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    Zulfikar Haidar
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    Islamic Cosmological Doctrine

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    Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrine

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    Islamic Cosmological Doctrine

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    71 views18 pages

    Introduction To Islamic Cosmological Doctrine

    Uploaded by

    Zulfikar Haidar
    Islamic Cosmological Doctrine

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    OTHER WORKS BY SEYYED HOSSEIN NASR IN ENGLISH hve Maslin Soe Mess at Res of nom Sol nd Chllaon i lan ‘a Ares Boa of Ile Seoce (2 ol.) Man nd None The Spiel Ci of Moder Man aa ate Pht of Modern Meow Laan Sls: Mad Sey The Tonicendrt Theosophy of Sa Dn Shr! namie fe and Toughe Knowledge andthe Sore Ioamie Art and Spray ‘Muhanad ~ Mon of ABOK ‘ona lamin the Moder Word held Philosphy of Since Sf Boas The Essential Wing of Pith Schon editor) Siam fon ipo of the Milena (ator) ‘amie Sprtwatty—Fowndatons edn) lan Spiuay-Manfesaions (eter) The Nad fa Sacre Slence An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines Seyyed Hossein Nasr Sate University of New York Press twit. Paid by B Ene Oey My Pr, ey Ws se Une a New Yt C6 Al igh rere N3 ia ne Uti ao neta 1993 No a of is ook may be edo ede Ely emt vinaooe wit we prion ‘Sue Une PsA NY 16 Prdton Ost Lyne Mining tyme Uae “Liary of Congres Caton Pubcon Dat Nan Soe Hone, ss tes acme ta / Saye Hin ties epi feces) ad ines, ISBN OHSS (pape). — SBN OSHSI69 he se pe 1 Ie cosmo 2, Bet, Mebaraaln Amad, 3-04 sens 9000074 win Se seek ws “ey a Desi in Humble Grtiue Soya Yala an Ara Nest ‘id Si ahi es aka CHAPTER2 The Principles of the Study of the Cosmos and the Hierarchy of the Universe “The universe describe in the Ra's «united whole whoee vavous farts act held together by the analogy which ents between the [As the Twa wie, “The whole word is one a8 acy sone, or as {i animals ene, oras man is ope is parts ae eld together ike te organs of living body which derives is being and sustesnce from the Divine Word.? The language with which tis interrelation it expounded is hat of symbolism, partculsely numerical symbolism Everywhere within the Universe the Key to the understanding of {kings ie numbers, which, like the moraing sun, disperse the fog of fhe uninteligiilty of things considered only’ in thei teretal copaqueaes, "The Ikhwin emphasize the symbolis character of this world in many passages for example, when they wate “He made ths His works maf, tthe end thatthe imelignt might contemplate ther; and He tought nto ve al at vas In Hi ie orl; fat he oberant might bel and acknowledge Hs Sil and Frenne, soa Omnpotnce, abd Scenes, nd pot stad io need of roof and damonsration Furth, thee fer which ae perceived nthe ‘eral word: ne the sinultodes of those whith ex in he Wosd of ‘pins save thatthe later are composed of light and are sb; wheeas ‘Botorer re dar and dpe. And as ite corresponds in every nb * ede SUK blll bal age Pas Detainee aptsben at Lah Stns nade doch Boe SUEY ompadinnen: cba paleo ale abe alee ea saat 65-06 sania "THE COMES AND THE HIRARCHY on THe Unvanst 4S vith te animal it represns, so thse forms, to, correspond wth tote ‘hich are found inte spit word Butte i mover antes {Be moved The for nich et tester word ends whet ‘See per ad pss aay? 1m this word of symbols the Ikwan study Nature withthe purpose of discerning the wadem ofthe Maker "Know," they write "hat ‘the perfect manufacturing ofan objet indicates the existence of @ ise and perfect artisan even When he is veiled and inccesnie to ‘Sense perception, He who mediates upon otanial objects wil of recesiy know thatthe beings of this reign ie from a peret Of the many types of symbol which the Tkhwan we, members auc the mest important bresuse hrouph numbers they ae able to relate mulupity to Unity and bring oleh the harmony which pe. ‘ades the Universe” Regarding thee tease on musi, the hin ‘ne ofthe sine of our teste om mais consis of demonstrating eat thal the wick words compe! i conformity with ahmed ‘Fomevicl and seal ations Thre, we hve explaed in Se he eat of univer armoay. We andcstan, estore tat thor cont ‘Sere the body ofthe word rene an ainal ore sige sem ‘fe ingle mar o he tality of iy which shows ai the Unio ke ‘Maker fmatr, the Creator of forms (ons) ovo ts Compt ly that's God * iS, De en Mana he As.) Path LA, Pepsi ty aah Li SPI creat demalen ase dlld aia eteezibinrsisths con engl asada obdlehs Caters rida alias Bie Lot ce bP Dial AG stbehtceteeth swe dr cli oTgum aa ; Secap cock Wlbin edhe etetw cpmcatwtome ‘thorn ne H Kiar, Ato Late on ar Harmon dr Wel Sta Ekin Rien The ary of Wor Memon sen og in ti tate on mune vt at She cst rcperne lino ude ‘get mgs ape io es 46 ‘rm nwa ALARA ‘The science of number (im aada) is considered by the Ikhwan asthe way leading to the grasp of Unity asa tiene which stands hove Nature andthe pemeile of bing" andthe root of the eer ‘elena, the ist elnr and the mot exalted alchemy’ It ly more ‘over, the fist effusion (fd ofthe ntl imprinted upon the Soul and the “tongue which speaks of Unity and transcendence" No Wonder, then, tht the Rai always compare the relation of God to the workd—or, metaphyseally speaking, of Being to exstenco—as that of One tothe other numbers Inthe more esoteric Ris ale ‘n'a, iis implied in one place that Being (atv) corresponds to one, andthe Infinite or the Divine Esenc, 10 2eo. Ze, there fore, symbolizes the Divine Ipc, whichis above all determinations incloding Being As ‘Awa writes mw aauhsue, SRM ied ctpte + itt dh bel ole itldnde die Able AZ LID git Be eset Auten es spol ot panties naib eed mya. Lt ht i le Fe Aen lih it aha Sa 5 apDoaasl Searle 2. sate en a oe eg te Rai Rear flesh aed hee na at frog ow oy itn ir te Utena Stel we rer oe it 9 he Inca Etna yang wr prc yt Ioton of Seu aya wit}. Ti heres et {E'sdstnontor a mene tt «sibel ret at law ne, BS eeepc ar ay ae BM ine tno a ons feu Goauy Aske ey Co, ato "ta i i ene we tt fee ea ‘rue comes Axo Te tRARCHT OF ue UNIVERSE AT Eun mot, "a thfoie du nombre” es, aux yeux de Fetes dela Pore age divine eet udests des cho. Les choses ne sont forms qu'apres le mods der nombres ‘As we have already note, the Tkbwan believed themselves to be the disciples of Pythagoras and of such followers as Nicomachus, ‘Specialy in consiering numbers atthe caus ofall things and the key to he understanding ofthe harmony pervading the Universe” ‘The basic question to be asked, therfore, isthe exact meaning ofthe Pythagorean numbers whieh the Ikhwan employ const. A full study of this subject would requie—to sty the lente trea fits ‘own and ies outside of our range of discussion. Considering the fini ofthe Ikhwin with the Pythagoreans, however, particularly fnmathematicy, tis esentil to define bey the meaning of umber and geometry according to this ancient Greek school, which was to Ihave daciples until the very end of the Graseo-Roman period, and ‘which was 20 influential fm the formation of Muslin intellectual The Pythagorean Notion of Aithmatie and Geometry ‘As Schuon has sated so accurately concerning the treitons notion ot mumbers ‘This umber in he Pythagorean sens, of which the univesal rater ‘than he quantitate Impor is already tobe divine fe geometrical eure ln coma nd not aocental, Whit one obtain ordinary suber by aan, quatative number rst, one cone, om a teal ‘tintin diferentition af pica sly a not sdded to nthe {nd doe not dear rom uniy, Gcomatical Agus are so many ages "xt ete dP de Pd. De aallaheron geese BED « hi Dy Aes ah rola afte a Uiedhaeg enh ona be i condyles SA Ndr suranga ohne a wh into pl ot ate of amie, Hea at 4 ‘Hr HWA ALSAR unis they exude one mother or eater, they denote diferent pine ‘Spal quate; the cal harmony, the eave stability, these a> SSonesn nose nape as The Pyhagran nantes, bing gsi aber than just a auantintne eat, cannot te etoe ungy a nao and Puliplsty we cat eetn unter They eset ene wh Shanty th yt ature gl te bye seein tip ine, Ob th cata, teu thy ave a “prton of ‘iy wich aes fol senate ro i tou, Py force numbers wien iensed wi cera ening ety etd of mulipiiyegte hat ony ne Uy, Pae Bn. whichis th soure ol extenee To ent ew certs ‘ibe if ele et Soares by ren fe tad och ‘tral umber Uni “The mbundesaning of his conciption of nambes has made sma ancet ork nldig the Ral apenas te peo may on edor Yot acento wel a Be itn have epetd many ines xa what ey ean yom, tet and ow ey make ue oft a fe ttn ramp he famous fetsenury (aD) Pthagoresn, Niouthus, whos fate freon o drei td Pacemaster eo ‘eat mportant and ines poco ots snot ey of umber ane egsding the piay of thet oe the ft ‘the Quadrinium: " ne * Wich en ofthe four methods must we fet ern’? Eden, the ene wich nary exis teloe te ls spe and ese ne ‘onga ot tot tay as war Of mie tbe oes And ts Stim ot ly tected Hat ened etre ates {ie nd ofthe reting God Ta soe ural nl tee an ‘eg upon hh even ad anheue sume Creo oe Unive tn order is taal aeaons and as hem sh tha proper ns bu ao beaut marly pick fing eee ea” Dc, Di Pe der dee I Lea er TE Sis, Dae Wa GH Pap sgt doncees concurs ‘Sorts an ly ma scat Bee Lope ap oe Soe 0s ened bliin Pe teens, {TH COO AND THE HERARCHY OF THE URVERSE sit abolishes other wince wih tl but not abolished together with fem ‘As forthe meaning of numbers and their relation to Nature be a ‘All hat has by nace and with tat method ben srangedi the ‘Univete some both in prt and a's whol to have bees dtersuined and ordered in soordance wit number, by the forethought and mid of Him {tcrestedal thing; for he pac ha ue, likes preliminary sec, bythe domaation of aumtber pre-xistingn the nd 0th world. reting {Gods number conceptl only sed imate in every way. at With ferent fo ian an ate plan shoul be Seed a hte hing, Tipe motos the heen, the a al ort of reoisons®™ Similar definitions may be found in the writings of many other rmenibers ofthis school Ie the Islamic world, bir, who employs ‘umber exclusively asthe bass ofthe Balance also ues the qualita- {ve numberof the Pythagorean, since the fabian balance is een Sally an instrument for measirng the tendency ofthe World Soul fowacd each substance,” Afr the Iw, number for them she Ipirtal image resulting nthe baron sou from the repetin of Ents." Tes, therefor, the “projection of unity,” a projection ‘which js never divorced frome source And since numba ae he projection of the mimber one, the Rapti do not conslder one islf qo be the beginning of numbers They belive two to be the fst ‘umber and unity elf the origin and principe ofall numbers. Tn geomet, ao, they follow the Pytagoreans by desing the svieas" and “personalities” of various geometrical Bgurs.™ The fina aim of peometry i to permit the faculties of the soul to reflect find mediate independently ofthe external word so that nally ‘iohes to seperate self from tis word inorder to join, thanks fit ‘ietal ascension, the wold ofthe spits and eternal Hif."™ "The double aspect of mathematic, asa quanstaive and quate. tive selene, makes this form of knohledge in a way "he lneder of Saeab.” Th Use of mathematics inthe sty ofthe word of quantity 8 Neonat Inds thins ane M. L-D'Ooe (Chg si itp i nt ih ast! Arab Tbe er Satta uc of in ote sin nd tt be 2 Oy as Corin tsi “Pas eBags a pour pipe eon tr ps Bie Tamu mle ed cae es” ee ‘Bik edb be Haren" bone antec 08950, 0 "aKa AL AER ‘comes, therefore, abridge by means of which oe ean journey from that world to the world of te arbelypes. Nomber, Because offs tymbotc apes, becomes not only testament of division but also that of unification and tegration. The Pythagorean numbers as ‘ied by the Tehwdn, by virtue of tei inet identification with the "atic ideas," or archetypes, ofceation, have the power ofsyn- thes in addon to that of ansisis which hey possess aba resul of| having a quantative aspect. Tha futher study of numbers which involves ther odd-even, ‘ational iational, and simile properties, the Ikhwin divide numbers {nto four groups: units, dozens, bundieds, and thousands (auch ‘ike the Chinese) and relate this fourfold division to the foufokd

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