An Early Attempt at Unifying the Universe: Suhrawardī’s Concept of Miqdār
Journal Title: Nazariyat İslam Felsefe ve Bilim Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi - Year 2017, Vol 3, Issue 2
Abstract
Though sharing the general framework of twelfth-century Islamic thought and classical cosmology based on the theory of emanation in common with the Peripatetic school, Illuminationist philosophy diverged from it in conceptual and methodical terms and thereby acquired the self-identity of an original system of thought. Criticizing the Peripatetic theory of matter for being based on the concepts of matter and form, Shihāb al-Dīn Suhrawardī (1154-91) conceived a theory of body based on miqdār (magnitude) in order to supplement his designation of the universe captured in the notion of nūr (light). In accordance with the goals and motives of its time, this study analyzes his attempt with respect to the problem of defining the body, its constituents, and differentiation, and individuation. Isolating the body from non-sensible constituents and determinants (e.g., matter and form) and reducing it to sheer quantity, the Illuminationist theory of matter is viewed as an early attempt to transcend the Peripatetic dichotomies like matter-form, intellect-intelligible, sublunary-celestial, and so on in order to unify the corporeal universe.
Authors and Affiliations
İshak Arslan
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP296311
- DOI 10.12658/Nazariyat.3.2.M0038en
- Views 132
- Downloads 0
A New Source for Al-‘Amirı Studies: al-Majalis al-sab‘ bayna al-Shaykh wa al-‘Amirı
The unique copy of al-Majālis al-sab‘ bayna al-Shaykh wa al-‘Āmirī (Ragıp Paşa Library 1461, ff. 150a-162b) consists of seven sessions including fourty-one questions and answers. While the name of al-‘Āmirī (d. 381/992)...
An Analysis of the Section on Causality in Khojazada’s Tahafut
In this article, the nineteenth section of Khojazāda’s (d. 893/1488) Tahāfut, which was devoted to the problem of causality in an example of the works under the same title written during the fifteenth century and compose...
A Mathematical Analysis of the Theory of Horizontal Sundials in the Ottoman Period: The Case of Risalah of Ruhama
As the prayer times are determined according the sun’s position, the theory of sundials, how to draw and design them, hold a significant place in the history of Islamic astronomy. All Muslim scientists working on applied...
On Sayyid Sharif al-Jurjanı’s Risala fi taqsim al-‘ilm: Analysis and Critical Edition
This research focuses on the previously unpublished treatise by Sayyid Sharīf al-Jurjānī, Risāla fī taqsīm al-‘ilm. The research is based on comparative evaluation of available manuscipts and is composed of a critical ed...
The Debate on the Nature of the Science of Tafsir in the Tradition of Sharhs and Hashiyas on al-Kashshaf
The sharhs and hashiyahs written on al-Zamakhshari’s (d. 538/1144) al-Kashshāf formed an effective writing tradition and are connected to each other in terms of influence, quotation, rejection, objection, and answering....