Tag Archive for: Islamic Philosophy

“Decolonizing the Muslim Mind: A Philosophical Critique,” Philosophical Forum 55 (2024): 353–375

The crises of the Islamic world revolve around “epistemic colonialism.” So, in order to decolonize the Muslim mind, we must be able to deconstruct the Western episteme, and this involves dissociating ourselves from the Eurocentric knowledge system that gradually became ascendent since the Renaissance through such ideas as progress and modernity. However, this does not mean we need to discontinue dialog with Western thought. Rather it means retrieving and reviving our own intel- lectual heritage and being able to think with the categories and concepts derived from that heritage. But in light of the postcolonial situation where the intellectual and linguistic connection with one’s own tradition is severed, this is a tremendous challenge. What is more, many Muslim intellectuals simply think that Islamic heritage has little relevance to address contemporary challenges. Yet unless Muslims are able to ground their self-identity in their own intellectual tradition, they will be held captive to the web of epistemic colonialism. They might be comfortable offering their prayers as Muslims, but their mental ambience will be permeated by devastating, Eurocentric ideas. They will hardly be able to overcome their fragmented self-image.

Imagine living in an old Riad in Fez, a Haveli in Lahore, or another traditional house, and then being forced into ugly high-rise apartments. These modern buildings might offer amenities like swimming pools, fitness centers, and private outdoor spaces, but their all-glass structures lack the traditional windows that connect people to the natural world of heat, light, and sound. Moreover, the sealed and glazed facades increase heating and cooling loads and create issues with glare and thermal comfort. Although people may still possess beautiful artifacts from their old homes, such as window panes, oil lamps, and plant pots, they no longer understand their language and meaning in a new context. In a word, the new setting radically alters the rhythms of life, work, and thought. And this is analogous to what has happened to the Muslim mind; its very architecture has been fundamentally transformed. Sadly, the current generation, with its fragmented self-image, often does not care to explore their historical identity and the importance of this knowledge in constructing a present self-identity

Decolonizing_the_Muslim_Mind_A_PhilosopDownload

The Brain and the Making of the Modern Mind, Renovatio, Spring

Few today would deny that the brain holds a preeminent place in the scientific imagination. In modern science, the brain is often seen as the organ of consciousness, thought, and identity. This view, rooted in neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive science, suggests that who we are —our emotions, memories, imagination, and even sense of free will—is fundamentally tied to and determined by the brain’s structure and function. With the rise of brain imaging (e.g., functional MRI and electroencephalograms), neuroplasticity research, and artificial intelligence (AI), the brain has become a new frontier for exploration. Neuroscientific breakthroughs have fueled speculation about everything from mind uploading to brain-machine interfaces, reinforcing the brain’s essential role in discussions about human potential and limitations.

Yet as Matthew Cobb’s illuminating The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience demonstrates, despite centuries of scientific inquiry, our understanding of the brain remains remarkably limited. The more we learn, the more the brain’s complexity defies reductive explanations. While we have built a solid foundation in neurophysiology, we still lack a clear understanding of how neurons—whether billions, millions, or thousands—interact to generate brain activity. To be sure, we know that the brain interacts with the world and the body, processing stimuli through both innate and learned neural networks. It predicts changes in stimuli to prepare appropriate responses and coordinates bodily actions through intricate neuronal connections and chemical signaling. Yet when it comes to truly grasping how neural networks operate at a cellular level or accurately predicting the effects of changes in their activity, we are still in the early days of neuroscience. For instance, while scientists can artificially induce visual perception in a mouse by replicating a specific pattern of neuronal activity, they do not yet fully understand how and why visual perception generates that pattern in the first plac

The_Brain_and_the_Making_of_the_Modern_MDownload

Was That Layla’s Fire?: Metonymy, Metaphor, and Mannerism in the Poetry of Ibn al-Fāriḍ

Regarded as one of the greatest poets of the Arabic language, and the greatest and most influential Arabic Sufi poet, ‘Umar ibn ‘Alī ibn al-Fāriḍ, set the standard for Arabic Sufi poetry after him. Known as the “Sultan of the Lovers” (Sulṭān al-‘Āshiqīn), ibn al-Fāriḍ’s works inspired numerous commentaries, especially amongst the school of Ibn al-ʿArabī, many of which are considered masterpieces of Islamic metaphysics. Ibn al-Fāriḍ’s poetry continues to be sung, taught, and commented upon down to the present day and is considered one of the greatest expositions of spiritual realization, Sufi metaphysics, and psychology. This article will consider the role of the figure of Layla in some of Ibn al-Fāriḍ’s poetry, exploring the relationship between the exquisite form of his poetic language and the meanings to which they allude in an attempt to understand an aspect of how the “licit magic” of his poetry works to express and inspire realization. That is, of all the various genres and modes of expression, why did so many Sufi figures find the genre of the romantic or even erotic Arabic ghazal, especially the exquisite verses of Ibn al-Fāriḍ, to be so felicitous for expressing the deepest truths they had realized.

Regarded as one of the greatest poets of the Arabic language, and the greatest and most influential Arabic Sufi poet, ʿUmar ibn ‘Alī ibn al-Fāriḍ, set the standard for Arabic Sufi poetry after him. His poetry was famous and commented upon even in his own lifetime, and several commentators even claimed that while non-poetic language was perfected in the inimitable Qur’an, six centuries later, Arabic poetry was perfected in the inimitable verse of Ibn al-Fāriḍ. 1 Known as the “Sultan of the Lovers” (Sulṭān al-‘Āshiqīn), Ibn al-Fāriḍ’s works inspired numerous commentaries, especially amongst the school of Ibn al-ʿArabī, many of which are consid- ered masterpieces of Islamic metaphysics. Saḍr al-dīn al-Qūnāwī (d. 673/1274), Ibn al-ʿArabī’s stepson and successor taught Ibn al-Fāriḍ’s magnum opus, the 760-verse qaṣīda, Naẓm al-Sulūk (“The Poem of the Sufi Way”) to his circle of students, two of whom, Sa‘īd al-dīn al-Farghānī (d. 699/1300) and ‘Afīf al-dīn al-Tilimsānī (d. 690/1291) published commentaries upon the work

Was_That_Laylas_Fire_Metonymy_Metaphor_aDownload

Food insecurity among Toronto Muslim households during COVID and the role of key Muslim charitable institutions

Food insecurity, which is a growing issue in Canada, affecting one in eight households, has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting one in seven households (Tarasuk and Mitchell 2020). Ethnic and racialized communities, particularly Muslim households, are disproportionately affected. This chapter explores the potential of Muslim philanthropy, guided by Islamic food-related principles (Iftar, Fidya, Kaffara, Udhiya, and Aqeeqa), to address food insecurity in Toronto by reimagining them as the 5 Pillars of Sustainable Food Security (5PSFS). As an action research piece, the chapter, using a grounded theory approach with data from interviews of 15 charitable institutions, reveals that while more Muslims are turning to food banks, local charities underutilize the 5PSFS. This chapter underscores the need for a better understanding of the 5PSFS as a sustainable means of addressing local food insecurity and needs, aligning with Islamic ethics, Maqasid, and fostering stewardship.

Food_insecurity_among_Toronto_MuslimDownload

Sufism Amongst the Cameleers – By Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook

This talk aims to introduce the Cameleer manuscripts in Australia and highlight their adherence to Sufism. After an introduction to the importance of the Cameleers in Australia and the difficulties of the existing assertions of Sufism amongst the Cameleers. We will provide an overview of the existent Cameleer manuscripts which, despite their rarity, provide an important yet unexamined insight into the spirituality of the Cameleers. The discussion will then explore the elements of Sufism within the manuscripts and how this indicates the strongest evidence of Sufism amongst the Cameleers to date.

Sufism_Amongst_the_CameleersDownload

An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Volume 5: From the School of Shiraz to the Twentieth Century edited by S. H. Nasr and M. Aminrazavi

The volume under consideration is presented as the final element of the monumental series An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, which started in 1999 with From Zoroaster to ʿUmar Khayyām (Vol. I, Oxford University Press; republished in 2007 by I. B. Tauris), and continued with Ismaili Thought in the Classical Age (Vol. 2, Oxford University Press, 2001; Suheyl Academy, 2005; I. B. Tauris and The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2008), Philosophical Theology in the Middle Ages and Beyond (Vol. 3, I. B. Tauris and The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2010), and From the School of Illumination to Philosophical Mysticism (Vol. 4, I. B. Tauris and The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2013). With the almost 600 pages of the present volume, a quarter of century of groundbreaking research and painstaking organizational efforts by the general editor, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and his co-editor, Mehdi Aminrazavi, has come happily to an end. In bringing to completion this volume – and, with it, the colossal enterprise which it concludes – the two main editors have been assisted by a vast and qualified group of scholars, mainly but not exclusively Iranian, whose name are recorded in the List of Contributors (pp. xvii-xx) and who have mostly penned the English translations of the chosen texts.

An_Anthology_of_Philosophy_in_Persia_VolDownload

Platonism In Safavid Persia: Mīrdāmād (d. 1631) and Āqājānī (ca. 1661) on the Platonic Forms

In this paper, I analyze the treatment of Platonic Ideas in the fifth Qabas (lit. “blazing brand,” in this context a “chapter”) of Mīr Dāmād’s Qabasāt, 2 along with Āqājāni’s 3 commentary thereof. In this section, Mīr Dāmād first

For a survey of his life and the major tenets of his philosophy, see: H. Dabāshī, “MīrDāmād and the Founding of the ‘School of Iṣfahān’,” in: S. H. Nasr et al, History of Islamic Philosophy, London: Routledge, 1996, pp. 597–635; H. Corbin, “Confessions extatiques de Mīr Dāmād.” In: Mélanges Louis Massignon. Damascus: L’Institut Français de Damas, 1956; idem, En islam iranien. 4 vols. Paris: Gallimard, vol. IV: L’Ecole d’Ispahan, pp. 9–123. S. A. Mūsavī Bihbahānī, Ḥakīm-i Astarābād Mīr Dāmād. Tehran: Tehran University Press, 1377 [A.H. solar]; I. Netton, “Suhrawardī’s Heir? The Ishrāqī Philosophy of Mīr Dāmād.

Platonism_In_Safavid_Persia_Mirdamad_d_1Download

The Sufi Phenomenology of Love Based on the Thoughts of Rabia Al-Adawiyya and Edith Stein

This article contributes to research on the consideration of the phenomenon of Love through a comparison of the thoughts of Sufi thinker Rabia al-Adawiyya (713-801) and phenomenological philosopher Edith Stein (1891-1942). The author studies the poems of Rabia and the final work of Edith Stein, where she discussed her views on divine love, “Science of Cross”. The main aim of the article is a search for the crossing point between Sufism and Phenomenology. The author considers three stages of phenomenological reduction: faith, hope and love. First, the heart is considered as a noematic core and the result of epoché. The second part of the article is an investigation into the second stage of phenomenological reduction, hope, which is studied as a transition between rational and irrational thoughts. In the third part of the article, divine love is investigated as a process of perfection in Sufism and of phenomenological reduction in phenomenology. In conclusion, the essence of love is presented on the basis of Sufi phenomenology, where the principles of Sufism and phenomenology are in contact. In other words, the consideration of love is a method of representing Sufi phenomenology as a new philosophical doctrine.

IJIT-Vol-18-Dec-2020_3_27-33Download

Islam and the Contemporary World: Interview with Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr

In 2009, I had the honour to interview Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr, who is a Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University, Washington, DC, as part of the ‘Muslim Heritage Interview Series’. During the interview, Nasr touched on various topics related to Islam and modernity, Sufism, spirituality, consumerism and the environment. Thirteen years had elapsed since that interview and, with so many changes having taken place across the world in this intervening period, I was keen to speak to him again on some of the core themes we discussed then and to see how things have evolved in those areas over the years. The interview with Nasr covers some rare gems and insights from his illustrious career along with the following themes -Islamic Environmentalism, Trust, Resaclarization of the Sacred Tradition, Inspirational Scholars, The Concept of al-insān al-kāmil, Impact of Covid-19, Extremist Narratives, Globalization, Saudi 2030 Vision, Iran, Social and Geo-Political Trends, Traditionalism and Modernity. I conducted the interview with Nasr at George Washington University in December 2022. I do hope that the readers find the interview both enlightening and beneficial.

Contemporary_WorldDownload

A Critical Review of The Islamic Secular by Sherman A. Jackson (Journal of Islamic and Muslim Studies)

How does Sherman A. Jackson’s interpretation of Islamic secularism compare to other contemporary interpretations within Islamic thought?

What are the implications of Jackson’s arguments on the relationship between religion and state in predominantly Muslim countries?

In what ways can Jackson’s critique of Islamic secularism inform current debates on secularism and pluralism in multicultural societies?

A_Critical_ReviewDownload

Al-Daghistani, R. (2022): “Invoking God`s Name and the Practice of Dhikr”

The chapter aims to systematically outline some of the most important aspects and features of dhikr – the central meditative technique of Islamic spirituality in general and of Sufi “initiatic practice” in particular. Dhikr, which can be translated as “remembrance”, “recollection”, “mentioning” or “invocation” of God or God’s most beautiful Names, is primarily discussed in every major Sufi manual about the “spiritual stations” (maqamat), which a Muslim mystic must reach on his or her inner spiritual ascent towards the ultimate Reality (al-Haqq). This paper intends to illuminate some of the ritual, experiential, epistemological and metaphysical aspects of dhikr, elaborating thereby on various forms, levels, and manifestations as well as on its relationship to the overall structure of the Sufi “initiatic path”. The article closes with some expositions and remarks on spiritual relevance and implication of dhikr for today’s context.

Invoking_Gods_NameDownload

ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Shaʿrānī’s Laṭāʾif al-Minan and the Virtue of Sincere Immodesty

The essay below analyzes the substance and rhetoric of ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Shaʿrānī’s (d. 973/1565) book Laṭāʾif al-minan wa-l-akhlāq (Subtle Blessings and Morals). While giving particular attention to the text’s introduction and concluding sections, in my analysis here I use the Laṭāʾif as a case study to illustrate how Suf authors like al-Shaʿrānī attempted to relieve the tension between the antipodal Suf virtues of, on the one hand, concealing one’s spiritual state to preserve the purity of one’s intention and, on the other, speaking openly about God’s blessings upon one as a demonstration of gratitude to God and a means to guide others along the Suf Path. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Shaʿrānī was an Egyptian Suf and legal thinker who lived in Cairo during the fnal years of the Mamlūk Sultanate and the frst half-century of Ottoman rule in Egypt. He is best remembered today for his writings in comparative Islamic law (ikhtilāf al-madhāhib), Suf ethics, and Suf hagiography. Several of his texts would generate controversy during his lifetime owing to what he claimed

Abd_al_WahhabDownload