Inspired Knowledge in Islamic Thought - Alexander Treiger

Inspired Knowledge in Islamic Thought

Al-Ghazali's Theory of Mystical Cognition and Its Avicennian Foundation
Buch | Softcover
188 Seiten
2014
Routledge (Verlag)
978-1-138-78942-5 (ISBN)
67,30 inkl. MwSt
This book argues that the Muslim theologian Abu Hamid al-Ghazali was a popularizer of philosophy more than its critic and that his theory of mystical cognition is based on the theory of prophecy of the philosopher Avicenna.
It has been customary to see the Muslim theologian Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) as a vehement critic of philosophy, who rejected it in favour of Islamic mysticism (Sufism), a view which has come under increased scrutiny in recent years.

This book argues that al-Ghazali was, instead, one of the greatest popularisers of philosophy in medieval Islam. The author supplies new evidence showing that al-Ghazali was indebted to philosophy in his theory of mystical cognition and his eschatology, and that, moreover, in these two areas he accepted even those philosophical teachings which he ostensibly criticized. Through careful translation into English and detailed discussion of more than 80 key passages (with many more surveyed throughout the book), the author shows how al-Ghazali’s understanding of "mystical cognition" is patterned after the philosophyof Avicenna (d. 1037). Arguing that despite overt criticism, al-Ghazali never rejected Avicennian philosophy and that his mysticism itself is grounded in Avicenna’s teachings, the book offers a clear and systematic presentation of al-Ghazali’s "philosophical mysticism."

Challenging popular assumptions about one of the greatest Muslim theologians of all time, this is an important reference for scholars and laymen interested in Islamic theology and in the relations between philosophy and mysticism.

Alexander Treiger is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. His research focuses on Islamic theology, Arabic philosophy, and Syriac and Arabic Christianity, with emphasis on the transmission of theological and mystical ideas from Late Antiquity to early Islam.

Introduction: A New Paradigm in Ghazālian Studies 1. Heart, Intelligence, Knowledge 2. The Science of Unveiling 3. Tasting and Witnessing 4. Inspiration and Revelation 5. Al-Ghazālī and the Philosophical Tradition. Conclusion

Reihe/Serie Culture and Civilization in the Middle East
Zusatzinfo 14 Tables, black and white
Verlagsort London
Sprache englisch
Maße 156 x 234 mm
Gewicht 294 g
Themenwelt Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Östliche Philosophie
Geisteswissenschaften Religion / Theologie Islam
Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie Spezielle Soziologien
ISBN-10 1-138-78942-9 / 1138789429
ISBN-13 978-1-138-78942-5 / 9781138789425
Zustand Neuware
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