Tag Archive for: Islamic Cosmology

The Epistle of Ya qub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi on the Device for Dispelling Sorrows

ABSTRACT

“Although less technical philosophically than many of al-Kind‡¯’s known treatises, this Epistle remains basic for understanding the spirit that underlies his thinking. Socratic, yet very Kindian in spirit, this Epistle displays its author’s tendency to harmonize Greek philosophy and Islam, particularly as this relates to ethics, and his belief in man’s free will and reason. To him, sorrows may be caused either by our own actions or by the actions of others. It is up to us to choose to do or not to do what saddens us. Through reason we can eliminate some of the causes of sorrow when we perceive the intellectual world, and derive from it things desired. Though this Epistle has a significant share of the linguistic and stylistic complexities characteristic of al-Kind”

Al-Kindi, On The Device For Dispelling Sorrows (trans. Jayyusi-Lehn)

Al-Kindi, On The Device For Dispelling Sorrows (trans. Jayyusi-Lehn)Download

Equilibrium and Realization: William Chittick on Self and the Cosmos by Muhammed Rustom

Abstract:

“William Chittick, currently professor of religious studies at the State University of New York (Stony Brook), is an internationally renowned expert on Islamic thought. His contributions to the fields of Sufism and Islamic philosophy have helped paint a clearer picture of the intellectual and spiritual landscape of Islamic civilization from the seventh/thirteenth century onwards. Yet Chittick is not simply concerned with discussions in Islamic thought as artifacts of premodern intellectual history. His vast knowledge of the Islamic intellectual tradition serves as the platform from which he seeks to address a broad range of contemporary issues. In this short essay, I will outline Chittick’s writings on the self within the context of his treatment of cosmology. Rather than being outdated ways of looking at the universe and our relationship to it, Chittick argues that traditional Islamic cosmological teachings are just as pertinent to the question of the self today as they were yesterday.”

Equilibrium and Realization – William Chittick on Self and the Cosmos by Muhammad Rustom

Equilibrium and Realization - William Chittick on Self and the Cosmos by Muhammad Rustom