitas ruhani. Artikel ini menunjukkan bahwa tradisi sufi terutama dalam tasawuf waḥdat al-wujūd, dengan menggunakan pola pikir imaginal thinking melihat dan memahami dualitas (bipolar), bahkan keragaman sekalipun ini adalah unity of opposites. Dalam konteks sufi, maskulinitas—yang dinyatakan yang secara sosiologis dinyatakan dominan itu— secara substansial memiliki “kelemahan”. Karena maskulinitas tidak akan muncul jika tidak ada femininitas. Sementara dalam konteks lahirnya wujud semesta dan apapun yang ada justru lahir karena dorongan cinta yang masuk pada kategori feminin ini. Dengan kata lain, maskulinitas tidak akan lahir jika tidak didorong oleh aspek feminin. Inilah “misteri kekuatan dahsyat” aspek femininitas dalam wacana sufi. Dengan demikian, tidak ada yang lebih superioritas antara dua aspek ini.Relasinya adalah setara berdasar dan akibat dari cinta. Keywords: Waḥdah al-Wujūd, sufi, feminitas, maskulini¬tas, ḥubb

Whose secret Intent?

Hulegu Khan's arrival in Iran circa 1254 has often been depicted in a negative light. This article seeks to show how Hulegu Khan's advent was welcomed by the Iranian elite who saw the Ilkhanate as an escape from Arab domination and their hitherto pariah, peripheral status in relation to the Chinggisid Empire. Inclusion in the Chinggisid Empire allowed Iran access to global markets and facilitated their influence with other parts of the empir

The Sufi Poems of Love: Al Busiri’s Burdah through The Lens of Rumi

Examining the Maḥabbah concept has unavoidably become an interesting study, particularly via tasawuf lenses. Maḥabbah is a spiritual phase that Sufis encounter in many forms and expressions. Many Sufi leaders documented their experiences in literary works, including al-Busiri’s Burdah poems. A work that is regarded to be high literature consists of compliments to the Prophet Muhammad Saw. The purpose of this study is to discuss the Maḥabbah literature of al-Busiri’s Burdah and how the school of love is internalized in his work, where both concerns are examined through Rūmī's literary conceptions that highlight the Maḥabbah as the means of his tasawuf characteristic. This paper is qualitative library research. This study revealed that the Burdah of al-Busiri matches Jalāluddīn Rūmī's expression, which used metaphors, symbolization of love, and the conception of Maḥabbah.Contribution: By investigating Jalāluddīn Rūmī's notion, this study provides understanding and showing the Maḥabbah values found in al-Busiri's Burdah poems while also illuminating features of the historicity of tasawuf around it

The Gaze and a Sufi Ethics of Vision in Majidi’s The Willow Tree: Form, Meaning, and the Real

In his 2005 film The Willow Tree (Bīd-i Majnūn), Majid Majidi offers a complex moral commentary on the faculty of sight. To do so, the filmmaker draws from Sufi theories of gazing, in which desire must be for ultimate meaning (maʿnā), as conveyed through the vehicle of perceivable form (ṣūra), a distinction with both metaphysical and ethical implications. Majidi presents sight, when devoid of contemplation, as a sort of voyeurism, especially in contrast to the privacy and immediacy of speech and especially within the context of the modern city. Moreover, his use of a blind protagonist whose sight is suddenly restored makes Jacques Lacan’s (d. 1981) psychoanalysis an especially useful tool for understanding the implications of Majidi’s film: In Majidi, much as in Lacan, the gaze undoes barriers and a sense of self-mastery, arousing the protagonist’s obsession with the void and an insatiable desire. Through references to Sufi ethical writings and a protagonist morally defeated by the image-centric media of contemporary urban Iran, The Willow Tree explores problems of representation and commodity fetishism. The resolution is a response to what might be called “moral voyeurism” that highlights and laments the artificiality of modernity’s objects of desire

The Contextuality of Tafsir Ma\u27ālim al-Tanzīl by al-Baghawī (Revisiting Tradition and Embracing Modern Values)

This research is conducted based on two facts: (1) the bias of modern-period commentators who tend to stigmatize classical exegesis as being subjective to schools of thought and scholarship, leading to the emergence of the concept of the Qur\u27an as guidance; (2) it is found that the concept of the Quran as guidance has been mentioned by classical commentators, as articulated by al-Baghawī in the introduction to his exegesis. Therefore, this research aims to offer a counter-narrative to the “negative stigma” against classical exegesis, perceived as non-contextual, by focusing on al-Baghawī’s Ma‘ālim al-Tanzīl as the subject matter. Employing a philosophical approach, the characteristic theory of Fahd al-Rūmī’s exegesis, and a critical-analytical method, this research concludes that Ma‘ālim al-Tanzīl exhibits characteristics through the use of the ma’thūr exegesis method, firmly rooted in the tradition of early interpretation, namely interpreting the Quran with the Quran, with Hadith, with the sayings of the Companions (Ṣaḥabī), and with the sayings of the Successors (Tābi‘īn). In addition to being based on narration, this exegesis also draws interpretations from the various recitations of the Quran and analyses of Arabic sciences. Although adhering to tradition, the contextual relevance of Ma‘ālim al-Tanzīl exegesis does not lie in directly addressing contemporary issues but rather in the revelation of morally universal values that remain pertinent to the current context.Penelitian ini dilakukan berangkat dari dua fakta: (1.) tesa Mufasir periode modern yang cenderung menstigma tafsir klasik sebagai tafsir yang syarat subjektivitas mazhab dan keilmuan, yang kemudian dari kritik ini lahir konsep al-Qur’an sebagai hudan; (2.) ditemukan bahwa konsep al-Qur’an sebagai hudan telah disinggung oleh Mufasir klasik, sebagaimana yang dituliskan oleh al-Baghawī dalam mukadimah tafsirnya. Oleh sebab itu, penelitian ini hendak menawarkan anti-tesa atas “stigma negatif” terhadap tafsir klasik yang dinilai tidak kontekstual dengan menempatkan kitab tafsir Ma‘ālim al-Tanzīl karya al-Baghawī sebagai objek materi. Menggunakan pendekatan filosofis, teori karakteristik tafsir Fahd al-Rūmī, dan metode kritik-analitis, penelitian ini menghasilkan bahwa tafsir Ma‘ālim al-Tanzīl memiliki karakteristik dengan digunakannya metode tafsir bi al-Ma’thūr yang berpegang teguh pada tradisi penafsiran salāf, yaitu tafsir al-Qur’ān bi al-Qur’ān, bi al-Hadīth, bi Qawl al-Ṣaḥabī, dan bi Qawl al-Tābiīn. Selain berbasis riwayat, tafsir ini juga mengambil penafsiran dari qiraah al-Qur’an dan analisis al-‘ulūm al-‘Arabiyyah. Meski berpegang pada tradisi, letak kontekstualitas tafsir Ma‘ālim al-Tanzīl bukan berada pada tafsir yang secara langsung menjawab problem kontemporer, tetapi terletak pada tersingkapnya nilai-nilai moral-universal yang masih relevan dengan konteks kekinian

The critique of religion as political critique: Mīrzā Fatḥ ʿAlī Ākhūndzāda's pre-Islamic xenology

(Awarded the International Society for Intellectual History’s Charles Schmitt Prize) Mīrzā Fatḥ 'Alī Ākhūndzāda’s Letters from Prince Kamāl al-Dawla to the Prince Jalāl al-Dawla (1865) is often read as a Persian attempt to introduce European Enlightenment political thought to modern Iranian society. This essay frames Ākhūndzāda’s text within a broader intellectual tradition. I read Ākhūndzāda as a radical reformer whose intellectual ambition were shaped by prior Persian and Arabic endeavors to map the diversity of religious belief and to critically assess the limits of religion. That Ākhūndzāda’s critique of religion reached further than that of his predecessors is due in part to the influence of the European Enlightenment, but Ākhūndzāda’s form of critical reasoning was also substantially shaped by prior early modern intellectual genealogies

Die Korrelation zwischen dem Schöpfer und der Schöpfung in Masnavī von Rūmī

Ǧalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī ist ein Sūfī-Autor und Masnavi ist das berühmteste Werk von Rūmī, welches aus sechs Bänden mit insgesamt sechsundzwanzigtausend Zweizeilern besteht. Obgleich Masnavī in viele Sprachen übersetzt wurde, gibt es wenige Masnavī-Forschungen, die die unterschiedliche, einander ergänzende Symbole und Metaphern inhaltlich und systematisch analysieren. Außerdem bin ich bis jetzt auf keine Forschungsarbeit unter den Akademikern gestoßen, in der Rūmī mit Ibn ʿArabī ausführlich verglichen wurde. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Rūmīs Gedanken mit denen von Ibn ʿArabī gegenübergestellt. Auch wurde aus den Werken von ʽAttar zitiert, da er und Rūmī in ihren Gedichten ähnliche Symbole und Metaphern verwenden, um ihre Gedankenwelt zum Ausdruck zu bringen. Das Hauptziel der Dissertation war es, im Allgemeinen die Korrelation zwischen Gott und dem Mensch ontologisch und epistemologisch zu analysieren und die Weltbilder von Rūmī zu erwähnen. Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation sollen Antworten auf folgende Fragen gefunden werden: Stimmt Gottesvorstellung Rūmīs mit dem Gedanken der Einheit des Seins über? Was bedeutet Sein und Nichtsein aus Rūmīs Perspektive? Wie kann man die Begriffe Liebe und Gottesliebe aus dem Blickwinkel von Rūmī mit Inhalt füllen? Was bedeutet die Liebe aus ontologischer Sicht? Ist der Mensch Stellvertreter Gottes auf Erden oder nicht? Wie kommentiert Rūmī die Vertreibung Adams aus dem Paradies, wie steht er zu Fragen des Schicksals, des Guten und des Bösen? Wie kommentiert Rūmī der Wille des Menschen? Um auf diese und ähnliche Fragen antworten zu können, konzentriert sich die vorliegende Arbeit auf Masnavī und die anderen Werke von Rūmī wie Fīh-ī mā fīhī und Divān-i kabīr. Um ein deutlich konturiertes Bild von Rūmī zu erstellen, wurde das Gedankensystem von Rūmī mit dem Ibn ʿArabīs verglichen. Rūmīs Metaphern führen uns zu dem Gedanken der Einheit des Seins, obgleich Rūmī diese Idee in seinen Werken nicht systematisch bearbeitet wie Ibn ʿArabī es tut. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden Ähnlichkeiten zwischen der Gottesvorstellung von Rūmī und Ibn ʿArabī festgestellt. Nach Rūmī ist die Welt und der Mensch ein Spiegelbild, die die Eigenschaften Gottes reflektieren. Außerdem ist die Welt kein Mechanismus, der nach seinen eigenen Regeln funktioniert, sondern ein passives Objekt. Die Diskussion erinnert uns an den Occasionalismus. Nach Rūmī ist für eine Vorstellung des Universums nicht Kausalität sondern auch Occassionalismus ausschlaggebend. Liebe und Gottesliebe sind wichtige Begriffe in Rūmīs Werke. Um Gottesliebe zu erläutern, scheint die erste Vereinbarung der Seelen mit Gott als wichtiges Argument aus Rūmīs Blickwinkel. Vor der Erschaffung Adams wurden zuerst die Seelen erschaffen und die Seelen bekannten Gott als Ihr Herr. Damit wurde die „erste Vereinbarung“ zwischen Gott und dem Menschen geschlossen. Die „erste Vereinbarung“ wird in seinem Gedankensystem mit der Urbekanntschaft erklärt. Dieser Gedanke zeigt, dass der Mensch durch die Gottesliebe nicht seine Urbekanntschaft verlieren möchte. Jede Liebe ist zu suchen. Jede Liebe zeigt, dass der Mensch seine Einsamkeit vermindern und seinen Durst beheben möchte. Die Liebe von Mensch zu Mensch ist auch zu suchen, wenn sie nicht sinnentleert werden und durch die Reduzierung auf die körperlichen Begierden ihre Bedeutung und Tiefe verlieren soll

IBN ARABI'S CREATIVE IMAGINATION IN ODHY POETRY OF SUFISM FIGURES IN HIS ANTHOLOGY RAHASIA SANG GURU SUFI

This research aims to analyze the Sufism figure in Odhy poetry anthology Rahasia Sang Guru Sufi through Ibn Arabi's creative imagination. The Sufism figure has an important role in the Sufism discourse, and creative imagination is related to literary discourse. Ibn Arabi’s creative imagination combined indicated Ibn Arabi himself and his imagination. Ibn Arabi’s thought is compatible with the literature and applied as a theoretical approach to mystical literature, namely the work of Odhy, the Sufism figure poetry. Those terms denote part and relate to Sufism studies, especially a murshid (guru) to guide the spiritual guidance through stations until the peak. Those path finders indicate the creative imagination that Odhy used in his poetry collection; at the same time, the literature has related to that imagination. This research reveals the mutual connection between literature and Islamic mysticism based on imagination. This figure is a person who wrote down his role in the discourse and history of Sufism. The data on Sufism figures are collected through the descriptive method from the primary source of those anthologies. Besides, the historical approach explains his poetries in those anthologies. This research found the Sufism figures as a thought in Islamic Mysticism in history through Ibn Arabi’s creative imagination and an image resource in literature