PRIMARY SOURCES
Alfā Simb, Aḥmad Ibn Scribe, and Muḥammad Ibn Muḥammad Ibn Muḥammad Author Miṣrī. The Goal of Seekers, a Commentary on the Work “The Mother of Proofs”. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1712]
Bughyat al-Tālibīn li-mā Taḍammanatuhu Umm al-Barāhīn (The goal of seekers, a commentary on the work “The mother of proofs”) concentrates on the doctrine of the existence of God and God’s single and unique nature. The writer, Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Miṣrī, explains the meaning of the terms referring to the intimate knowledge of God, as well as belief in God, his angels, and his prophets. (LINK)
Tāl, ʻUmar Ibn SaʻĪd, Author. The Spears of the Party of the Merciful against the Throats of the Party of the Reviled. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1858]
Sufis (mystics) form an important element in Islamic society, and al-Hājj ‘Umar ibn Sa’id al-Futi Tal (1797-1864) provides in this work an explanation of their mystical doctrine and practice. He also discusses recognizing pious and holy mystics as saints and the value of their intercession on behalf of believers. The text stresses the practice of the Tijaniyyah order. Displayed is a diagram explaining the religious life of the mystics, which revolves around the teaching of their master. (LINK)
Al-Din Ali Ibn Al-Amdi, Sayf Contributor. A Summary Explanation of the Pronouncements of the Scholars and Theologians. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1799, 1500]
In this work, the author examines theologians’ and scholars’ approaches to various issues in Islamic law and society and offers an explanation of the pronouncements of these learned individuals. (LINK)
Al-Mukhtār Ibn Aḥmad Ibn Abī Bakr Al-Kuntī Al-Kabīr, Sayyid Author, and Muḥammad Bāb Al-Rashīd Ibn Muḥammad Al-Muṣṭafá Ibn Muḥammad Al-Bashīr Scribe Sūqī. The Rewards of the Enlightened for their Defense of the Status of God’s Chosen Saints.
This text explains the basic principles of Sufism, pointing out the various stages of knowledge that Sufi mystics pass through as their knowledge of God increases through their strict application of devotional discipline. Al-Mukhtār ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī Bakr al-Kuntī al-Kabīr, who died in 1811, further discusses the relationship between belief, Sufi doctrine, and knowledge of God. (LINK)
Ibn Rushd. “Ibn Rushd (Averroës), 1126-1198 CE: Religion & Philosophy, c. 1190 CE.” Fordham University Medieval Sourcebook. [Section from Kitab fasl al-maqal/ On the Harmony of Religions and Philosophy].
(LINK)
Guiding Questions:
- What, according to Ibn Rushd, is the purpose of philosophy? What is his stance on learning from ancient scholars?
- What, according to Ibn Rushd, is the relationship between reason, knowledge, and religious devotion?
Al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid. Kitab al-‘Ilm [The Book of Knowledge]. Trans. Nabih Amin Faris. Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1962. Read Section 1, Part 3 “Evidence [for the excellent of knowledge] from reason.”
(LINK)
Guiding Questions:
- The text mentions three categories of sought-after objects: those sought as a means to an end, those sought for their own intrinsic value, and those sought for both. Where does knowledge fall in this categorization? Do you agree with this assessment?
- The passage discusses the hierarchy of human activities, categorizing them into fundamental, auxiliary, and supplementary activities. How does the author link these activities to the order of the world, and why does he assert that politics, specifically in the pursuit of reform, holds a central and high position among these activities? Do you find this argument convincing?
Note: overview of full text available here: https://www.ghazali.org/rrs-ovr/
Berjak, Rafik and Muzaffar Iqbal (trans). “Ibn Sina- Al-Biruni Correspondence.” Islam & Science 1.1 (2005).
Guiding Questions:
- How do contemporary postmodernist and quasi-postmodernist perspectives influence the examination of the relationship between Islam and the scientific tradition in Islamic civilization? What kind of essentializing of Islamic science do these perspectives engage in?
- In what ways does the contemporary notion of Islamic science diverge from the historical evidence, including the inheritance, contributions, and innovations made within Islamic scientific tradition until the 15th century?
(LINK)
The Alchemy of Happiness, by Mohammed Al-Ghazzali, the Mohammedan Philosopher, trans. Henry A. Homes (Albany, N.Y.: Munsell, 1873). Transactions of the Albany Institute, vol. VIII.
Al Ghazali attempted to reconcile the Muslim faith with Aristotelian logic in this work on simple piety. (LINK)
Some Religious and Moral Teachings of Al-Ghazzali (Baroda: Lakshmi Vilas P. Press Co., 1921).
A selection of passages taken from Ghazzali’s longer works. (LINK)
The Philosophy and Theology of Averroes. Tractacta, translated from the Arabic by Mohammad Jamil-Ub-Behman Barod (Baroda: Manibhai Mathurbhal Gupta, 1921).
A collection of Averroes’ shorter works on religion, including the relation between religion and philosophy, the nature of eternal knowledge, and methods of argument and faith. (LINK)
secondary SOURCES
Abdulla, Adnan K. “Chapter 6: Translation of Science: Hunain ibn Ishaq.” In Translation in the Arab World. London: Routledge, 2020. 81-93.
Abdulla, Adnan K. “Chapter 7: “Did the Abbasids have a theory of translation?” In Translation in the Arab World. London: Routledge, 2020. 94-113.
Mirza, Mahan. “Believing is Seeing: The Universe in the Eyes of al-Bīrūnī and Ibn Sīnā.” In Light Upon Light: Essays in Islamic Thought and History in Honor of Gerhard Bowering, edited by Jamal J. Elias and Bilal Orfali. Leiden: Brill, 2019. 366-382.
Ihsanoğlu, Ekmeleddin. The Abbasid House of Wisdom: Between Myth and Reality. London: Routledge, 2022. 56-67.
Diyāb, Adīb Nāyif. “Al-Ghazālī.” In Religion, Learning, and Science in the ‘Abbasid Period, edited by M.J.L. Young, J.D. Latham, and R.B. Serjeant. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. 424-445.