A New Road Map: Tawhid in the 21st century
And your Allah is One Allah. There is no god but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful (Q2:163).Archive for philosophy
Philosophy, Religion and Truth
Understanding the role that philosophy, religion and truth play in the lives of Muslims, and the way it is appropriate to deal with them is essential for all.
It is amazing to discover that historically, when Christianity was introduced to Europe, philosophy was outlawed. When the Romans moved away from Christianity, they went back to philosophy. When Christianity became stronger again, philosophy was once again outlawed.
This is entirely in accord with the view that philosophy is the human effort to find answers for the big questions in life, which are raised by the fitra. When we have religion and revelation, many of those questions are addressed in a meaningful manner such that philosophy does not have much utility anymore.
This would suggest that philosophy is subordinate to religion. Truth, the absolute Truth is embedded in religion, and it needs to be extracted from there in a meaningful manner. Philosophy provides an alternative for people who do not/cannot accept revelation.
What is interesting then are the Muslim philosophers. Many of them wanted to reconcile religion and philosophy, and did so to varying degrees. It was only a few of them that realized that it was not really possible- the divergence is too great in objectives.
Philosophy “authorizes” the quest for knowledge for the sake of the knowledge alone- it is a goal in itself. In Islam, the quest for knowledge is a tool of sorts, and as representatives of Allah on this earth, we have many responsibilities that are due to Him, and the world around us. Thus grounds our ethics, values and lives into the commands of the Creator, rather than being relative, as created by the human mind.
Religion allows us to be in tune with our fitra- philosophy cannot provide that same satisfaction. The concept of fitra is one that should be explored in detail as a project, to understand how it impacts our aql, our relationship with Allah, and our ability and motivation to function as humans.
