Tanabayeva Anar
Alikbayeva Marzhan
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan
Importance of Al-Farabi ‘s heritage
Farabi is considered one of the great Arab
philosophers.
He carefully studied the Greek philosophy,
particularly Plato and Aristotle, whose works are translated, transposed in
aphoristic form, and to imitate them. Following the tradition of later Greek
commentators of Aristotle, he believed that Aristotle and Plato in the
essential issues have been in solidarity with each other, and vigorously tried
to reconcile those moments in which they disagreed. In contrast to
empiricism of Razi, Farabi remained faithful to the deductive method; he
believed that the world is not eternal, but created and sought to prove that
Aristotle was of the same view and that the gap between the absolute unity of
God and the multiplicity of the real world is filled with a series of
successive emanations. Distinguishing potential, current and acquired
intelligence, believed that with the help of the latest possible apprehension
of "effective intelligence", or God.
Farabi - the founder of
logical and rational evidence to Muslim philosophy.
If traditional logic was founded by Aristotle, and it
was he who arranged the different knowledge that Farabi had similar merits to a
Muslim philosophy. Here there is a fair point that Aristotle is the master of
argument and evidence. Farabi, as mentioned above, not only organizes knowledge
as such, but also Islamic knowledge in accordance with their purpose. Farabi, very importantly, gives all these
logical and reasoned knowledge base. So, speaking about the Islamic religious
knowledge, Farabi states that they should follow the philosophy and be under its
direct control. In fact, Farabi does not abolish them through philosophy [1].
Farabi wrote about 100 works, many of which have not
been preserved, while others exist only in Latin translations. Not long ago, it
was found some Arab originals. Among the most interesting works are
the treatise “On the views of residents of a virtuous city” (Kitab Ara
Ahl al-Madinat al Fadhila) (modeled on Plato's “Republic”) and the “Pearl of Wisdom”
(Isbat Al Akl), first in Arabic literature attempt to systematize knowledge. Farabi engaged not only in philosophy
but also science; he left a treatise on music, in which the Greek theory is
applied to practice Arabic.
Comment Al-Farabi on the "Nicomachean
Ethics" is lost, and although some minor works - "Phi tahsyl
al-Sa'ada" ("On finding happiness"), "Al-Sabil Tanbit ala
al-Sa'ada" ("Reminder the way to happiness ")," Kitab
al-Milla" ("Book of the Milla") and others give some idea of his views on personal perfection, yet the predominant
interest for al-Farabi is the dispensation of the society in order to maximize
the perfection of its citizens . The relevant views expressed by him in a
number of small works, as well as two major works -treatise “On the views of
residents of a virtuous city "and the (Al-Siyasah Al-Madaniyya)
"Civil politics", very similar in content.
Al-Farabi is based on the separation of all the
sciences and sets of laws on common, ie study the subject in general
(kulliyya), and private, that is, dealing with individual things (dzhuz'iyya).
Opposition whole-unit sets unique gradation sciences and related occupations:
single science depend on the totality, since they use the established laws.
Political philosophy (falsafa madaniyya) or civil science (ilm madanian)
searches for general laws and makes recommendations for their use in a variety
of specific cases. This science is divided into two parts. One learns what
happiness is true and untrue, what are the vices and virtues and the virtues
different from nonvirtues; second - how they are distributed in the human city,
and what kinds of art of government.
True happiness al-Farabi considers
achievable only in the afterlife. Happiness - is good in its absolute sense,
but an absolute good - it is an absolute being. Such is the first principle has
understood in the spirit of Neo-Platonic, but often referred to in Aristotelian
terms as an effective mind. The dichotomy of body and soul is very clearly
stated at the Al-Farabi: the soul is tormented in "jail", composed of
four elements, and its only hope for deliverance - wisdom (hikmah), true and
complete knowledge that will cause the "unity" (ittihad) soul with
metaphysical principles of the universe.
In addition to the true, there is
happiness inauthentic. On the one hand, this is what people are mistaken for
happiness, not having any idea about it. But on the other - it is a
dispensation of earthly life, which contributes to the achievement of true
happiness. The fact is that everything that is useful for true happiness and
good, also have the benefit and happiness, but not in itself, but because it
serves the purpose. The purpose of political philosophy - finding that true
happiness is to strengthen people in their cities and to promote virtue and
doing good deeds.
People can not live alone, and a minimum
level of association, where possible dispensation of the good life - a city
(madina). In a city that is virtuous, it should prevail strict hierarchy -
similar to that which distinguishes the organization of science. Imam virtuous
city, its head, sets all the only true
law. Virtue of the city to a great extent dependent on the initial
establishment of this act, which is bestowed revelation from on high. That is
why the "first" (that is established by law), the imam should have
the gift of prophecy, as opposed to "follow" the law maintains and
applies. Al-Farabi listed twelve qualities which should have first Imam; since
their union in one person - an extremely rare thing, he gives a shorter list of
six qualities sufficient to maintain order in the city virtuous.
In a
revelation given over that al-Farabi refers to the term "milla". It
establishes the approximate synonymy between Mill and din (religion), Milla and
Shari'a (Law, the Sharia), identifying further Shariah and Sunnah. This
understanding is revealed in the definition: milla - a "hasteless"
(mukaddara) attitudes and actions arising from the articles of association,
which is the "first chapter" gives all residents of the city. On the
one hand, there is a marked influence of the Islamic idea of faith as an inseparable combination of knowledge and
action, and this is due to the fact that al-Farabi is possible to arbitrarily
equate milla to the concepts of "religion" and "Sharia /
Sunnah". On the other - the views that have to practice virtuous citizens
of the city, of course, have nothing to do doctrinal board the content of Islam
(though al-Farabi, as far as possible, these parallel sets). Right view - is
essentially Neo-Platonic conception of ultimate beginning and the dispensation
of the metaphysical world and Peripatetic natural philosophy. These views are
correctly oriented person, giving him the idea of true happiness. Right of action - those that lead to the attainment of
such happiness, they also are virtuous, coupled with the appropriate
dispositions (ahlyak) and usual course of action (siyar).
Management (siyasah) -
This is based on the political philosophy of the art of properly distribute
such actions and the ability of people in the city of virtuous, so that they
contribute to the maintenance of their lives and, together with the right view,
was sent to the inhabitants of this city to true happiness. Management is
divided into two parts: "Introduction" (tamkin) such beliefs and
right actions and "conservation" (hifz). Contrary virtuous make
different categories of the lost cities, the list of which is formed as an
exhaustive search of damage or lack of proper knowledge and action, or one of
these elements.
Soul is for Al-Farabi –
as in the Greek philosophical tradition- the principle of life (hence it
comprehends a vegetative faculty and reaches
its perfection in reason and disciplines thinking).
The Neoplatonic features
in Al-Farabi’s analysis of the soul- I mean the active intellect in its
importance for both theoretical and practical
reason and the flow emanation
which reaches them trough his “sun” of the mind –are now, rightly [2,
29]. In persons whose temperament, whose
bodily constitution, is apt to favour the growth of imagination there will be a
further overflow from the rational faculty to the imaginative faculty and that
faculty will be connected with the active intellect as well. In this way, the
imaginative faculty will become
acquainted with both the particulars with which practical reason is concerned
and the results of theoretical insight.
Now most of the
intelligibilia which reach this
extraordinary powerful imagination from
the Active Intellect appear to it in visible
form, as a result of its
reproductive or “imitative” capacity
which has been explained before [2,30].
Alfarabi was fully aware
of the works of the major Neoplatonic philosophers and the incorporation
of Neoplatonic doctrines into Christian
theology, the dominant philosophic theology of his Christian teachers and
students in Baghdad. He read and made use of the distinguished Neoplatonic
teachers of philosophy in Alexandria and Athens during Roman times that were
translated into Arabic during the ninth and the first part of the tenth
century. He understood the value of the Neoplatonic philosophic tradition for
bringing together, or harmonizing, philosophy and religious orthodoxy and for
constructing a Platonism for the people [3, 2].
Alfarabi’s works in the
field of political philosophy and religion range from the most popular to the
most properly philosophic. Until World War II, his most popular works – the
Harmonization, the Virtuous City, and the Political Regime – provided readers
with almost all of what was thought to be his political philosophy. Even
relatively popular works that may have explained what treatises like the
Virtuous City and the Political Regime are all about, such as chapter 5 of the
Enumeration of the Sciences and the Book of Religion, were either not published
or not taken into account in interpreting the Virtuous City and the Political
Regime. The more difficult, yet, fundamental, works that give the reader some
sense of how Alfarabi read and interpreted the writings of Plato and Aristotle,
such as the Philosophy of Plato and the Philosophy of Aristotle, were but names
in medieval bibliographies [3, 3].
Some of the works
of Farabi were translated into Latin and received great popularity among the
philosophers of Europe. His other works were translated into Hebrew [1].
Farabi works,
which belong to him no doubt. This is usually the comments that have been
written for a course on the philosophy of Aristotle. These comments were
written in the classical tradition of late-Hellenistic philosophy.
The existence of
this tradition up to the period Farabi has not been proven. Apparently,
Avempace used Farabi works, in this case, his comments on the works of
Aristotle. Ibn Rushd was heavily influenced by Farabi. Commentators subsequent
generations in some works have left their comments and make small changes.
Farabi wrote a
book to refute Ravandi. It is probably the main topic of debate was the subject
of prophecy.
Another part of the works of Farabi for the results of its in-depth studies
and the results of all the traversed path. In all these works focus on the
philosophy, as the main source of human thought. In the "city of the
righteous," the ruler of which is the king-philosopher, the latter's
decision is based on wise philosophical reasoning. [1].
During the Middle Ages, Enumeration of
Sciences (Ihsa’ al-Ulum) was translated into Latin twice. First by the
Dominician scholar Dominicus Gundissalinus (Gundi-salvi) (d.1151) (or his contemporary Johannes Hispanus), and subsequently by Gerard of Cremona (d. 1187), the Toledan
Arabist responsible for the translation of a large number
of philosophical and scientific works
from Arabic at the end of the 12th
century. The modern editor and translator
of Ihsa’, Angel Gonsales Palencia, published in 1953, as an appendix to the Arabic text and Spanish translation [4].
From the point of view of Islamic
philosophy, work of Farabi had a great value, this value clarification deserves
detailed consideration. It is important to note its effect on various
philosophers (such as Ikhwan al-Safa, Masudi and Abu Hasan Muhammad al-Amiri)
was huge. Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd were influenced by Farabi. Musa ibn Maimon
(Maimonides Moses) is very highly valued Farabi. So the outlook Farabi had a huge
impact, and for a long time, his views were of fundamental importance [1].
Al-Farabi paid special attention to the philosophers. Special
superiority of philosophers considered in the absolute sense of the word,
followed by the dialectics, the Sophists, legislators and jurists Mutakallims,
among the common people, who gave the definition, there are those that mimic
the civil power or become pious to imitate it [5].
The philosophy of al-Farabi to be a useful person in his real life
on earth, it should teach him to live in accordance with the highest ethical
ideals, which are the same in its evaluative sense, according to his emanation
monism in intelligence.
References:
1. Rizo Dowari
Ardakani. - Farabi
- the founder of Islamic philosophy;
translated from Persian by A. Absalikova. - M .: "Sadr",
2014. - 132
p. http://www.litportal.ru/genre10/author26408/book198751.html
2. R.Walzer Al-Farabi’s theory of prophecy and divination.//The journal of
Hellenic Studies, Vol.77, Part 1 (1957), pp.142-148.
3. Muhsin S. Mahdi.Alfarabi and the foundation of Islamic philosophy.The
University of Chicago Press, Ltd. London. 2001- p.264
4. Majid Fakhry. The Ontological Argument in the Arabic tradition: The case
of al-Farabi. //Studia Islamica//, No.64 (1986), pp.5-17.
5. A.H. Kasymzhanov.
Thinkers of the past. Abu Nasr al-Farabi. Center
"Al-Farabi" at Al- Farabi
Kazakh State University.Almaty, 1997.