Taking a Look at the Concept of Utopia in the Political Philosophy of Plato

and Farabi

Zahra Golnaz Manteghi Fasaei

Ph.D. of Philosophy of Art
Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch of Tehran
19/January/2019

Abstract
Paradise is without history. No paradise is compatible with history, but despite
this fact, the desire for paradise is the longest man's wish. Perhaps a more
powerful metaphor than the lost paradise doesn't clearly reveal this old dream.
Political philosophy shows this unfertilized passion whether in its first attempts
or in its most recent struggles. From the Plato's to Farabi's era, this search for
the lost paradise of land or a desirable and ideal society continued. Both
philosophers have followed the utopia. Both were looking for one thing: justice.
None of them, except in their dreams, were able to create their utopia on land.
The land has resisted against temptation to live in Paradise. The basic
hypothesis of this article is that both thinkers, Plato and Farabi, for the creation
of an equal society, have reached inequality. Both in their society have created a
structure that is fair according to their view. But in describing its embodied
justice, inequality has been interfered. Our fundamental question in this essay is
what justice is. And the answer of both to this question i.e. question from the
nature of justice is different. In answering to question of what is justice? Plato
invents the myths of gold, iron, and brass natures, and Farabi, by relying on his
knowledge of duties, considers the head of Madineh as embodiment of his
active intellect, and relates the value of his Madine to him. The method used in
this research is analytical-descriptive.
Keywords: utopia, politics, justice, active intellect, Metaphysics

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1. Introduction

Man has always had the wish to return to Paradise, where they are fairly
rewarded for goodness. The utopia is the landed image of this ideal and wish.
But since each human and society is different from other human and society, the
perception of each of them differs from one another. But the concept of justice
is the common value of all of them. All utopias' creators consider their desirable
society to be fair, but what is justice? The answers to each question are
different. An attempt to build a land paradise has often failed. So why is
humanity still struggling to create such an impossible society? It must be said
that the goal of the utopias' creator is ethical rather than the requirement to
create it on earth. They are struggling to highlight bad by visualizing good. The
age of the utopia creation is far away. For example, in the "Sumerian Epic of
Gilgamesh" of the second millennium BC, we find a description of a kind of
land paradise: "There, there was no sound of crow, the bird of death didn't
scream about death, the lion did not drown, the pigeon didn't whine, neither was
the widow, nor disease, neither an old creature nor crying." Among the many
works written, some are created with a religious approach and some secular, and
some with a purely literary view, in the form of novels and stories, and others
with rationality and philosophical and scientific processes. Idea and idealism are
concepts that are specially raised in various fields such as politics, society,
culture and metaphysics. But what is discussed here is a function that these
concepts have in combination with words like city or Madineh. The symmetry
of these two concepts in terms such as the utopia or the urbanization ideal
creates a capacity that contains all the above domains. The inclusion of this
wide area is due to a specific function that the concept of "city" gives to the
word "ideal". Because the word (city) brings a population into mind, gathered
together in a single culture under a single law and system in a given place.

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2. Utopia and justice

If Plato was the first philosopher that gave a systematic and relevant system of
political reasoning to the world, Farabi could be considered the founder of
political thinking with a firm structure of philosophical consistent principles and
foundations in the Islamic world 1. He is the first Muslim scholar who, on the
basis of the theoretical principles and foundations, presented his civil
philosophy with compatible and relevant components to the world of wisdom
and view. Farabi, according to most Muslim scholars, is the founder of political
philosophy. 2 His political philosophy can be found in books such as "Ara Ahle
Al-Madineh al-Fazele" and the book "Tahsil Al-Saade" and the book "Al-Siyase
al-Madineh".3 In these books, he embodied his imagination from Islamic utopia.

3. Ideal society of Farabi

He was following a world in which human beings live fairly. It seems that
Farabi saw the degeneration of the Islamic world of his era (and perhaps all
ages) affected by two factors, and tried to defeat the two factors by describing
an ideal society: (1) the illegitimate rulers who overcome the material and
spiritual existence of Muslims and under the flag of Islam and by pretending to
be Muslim, cover legitimacy on their non-accomplished rule; 2) followers and
people who, by deviating from the principles and spirit of the teachings of Islam
have confirmed the legitimacy of these rulers by gaining power, headship,
wealth and pleasure.4
Of course, it should be noted that from the perspective of Farabi, the ideal city
is only an ideal "means" for achieving human to the perfection and prosperity
and purity of his soul. He believes that it is impossible for humans, except in the
framework of an accomplished government and a virtuous rule that educates
citizens and sets laws that will determine the ways of achieving prosperity. So:
political thinking should explain and describe the sovereign and structure of a
complete Madineh. Being complete here is the second part of justice. But what

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is justice? In order to examine the concept of justice with Farabi, we must first
investigate his conception from the utopian nature. In some of his writings, he
likens the utopia's systems to the human body and states that, as the body has
the main and non-main components that each member has a duty in order to the
human body to be able to do its vital tasks, home and Medineh and the country
are as this. As, whenever an element of the original or subordinate body
members does not do their work, a general disorder occurs in the life and life of
the body.5
1.Nagarezadeh Kermani, Farnaz (1997). Principles of Farabi Political
Philosophy. Alzahra University. Tehran, p 2

2. Davari Ardakani, Reza (1998). Farabi, the founder of Islamic Philosophy.

High Council for Culture and Arts Center for Cultural Studies and Coordination.
Tehran, p10

3. Nasr, Seyed Hossein (1992). Three Muslim wisemen, Translation by Ahmad

Aram. Pocket book company. Tehran.p 17

4. Nazarzadeh, p118

5. Mahmoudi, Noureddin (2012). Farabi's utopia; the desirable society from the
point of view of Farabi and the place of education in it. The growth of social
science education. No. 55. P17

That is why Farabi likens the policy, the art of managing Utopia, to medicine.
He considers politics as "service and guidance, "politician in his view is as
"medicine."1 Both the body and the soul have health and disease, "Al-Tabib al-
Zi Yaalej Al-Abdan ... and Al-Molk Al-Zi Yaalej Al-Anfos"2 " The physician is
someone who treats the bodies and the property is someone who treats the
population. Analogy of policy to medicine is the keys of Farabi's political
thought and determining the type of relationship between the head and the

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authority of Madineh, as well as the nature and purpose and the leadership
methd. ... The head of utopia is a perfect and the wise man that divine grace sent
him to treat the pains of human spirit.3

4. Plato and politics

In contrast to this view, Plato considers politics as a special skill and knowledge
that differs significantly from other education and specializations. To define this
knowledge, Plato uses allegory. He likens the politician to a sailor that should
carry the ship passengers to the destination. " In the conversation of the
politician ... Plato first considers what the politician is not. Finally, he likens the
politician to a "weaver", whose work is "royal textile" of the sections and
sections of the city and the linkage of various classes, to create a fixed, uniform,
and consistent texture as a full civil society ... Elsewhere, Plato considers
politics the art of raising human beings and the administration of their affairs,
and says: "The political man is busy with grazing a flock of beasts without
4
horn." But what constitutes the two wise people in the common area is the
concept of "justice".

4.1 Justice

In Plato's view, justice is a sensual state and human's issue with itself. Justice is
considered an epistemic subject and an interpreter of a state of internal human
harmony.5 Because in the Greeks' heritage, where Plato also grew in its place,
the creation and development of the city was natural. Madineh received its
importance from the connection to the human being and the survival of the kind
of human, because human existence was dependent on Madineh. Plato, from the
founding of the utopia, considered the realization of true justice for the ultimate
goal (complete bliss), and defined the complete bliss of man in the knowledge
of the world of ideas or "forms."6 Apart from general ethics and goodness, he

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sought to create concept of justice in a new form with a utopian architecture (the
ideal city), ultimately restore the integrity and holiness of Madineh to it. The
social events in his era caused that this philosopher made the old traditions alive
and immortal by presenting a new design. Plato's moralism is one of his most
important motivations in utopian architecture. 7

1.Farabi, Abu Nasr Muhammad (1985). Ahsa AlOlum, Hussein Khadiv Jam.
Tehran. Scientific and cultural publications, p109

2. Farabi, Abu Nasr Muhammad (1979). Madineh Policy. Translated by Seyed

Jafar Sajjadi. Iran Philosophy Society. Tehran, p 105

3. Nazarzadeh, p 84

4. Nazaezadeh. P73-74

5.ibide, p 311

6. barker. F.Greek Political Theory:Plato And bis Predecessors. P. 78

7. Sinclair. R. K. Democracy and Partici Pation in Athens. P. 67

Plato was opposed to a general government based on the presumption of

equality of citizens; For this type of government, aside from undermining the
principle of justice, was reminiscent of his bitter historical experience from
democracy government whose teacher had sent Socrates unfairly to death. He
traditionally accepted the pattern of the virtuous elites' rule for the government
of his ideal city, i.e the rule of the elite on the basis of knowledge 1. Indeed,
justice in Platonic utopia means the rule of the harmony, virtuous and balanced
human group,... He believed that justice in society is established when the
political system of that society and the internal system of a person has reached a
moderate level so that these three, I,e, within the individual, the society and the

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political system, correspond with each other, and as a result, the absence of each
one leads to another loss.2 But equilibrium in his view has a class infrastructure.

4.2 Platonic myth

In the power metaphysics that he, by relying on it, tried to make harmony,
human beings are not equal. He creates a myth to transform his ideal society
into three classes or unchangeable cassettes through the educational systems.
Justice does not mean equality in his view, but in the sense of harmony. Plato
tells the citizens of his ideal society that all of you who are in this country are
brothers, but on the day that God created you, the existence of those who were
supposed to take the control of affairs in the future with gold of nature
therefore, they are more expensive than the others, their assistant with silver and
other farmers with iron and brass. Because you are all from the same race, most
of the children who come to the world from your back will be like you ... the
country where the control of its guardianship is in iron and brass is condemned
to decline, and these three types of nature are in line with three components of
human spirit and the three social classes; craftsmen are like brass-nature and
corresponding to the abdomen and lust. Also, the guards are the silver-nature,
and they are in line with the chest and courage, and the rulers are the gold-
nature and corresponding to the knowledge.3

4.3 Platonic anthropology

This division is rooted in Plato's anthropology, as noted, according to Plato,

human nature consists of three powers: the power of reason, the power of lust,
and the power of wrath. Justice is a trait that emerges from the balance between
these three powers in human nature, and the just man is one who has the right of
each of these three powers and does not allow a power to dominate the other
two powers. In other ways, Plato considers "the justice" as one of the four

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virtues (justice, wisdom, courage, and chastity that was respected by the
Greeks)

1. Bobonich. C. Platos Utopia Recasl: His Later Ehics and Polotocs

2. Kalbasi Ashtari, Hossein and Hajizadeh, Parviz (2014). The Place of Justice
in Plato's Utopia and Farabi's utopia. Tehran. history of philosophy. Summer
2014. Number 17.p125

3. Plato, Collected Works (1988). Translation by Mohammad Hassan Lotfi and

Reza Kaviani, Tehran. Kharazmi Publishing, p 944-947

... In his view, the three virtues of wisdom, courage and chastity assign to a
particular group: the wisdom is special to the rulers, courage is special for the
helpers and the armies and, continence and chastity are related to the mass of
people. But justice is a virtue which each of these three groups engages only in
their own work, and equally anyone does the work that is created for it and he
has its talent and does not interfere in another.1 In the explanation of his theory,
he says: the purpose of saying that everyone should do their own actions is not
apparent actions, but the spiritual and internal activity of everyone; An activity
that relates to himself and his affairs. The righteous man is such a person that he
does not allow a part or the components of his soul to interfere with another
part, or all components interfere in the work of each other, but also on the idea
that every part does a work that is truly its duty. In this way, he should be
predominant on himself, and he establishes a beautiful order in himself, to be
friend with himself, and to harmonize the three parts of his soul ... and thereby
liberate his inner from plurality and distress and to be a united individual in true
meaning, not a few persons; I.e, self-discipline and co-ordinate with himself ...
and in all circumstances, he only considers an action fair and beautiful that does

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not disturb the internal order, but becomes it more solid and knowledge in his
view is the only insight that leads the person towards such behavior. Everything
that harmed the internal order to be considered oppression.2

5. Farabi and unequal justice

Like its predecessor, Farabi does not consider justice in the meaning of equality
of citizens, and although cosmology is affected by new platonic philosophy, the
influential part in the design of utopia is the "theory of grace", which is
originated from Plotinus.3 However, in building its ideal society and in drawing
its desirable society, it has largely been benefited from Plato's theory and added
to it the theory of Imamate and the concepts of goodness and perfection and
happiness. It should be noted that in the description of the leader of utopia and
the first head of favorable society and describing his characteristics, he is
influenced by the teaching of Imamate.4 But the common promise about Farabi
is that the foundation of his political philosophy, pattern of utopia and its ruling
philosopher, Madineh classes, and its ultimate goals is a new perception of the
same concepts from Platonic concepts that according to the culture of Muslims
is made.5 However, in Farabi's political thought, such as Plato, justice is a key
concept, and is raised in much more diverse and broader content than Plato.

1. Position of justice, p126

2. Plato, p 964

3. Pourjavadi, Nasrollah (1979). A introduction of Plotinus Philosophy. The

Society of Iranian Philosophy. Tehran, p 27
4. Mahmoudi, Noureddin (2012). Farabi's utopia; the desirable society from
the point of view of Farabi and the place of education in it. The growth of
social science education. No. 55, p16

6. Goal and Idealism

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Plato's problem in the book of Republic, the discovery of the nature of
oppression and also the answer to the question whether just man is more blissful
or ruthless? Since the essence and laws governing "Polis" are essentially the
same essence and laws governing the greater dimensions of the soul, Plato
examines his problem within the framework of "Politia."1 Some, like Vlastos,
have said: Platonic justice, rather than to be raised about human communication
with other human beings, it is an individual issue, and Plato does not go ahead
more in defining justice.1 But it can consider justice from Plato's view in other
way and did not interpret the fundamental issue of his political philosophy
individualism. Plato, Aristotle and Farabi are unanimous that human beings
need to live in society for the survival and elimination of their ultimate
perfection. But there is a very important difference in the works based on the
common premise of Farabi and the Greek philosophers ... For the Greeks, the
assumption of the necessity of social life for man is defined and determined
within the term of "human, political animal" and in relation to life in the Greek
state. In the Greek political culture, Polis concludes from this issue: "Man is a
political animal" or "an animal living in a state city". Therefore, the importance
of the first institute and the most transcendent purpose of theoretical thought
must be to determine the way of political behavior of human being and his
ethical dos and dont's within the polis domain... In this way, in the culture of
Greek political philosophy, originality and credibility is primarily for the city
that the citizens gather together to protect its integrity. Therefore, they must
adjust their political and civil behavior in accordance with this goal. The
"citizen" class in the Greek political philosophy is lower than the "city" class
and the interests of the "individual" and affected by the interests of the "total"
2
living in the polis. The spirit of Greek political thought is to distinguish
between good and evil in the state of city. 3And the goal of the Greek political
thought is to preserve the essence of the city.4

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It can be said that in the Greek culture, the city had a natural origin, not credit
and contractual. According to the Greeks, the human need for survival and his
weakness from administration of his affairs alone led to the social emergence of
people and birth and growth of the city.5
1.Nazerzadeh, p313

2. Vlastos, 1971, p.7

3.Nazerzadeh, 81

4.ibide, p 90

5. ibide, p 93

6.1 The nature of the desired state

Plato should first determine the nature of a good state based on its own
experiences. His experience as well as his perception indicated that a good state
is moral naturally and its ultimate goal is the establishment of ethical virtues
and its expansion in the population of citizens. Thus, in the context of the theory
of its ideal city, he designed a comprehensive ethical committee with elements
defined. What should be in this body was the virtue of" justice".1

If we can count the most important features of the Platonic city, we can mention
three concepts of "general good," "justice," and "virtuous aristocratie." The
expansion of all three concepts in Polithea's theory was rooted in the historical
events of his time. These events can be summed up in three phenomena of
Sufism, Oligarchy and Democracy. In Plato's view, the three phenomena of his
age caused the disruption in the intrinsic cohesion and facilitation of the
external defeat of Athens.

6.2 Crisis of values

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The emergence of Sufism was a moral catastrophe and a result of the
disappointment of the "Ionic scholars" from finding the "primary element of the
universe." Greek philosophical reasoning, after discovering that the first
material from which the universe was made, reached deadlock tended its
sophistic thought to the human world and the world of human beings. This
revolution from the natural world to the human world paved the way for
attacking the ethical infrastructure of the state-society and transforming the
fundamental values of the state-society into profession. The Sophists marked
the customs and traditions of polis with theory of moral relativity. Smart Plato
should build a solid pillar for ethic and civil ethical behavior, since the polis
basis was based on the consistency of ethical principles and shared religious
beliefs, and if this doctrinal share of the citizens disrupted, in fact, foundation of
polis would trembled. Another problem of Plato with the Sophists, as we
mentioned, was that they transformed political work into a profession, and, they
taught the power and the pursuit of political goals to Taliban, in exchange for
money, how to persuade the ignorant masses with fiery sermons and convince
them. Plato should again redefine "political man" and "moral virtue" to reduce
the Sophists' hot market. There were serious doubts in the sense of the settled
and classic justice of polis, and after the storm that the Sophists made.
Traditional justice was defined in the ancient Greek traditions as "courage on
the battlefield and defeating enemy." This definition changed with the
establishment of the oligarchic government, in the name of the right is with
strong and justice is not the honor of powerful people, "and was reversed with
the rule of the Democrats that" the law and justice originated from weak people
is to take a share of powerful people. " 2

1.ibide, p 98

2.ibide, p99

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7. Farabi's theology

Farabi, in spite of his intellectual contribution to Plato, differs in his functions

and the goal of his political philosophy. For Farabi, from this introduction, that
"civil human is natural", this conclusion is not induced: then, politics should be
a great goal of theoretical thinking. The realization of natural civilization can
only be pursued within the range of its "cooperative" theory and not in
determining the ultimate goal of political thinking. Farabi's goal from politics is
not to preserve the integrity of the city; his goal from being in the field of
political thinking is to find a way to prosperity and perfection of the "person".
Unlike Plato and Aristotle, who believe in the validity and protection of the city,
person's credibility and prosperity are the fundamental differences between
Farabi's philosophical philosophy and the two Greek scholars. In Plato's
political philosophy, the interests of the individual are affected by the "plural"
interests of the resident of polis.1 Farabi divides human communities into
"complete" and "incomplete", and makes self-sufficiency as a condition of the
perfection of a civil society. The complete communities are: "Ozma", "Vosta"
and "Soghra". The human community of Ozma consists of peoples residing in
the developmental parts of the land. The smallest complete community is
Madineh and part of an Ummah. 2 The characteristics of each nation are sharing
in natural and language natures.3 It can be said that Farabi's utopia, unlike
Plato's utopia, which is deliberately kept small, is unclear and can be enlarged
from the city to the globe. This can be obtained from the territory of the
headship of utopia:

‫ « و هو الرئیس االول للمدینة الفاضلة و هو رئیس االمة الفاضلة و رئیس المعمورة من االرض‬:
.»‫کلها‬4

However, it can be said that for all three philosophers, politics in Madineh is
"the nobility" and the servant of all the industries and the point of attraction in
which other industries in the city are gathered on its axis. Farabi says:

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.»‫فلیس کل صناعة یمکن ان یرأس بها[السیاسة] و اکثر الصنایع یخدم بها فی المدینة‬5

It is not possible that any industry patronizes on politics, and all other industries
are servant in the city. "Plato also considers politics the "loyal art" that governs
other arts and crafts instead of turning to a particular task:

1.ibide, 81-82

2.Votes, Beirut, p96

3.Nazerzadeh, p 118

4. Farabi, Abu Nasr Muhammad (1959). Origins of the people of utopia. Al-
Bir Nasri Nader. Beirut. Al-matbaa Al-kasulikye, p105

5. Votes, Beirut, p101-102

"An art that governs all the arts, establishes laws, and integrates all the affairs of
the state in a systematic manner and integrates together ... Should not we call it
the right art of politics?" Farabi does not consider politics the highest industry in
that the subject is civil society itself; but its superiority among the other
industries is that it is the task of Madine's chairman and subject of his
employment. The work of the head of Madineh is supreme and accomplisher of
madineh's work. He is not the servant of any human being due to his perfection.
Therefore, his career must also be the best and most complete of all the careers
and goal of the people of Madineh.1 It should be considered that the close
relationship between metaphysics and politics in Farabi's thought further
manifests his organic (organic) theory on humanity and his relationship with
God, the world and his associates, as present in the Muslim belief system.

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Therefore, belief, politics and ethics is considered as the continuation and
expansion of metaphysics or its greatest manifestation i.e, the science of
theology. For this reason, the most important metaphysical book of Farabi, the
votes of the people of utopia, such as the book of Republic of Plato - which was
certainly the pattern of Farabi,-does not begin with the discussion of justice and
its relation to the individual and the state, but it begins with the discussion about
theology, prophecy, and related issues to justice which is a subordinate of these
topics and is closely linked to them.2 From the perspective of Farabi, the
political knowledge is a grace from the high world inspired by the mediation of
the active intellect to the head of Madineh. The political knowledge is "Zia
Shams", which is the "light of Basr" to the politician, and the involvement in
supreme politics is entrusted to the human being

.»‫و هو اکمل مراتب االنسانیة‬...‫فصار عقال و معقوال بالفعل‬...‫« قد استکمل‬3

"When you reach the degree of perfection, the intellect and reasonableness are
actualized and he is in the most complete degree of humanity."

7.1 What is politics?

If for Plato, politic is a particular knowledge, he means that many people are not
able to acquire this knowledge and skills in political affairs and thus do not have
the right to interfere in political affairs. For Farabi, politic is a special
knowledge that establishes a special relationship between the human world and
the world of abstractions. Political knowledge in his view, is a mission from the
God, to a man in the most complete degree of humanity, for guidance and
(medicine of the soul) of other human beings, and this is because of a particular
knowledge. Farabi believes that science of politics is the science of recognizing
the behaviors and issues that humans do, not naturally, but on the will. Also,
this science is recognition of the origin and purpose of these behaviors and
practices. Describing and prescribing good moral for true happiness is one of

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the topics of this particular knowledge. Since a government must be spread with
the guidance of these "acts and customs, habits and property, and morals" in
cities, sovereignty is also the subject of political science.4

1.ibide, p82-83

2.Halabi, Ali Asghar (1982). History of Iranian Philosophers from the

Beginning of Islam to Today. Tehran. Zwar bookstore. Second book, p296

3.Votes of Beirut, p 102-104

4. Farabi, Abu Nasr Muhammad (1985). Ahsa AlOlum, Hussein Khadiv Jam.
Tehran. Scientific and cultural publications, p106-107

Of course, mentioning this issue does not reduce the importance of the issue of
justice with Farabi. In agreement with Plato and Aristotle, he believed that no
political order would be durable unless it was based on the attributes of virtue
and perfection - to which he refers to virtues - and to justice. Farabi states that
justice is the supreme virtue in which man tries to ferment them, and it is the
basis upon which political order is based on it. From the perspective of Farabi,
the social and political system is categorically, based on capacity, merit and
dignity.

7.2 Figure of the ideal society

In order to understand the class system of utopia of Farabi, a brief awareness of

the philosophic system of this philosopher is necessary because, as mentioned,
the structure of his ideal city is the echo of his mind and his rational
understanding from the universe system. In Farabi's philosophical system, all
universes have emerged from the grace of their first existence, or the essence of
the God, and the sources of the universe are in a transferor system; thus, after

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the first creature- which is the origin of al-Mabadi - the hierarchy of the
universe, respectively: "Al-Anghas Falanghas" are from perfection to defection
until they reach a stage that is a step below that is void. The creation of the
single intellects and the heavenly bodies from the first being (God) also follow
the principle that they are created in the form of a hierarchy to their ultimate,
active intellect, by the God of the universe. The head of the utopia that has gone
through the stages of perfection and is a completed mankind is connected with
the wisdom. "In the living creature body of the earth, there is such an
arrangement: in the center of the body, there is a heart that is at the head of all
the members. Other organs of the body, according to the degree of perfection,
are, respectively, distant from the heart to the lowest organs, such as intestine
and bladder. The hierarchy of body member is a command and obeying line or
servant. So that the first members that in terms of perfection and their role in the
body, are immediately after the heart, serve the heart, and they themselves are
second-rate leaders who serve a number of body organs. This third group also
serves second-rate heads and is at the head of a group of other members. It
finally reaches a member that only is obedient of superior member of his own,
and no member is obedient. The utopia theory, like any other theory, assumes
the principles of axioms. The two main principles on which this theory is based
on it is the principle of "natural civilization" and the other, the relationship of
"cooperation" between human types, for the formation of civil society. 1 The
Farabi's utopia is a unit housing where a group of scholars and great people are
collected under the chairmanship of a chairman, who immediately and directly
compassionates the "active intellect" and who is not in need of guidance and
training to any human being, and assists each other in the objects by which they
can achieve true happiness. This Madine is, in essence, contradictory to other
civic communities, in terms of presidency, politics, people, law and the goal.
Farabi states in the definition of this Madineh:

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‫ هی المدینة‬،‫«المدینة التی« یقصد باالجتماع فیها التعاون علی االشیاء التی تنال بها السعادة فی الحقیقة‬
.»‫ هو االجتماع الفاضل‬،‫و االجتماع الذی به یتعاون علی نیل السعادة‬...‫الفاضلة‬2

1.Nazerzadeh,p118

2.Al-Ara, Beirut, p 97

The head of Farabi's utopia is the first creature and causes acquiring Madineh
and its components, and it is like a compass draws the circle of existence in
Madineh, and Madineh;s parts revolve around it and get their identity from it.
Plato considers the realization of the perfection of his ideal city is subject to the
rule of philosophers: "No city, nor any constitution, nor any person will be
perfected, unless an incident will force these few pure philosophers to take over
the rule of the city." "The ratio of the leader of Madineh to its component is like
the relation of the first cause to other beings on the one hand, and the ratio of
the relationship of heart to other organs, on the other. The assumption of the
existence of the relationship between universe and of human nature and the civil
society is from the classical Greek tradition that reached Farabi... The
adaptation of the system of creation to the soul and the human body, both of
them both with the social system, made the philosophical system of Farabi
compatible and validate Farabi's belief in the divine law that has been flowing
from heaven to earth. It seems that man is an intermediary circle in which the
heavenly laws are linked to civil society and the political system, and the
metaphysic of human community is linked to the human nature.1

7.3 Farabi's metaphysics

In the metaphysic of Farabi, from the essence of the first cause, the essence of
all creatures is benefit as the being and the order they deserve. 2 In the system of
classification and the hierarchical order of existence, Farabi recognizes six
sources on six ranks: "first cause" (duty of existence), "second cause" (10

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intellects), and "active intellect", i.e the first three ranks from the transferor
system are abstract from object and far from material. Three orders of the
"soul", "form" and "material" (the next levels of this transferor system) are part
in body or present in the body. The position of the first three orders in the world
is "supra-moon" and the next position in the world "beyond moon". The active
intellect is the circle of connecting the Alawi world to the lower world (supra-
moon to the beyond-moon) and the manager of the world is under the moon.
Objects are six materials: "Celestial", "reasonable animal ", "unreasonable
animal", "plant" and "mineral" and "quaternary elements". In this hierarchical
system, the duty of existence is the subject of its own reason and from this
reason, the first possible existence, i.e, the first intellect, is created. "First" is the
unit. And since first component is not exported from the first, then the first
intellect is also non-material and unit inherent whose existence is abandoned
from the first existence. The first intellect is the possible existence to its essence
and the duty of existence to the essence of universe and the first cause. Because
he understands the essence of the first universe, the second intellect is issued,
and since it becomes a matter of its own reason, the first heaven appears ... And
so on, the dialectical process of reasoning and grace, and the issuance of ten
essences and ten heavens, all of which are abstracted of material, are issued.
3
The name of the heavens that each arises from ten intellects necessarily from
the reason of its essence are: Superior sky, stars, Sabeteh and Karat, Saturn,
Client, Mars, Shams, Venus, Mercury and Qamar.4

1.Nazerzadeh, p 218

2.Votes of Beirut, p 40

3. Votes of Beirut, p 44,45,51

4.Nazerzadeh, p 16

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Farabi, in his philosophical cosmology, identifies three worlds: "Rohaniye",
"Samawiye" and "Hiolaniye." In the ideal city of Farabi, the same hierarchy is
established. People are at different levels depending on their nature and their
talents. At the first level, the prime head or the leader of the utopia is with
special abilities and virtues. This person, like the heart, which causes the
development of other members, causes the utopia, and organizes works in the
proper manner of the ideal city. After the first head, there will appear another
category of heads who serve the first chairman and the chairman of the floor is
next to him. This hierarchy of heads and followers continues to a level where
their people serve only and no one serves them. "1

Head of Madineh

In Farabi's ideal society, head is a person who nobody rules on him in the
Madineh system. He is the Imam and the first head of utopia and also the head
of the Ummah and all the land. This position cannot be gained by anyone unless
there are twelve natural traits within him. First, he must be healthy... secondly,
he must be wise... his memory must be strong enough to preserve what he
understands and what he sees and what he listens and what he understands and
briefly do not forget them ... to be clever and sharp-witted ... be well spoken...
be knowledgeable ... not to be greedy on pleasures ... to hate lies ... to love
dignity ... money and world to be worthless for him.. he must naturally like
justice... to be just...to be single-minded2
According to Farabi, not only the centrality of Madineh is with the head of
Madineh, but it is the head of Madineh that for being wise and, on the other
hand, because of the originality of science and knowledge is superior to
Madineh, and ultimately proves that it is undoubtedly the head of society, that
by the active intellect can rid the people of the city from evil and pestilence and
lead them to their deserving prosperity. Farabi considers the condition of

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achievement of this goal as the obedience of the people of community and
considers the leader's obedience to this issue necessary.
8. Conclusion

Farabi's ideal society, like Plato's ideal society, is the embodied form of his
metaphysic. In this world, justice has been sacrificed for its fundamental value.
In fact, equality goes away in favor of balance and coordination. Both wise
persons believe that human beings are not essentially equal and, in the
visualization of their heavenly cities, consider inequality as just. To achieve a
complete society, they eliminate dynamics and historicity from their desirable
society. In fact, both utopias don't have history. Their communities are
immobile, and hence the human beings inside it are also ghost-like in
consequence of dominant norms of the society. The utopia of both wise men is
only possible by the elimination of history, i.e, the removal of a large part of
man.

1. Zaiyd Saeeid, (2001) Al-Farabi Al-Ghahere, Dar-Almaref,

p257-259
2. Zaiyd Saeeid, (2001) Al-Farabi Al-Ghahere, Dar-Almaref, p 96-
97

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