Despite significant differences in the why, how and what of their interpretations of religious, our three authors (Muhammad Abu Zahrah, 'Abd-Allah Diraz and Ahmad Shalabi) understand religions, and in Diraz's case the religious phenomenon in general, through categories specific to an Islamic worldview. Their use of Western scientific methods to apprehend the study of religion is not systematic. It varies from Abu Zahrah's limited use to Shalabi's exuberant use, both being highly subservient to polemical intentions. Only Diraz shows familiarity and appreciation for scientific methods, without however subscribing to the epistemology of science which underlies them. The resulting relationship between the scientific study of religion and the Islamic study of religion, as epitomized in the fusion of my own commitments to the former and my authors' commitments to the latter, proves ultimately irreconcilable. Our respective epistemologies remain answerable to different centres of authority; the subjective self in the first instance and the objectified God, Allah, in the second.

In this study, the relationship between medical thought and philosophy is investigated through the works of the famous Islamic thinker, Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Zakariya al-Razi (ca. 250-323/864-935). In one of the texts we shall be examining Razi thought that he could resolve the problem of the world's creation through allegory. Razi's interlocuter was concerned to defend the idea of epistemological "revelation." Although Razi agrees that the Intellect was sent by the Creator, he insists that this was done primarily for the benefit of the "self," which had become entangled in "material confusion." He is particularly concerned to counter the authoritarian implications of his opponent's epistemological position, which appears to emphasize doctrinal truth at the expense of all other considerations. These considerations are taken up by Razi in another work, the Kitab al-tibb al-ruhani. There, he draws on the science of medical treatment for application in ethics, but with some interesting implications for the problem of knowledge. The real object must be to bring man to his proper destination, and in this Razi's views coincide with the early mystical tradition in Islam, from al-Hujwiri to al-Ghazzali, where the problem essentially consists of existential realization rather than a merely abstract or intellectual process.

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No description available.

Many studies have been done of Fakhr al-Dinal-Razi and his system of thought, taking into account his contributions from theology, philosophy, and exegesis. However, works specifically devoted to his exegetical thought have been few. In fact, none of these has dealt with al-Razi's exegetical methodology in the light of his basic assumptions regarding the Qur'an. In view of this fact, the present thesis aims at elucidating Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's methodology in interpreting the Qur'an in his magnum opus, known by the title al-Tafsir al-Kabir or Mafatih&dotbelow; al-Ghayb. In order to achieve this purpose, we will focus on his interpretation of the third chapter of the Qur'an, printed in volumes 7, 8, and 9 of the standard edition of his work. / In overall terms, al-Razi contributed greatly to the dissemination of a rational approach to the study of the Qur'an. Yet, he could not avoid the debate over theological issues, which were common in his time. In many parts of his al-Tafsir al-Kabir, therefore, he defends Ash'arite thought against the views of Mu'tazilites, Z&dotbelow;ahirites, and the H&dotbelow;ashwiyyah, among others. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

This thesis will partly compare the approaches of two pioneers in Islamic philosophy to the soul-body problem: the philosophical psychology of Mulla Sadra (Sadr al-Muta'allihin Shirazi 975-1050/1571-1640) and that of Ibn Sina (370-428/980-1037). Our main concern will be with the former, the founder of "trancendent theosophy", particularly his ideas regarding the corporeal generation of the soul. / A brief historical background of the problem is presented in the first chapter. In order to evaluate the real philosophical value of Mulla Sadra's doctrine, the thesis will investigate the soundness of Mulla Sadra's novel psychological findings. "Substantial motion" (al-harakah al-jawhariyyah) and the "gradation of existence" (al-tashkik fi maratib al-wujud) are the two main philosophical principles formulated and implied by our philosopher regarding the elaboration of his theory on the soul's developmental process. / In our study, we discuss the nature of the soul-body relationship, the evidence which indicates their mutual interaction, and finally, the various forms of this relationship. In the final chapter, we focus on the developmental process of the soul's substantial motion up to the stage of union with the active intellect. Our analytical discussion is centered on whether or not the theory of the corporeality of the soul's generation yields a meaningful conception of the soul's evolution from materiality to immateriality. / Considering the serious challenges and unsolved difficulties that still remain, it is an open question whether Sadra's theory, particularly its emphasis on the corporeality of the soul's generation, can adequately account for the soul's developmental process up to the stage of unity with the world of intellects.

From its inception in the twelfth century to its current use as a text, Ibn Tufayl's Hayy ibn Yaqzan has a sustained history of translation and transmission. A unique aspect is its early translation into Hebrew around the first quarter of the fourteenth century, whose extensive manuscripts have been traced and established in this study. The Hebrew translation, and its commentary by Moses Narboni, shift the Tufaylian narrative from the Maghribi milieu toward Latin Averroism. They allow us to examine the particular reception in the Judaic milieu and suggest new perceptions of Ibn Rushd and Ibn Tufayl as rational mystics. / The extensive printed translations in Europe that begin with the Latin Philosophus Autodidactus (1671) reflect different facets on Individuality, the Natural Man and Inner Revelation as accessible to and sought by the natural theologies of the 17th-18th centuries. The concurrent translations also reflect the differences in their reception by the translators. Through the process of transmission, the notion of self-sufficiency becomes epitomized in the paradigm of "Robinson Crusoe." / In its own milieu, the narrative is conceived as an answer to Ibn Sina's 'secret of eastern philosophy' and is expressed as a rational-mystic response from the Maghribi context. The narrative finds its anti-thesis in Ibn al-Nafis' reiteration, that applies the structure and content of the Tufaylian narrative to reverse its philosophical precepts and establish a normative frame of revelation. Its recent reclamation in modern Arabic literature as the proto-type of Robinson Crusoe is indicative of post-Colonial validation. / The different receptions of the narrative within each of the three milieux have inspired the application of new methodologies in literary criticism. Using the literary theories of reception and cultural paradigm in Hans Jauss and Edward Said, I further discuss the process of translation, transmission and reception of the narrative. Each milieu in a particular time-frame receives the text within certain sets of expectation and accordingly responds to it. This approach raises vital questions on both structural analyses that study an aesthetic work outside its history, and historical analyses that focus on the "unchanged loyalty" of its sources. The methodology developed in this study can be applied to central issues in Islamic thought, from the predilection toward its Greek sources to its dismissal of Averroism. It also allows for the appreciation of the integrai notion of rational mysticism. The notion of reception validates, resolves and values the different reiterations by recognizing their diverse contexts.

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This thesis is a study of Ibn Qayyim's approach to the fatwa as defined in his $I sp{c}l bar am al$-$Muwaqqi sp{c}in.$ This treatise deals primarily with the role of the mufti/ the procedure of issuing a fatwa and the necessary sources for a fatwa. Lawful application of these criteria ensures a proper and viable fatwa. Ibn Qayyim, however, highlights the misuse of fatwas, specifically those on hiyal. By questioning this misapplication, Ibn Qayyim hoped to redefine the entire use of the fatwa in Islamic jurisprudence. This argumentation is supplemented by a section addressing the dynamic essence of the fatwa. By examining the underlying $ sp{c}illa$ of a ruling and the maslaha as the main goal of its application, Ibn Qayyim believed that most rulings were, in some way, influenced by the surrounding elements of time and space. If the $ sp{c}illa$ changed due to changing circumstances, Ibn Qayyim surmised that the fatwa itself could undergo changes. This line of discourse helped establish the fatwa as an adaptable tool of law, further indicating the ability of Islamic law to accommodate unprecedented situations.

This thesis discusses the shadow play in mediaeval Arabo-Islamic societies, and the most outstanding playwright in that genre, Ibn Daniyal (d.710/1310). Despite the lack of other extant plays, it is shown that the shadow play had a long and dynamic tradition in mediaeval Islam, as attested to by various written sources that refer to it through two 'frames' of perception: as allegory and as theatre. These two frames indicate that there is a close link between the intrinsic development of this theatrical genre and the coinage of allegorical expressions geared to the understanding of the cosmological order. The principal features of the shadow theatre are analyzed in the light of theatrical semiotics, focusing on Ibn Daniyal's trilogy Kitab Tayf al-khayal. It is argued that Ibn Daniyal's dramaturgy, emphasizing a collective social experience, relies strongly on the peculiarities of the genre in the process of foregrounding the playwright's ideological concerns. Ibn Daniyal's possible worlds, seeking to harmonize the contending ideologies of Mamluk society, are familiar yet saliently delimited, as the theatrical frame through which they are induced is consciously highlighted.