Religion Studies: Islam: Islamic Philosphy

What kind of duty do we have to try to stop other people doing wrong? The question is intelligible in just about any culture, but few of them seek to answer it in a rigourous fashion. The most striking exception is found in the Islamic tradition, where 'commanding right' and 'forbidding wrong' is a central moral tenet already mentioned in the Koran. As an historian of Islam whose research has ranged widely over space and time, Michael Cook is well placed to interpret this complex subject. His book represents the first sustained attempt to map the history of Islamic reflection on this obligation. It covers the origins of Muslim thinking about 'forbidding wrong', the relevant doctrinal developments over the centuries, and its significance in Sunni and Shi'ite thought today. In this way the book contributes to the understanding of Islamic thought, its relevance to contemporary Islamic politics and ideology, and raises fundamental questions for the comparative study of ethics.

The key sources for the reconstruction of the early history of Muslim dogma are a group of texts ascribed to authors of the late first century of the Hijra. These texts bear on two major doctrinal controversies, the Murji'ite and the Qadarite, raising issues related on the one hand to the judgement of the events of the First Civil War, and on the other to the dilemma of predestination and free will. Part I and II of this study present a new source for the early history of the Murji'a, and argue new positions regarding the early doctrine and politics of the movement. Parts III and IV are an investigation of the authenticity and dating of this and half a dozen similar sources; the issues thereby raised are fundamental for the history of Muslim dogma, and have ramifications for the study of early Muslim history at large. The book also discusses the origin of particular Muslim doctrines in the religious and intellectual trends of late antiquity.

A clear picture of the main lines of philosophical development from the death of Muhammad in 632, to 950.

Although Islamic philosophy represents one of the leadingphilosophical traditions in the world, it has only recently begunto receive the attention it deserves in the non-Islamic world. Thisimportant text provides a concise and accessible introduction tothe major movements, thinkers and concepts within that tradition,from the foundation of Islam to the present day. Ever since the growth of Islam as a religious and politicalmovement, Muslim thinkers have sought to understand the theoreticalaspects of their faith by using philosophical concepts. Leamanoutlines this history and demonstrates that, although thedevelopment of Islamic philosophy is closely linked with Islamitself, its form is not essentially connected to any particularreligion, and its leading ideas and arguments are of generalphilosophical significance. The author illustrates the importanceof Islamic thought within philosophy through the use of many modernexamples. He describes and contrasts the three main movements inIslamic philosophy ? Peripatetic, Sufi and Illuminationist ? andexamines the Persian as well as the Arabic traditions. Widecoverage is given to key aspects of Islamic philosophy, includingepistemology, ontology, politics, ethics and philosophy oflanguage, providing readers with a balanced view of the discipline.The second edition has been thoroughly revised and updatedthroughout, including the addition of two new chapters on recentdebates surrounding Islam's need for an enlightenment, and on thefuture of Islamic philosophy. The new edition of Islamic Philosophy will continue to beessential reading for students and scholars of the subject, as wellas anyone wanting to learn more about one of the most significantand influential philosophical traditions in the world today.

This is the standard general account in English of Islamic philosophy and theology. It takes the reader from the religio-political sects of the Kharijites and the Shiites through to the assimilation of Greek thought in the medieval period, and onto the early modern period. Watt concludes with an analysis of Western influences on modern Islamic theology.