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    Livingston 1971 S. Magia Islámica Med.

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    Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah: A Fourteenth Century Defense against Astrological Divination Alchemical Transmutation John W. Livingston Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol, 91, No. 1. Gan, - Mar., 1971), pp. 96-103, Stable URL: ‘tips inks jstor.orgsiei?sici~G003-0279%28197 101%2F03%299 1 %3A 1 %3C96EIAIQAAFC%3E2.0.CORIB24 Journal of the American Oriental Society is curently published by American Oriental Society. ‘Your use of the ISTOR archive indicates your acceptance of [STOR’s Terms and Conditions of Use, available at hntp: eww jstor org/aboutiterms.htenl. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in par, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not dowsload an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the [STOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding ay further use ofthis work. Publisher contact information may be abtained at por jstor.orgounnalsfaos en Bach copy of any part ofa JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the sereen or printed page of such transmission, ISTOR isan independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of scholarly journals. For more information regarding ISTOR, please contact suppon @jstor-org. hup:tivwo jstor orgy SatDee 2 14:85:47 2006 IBN QAYYIM ALJAWZIYYAH: A FOURTEENTH CENTURY DEFENSE AGAINST ASTROLOGICAL DIVINATION AND ALCHEMICAL TRANSMUTATION Joms W. Lavivaston Byaees Bares ‘This article ie © reviaw of the arguments of the Aovbait theologian Ibn Qayviaa sl-Jew- siyyah (4, 1840 4.0.) against the oocult seienoes that existe in Islam during is tise. The le takes as its point of departure Professor Armand Abel's argumone (La place des seienses oecultes dans i décadenco in Clacsictome ct delim culturel dane Uhietoire da l'felam, edited by R. Brunschwig and GE. Von Grunehasim, Pati, 1987) that tbe Subni teigions institution protected, and indeed sanctioned, the rising tide of ovcultiam which, aevordic ‘to Abel, inundated the lands of Tslara in the twelfth and thictaenth centuries of the Christian ‘re, Ton Qayvim, one of the great spokesman of the Sunni tradition, devoted over two hhundzed pages in his Blah Dar al-Sa°edah in harahly denouncing divinatary precticas, ‘epecialy astrology and alchemy, which dacs not at all tally with the conclusions draw bby Professor Abel. Some of Ibn Qayyi's argumesta sppear to be original, while some, according to his own witission, definitely are not. The author of the present article deals wich Ibn Qaysim’s refutations of astrology snd alchemy snd has tried ta show from what ‘eourceh the theologian may have learned bi argumente AN ATIITUDE SHARED BY A GREAT MANY WRITERS on Islamic intellectual decline, regardless of their bistorical perspective, is that when the “rational” ie, the Greek) sciences! gave way to religious totalitarianism, oceult, sciences—witich had slso ceniored Islam in the train of its Hellenic inherit ance—flourished jn their place. This theme formas, the substance of Armand Abel's contribution (La place des sciences oecultes dans 14 déca- dence”) to an international symposium of Islamic seholars which met in Bordeaux in 1956 to discuss the decline of Itarmie civilization? I shall leave aside the problems evoked by Professor Abel's article, and the symposium as a whole.* I stall ‘The rational sciences were called by Muslim writers ab'ulim alagliyyal or “ubim abawd"tl: sclences the herited by Ile, parteulany from whe Greeis. Avecond category of the Scioncas distinguished by Muslima was ‘the ‘ulin al~arab dgciences of the Arsbs) or ‘ubim al- chortah (sciences of religious law). Seo fon al-Nadi, Fikrist al-Utant, 04. G. Fivgeh, Leipsig, 1811-72; ‘Mulbgrorand ibm Abebadal-Whovtriem, Magatihat- Ula, ed. G. Van Vioten, Leiden, 1896; Abn Nase al-Farabt, ‘Kila Theo" al-"Ulim, Ceizo, 1951; aba ‘AIT ibn Ste Riedlok f& Agenms at- ‘Aallayahy in Tia Rass'it fi Eeldamak wa UPabeyyat, Calvo, 3008 * Claasictere ot déctin calsuel dana Maistoire da Telam, ‘organized by R. Brunschwig and G. E. von Grupebanm, Pari, 1957. ‘For example, the vague meaning of “deeadence”™ 6 rather examine Abel's depiction of the rise of the cccult sciences in Islam, for I believe him to have overstated the case in putting forth the example of Aba Abbie Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah. al-Qurasht |Bant 6 proof of oceultiam’s grand success in the thirteenth centary: Ave e#lui-i (a Boot), inscience dee invocations, des ‘aliemans, des divinations, de Vestrologi, de Veroploi des noms seers, des mots magiques et secrets, | feabbste, Tusage du djafr, tout cela va se trouver systemating, elatig, aytant que faire se pout, val- sgaring et mis desininiversent ous igide dela religion In view of the number of first-rate thinkers in Islam from every religious quarter, including aldabiz (qd. 869), Ibn Hasm (d. 1064), al- Ghazal @. 11D, Iba alJaw2i (. 1200), fap it was used, the nature of “science” as the natural philoiophers and scientists of Islam conceived sty the Gubule differencas that diatinauished “legitimate” from “oneult"aeiences in the minds of some reecieval thiokers but not of others; and the particularly diffiext problem of whether in actual fact aceultseience took the place of hatural seiance af interest in the latter retreated from a society tyramnized by religious totalitarianisi, or whether oceutism, as an integral part of che Greek gt th Islam, enjayed tore aF leas che rae attention in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries as it did during the High “Abbasid peviod, 850-1050, hassicinme ot divin endtarel,p. 301 Lavmiagtaw: Astralagical Disination. and Alckemtcal Tranematation a7 snd Ibn Taymivyab (d. 1928), all of whom wrote against the occult sciences, it with some surprise to be told that the oceulé scieners were to find 2 refuge in religion.? If by religion Abel meant. the established religious institution of High Islam (es opposed to fli Jslam) as represented by the jurists, judges, jurisconsults, the religious and legal thinkers and officials, known collectively ae the ulema, then some qualification must be made to Abel's thesis, since the temper of the ulema regarding ‘whim alaw#'il, and in particular aleberay and astro logical divination, often became violent in its oppasition.* Tn considering the attitudes representative of the Sian zelfgious eatablishment in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, aecount should be taken of the Hanbalé writers and jurists, especialty Zbn Qayyim alJawziyvah (@. 1349), who, though overlooked by Abel, was as impo:tant & spokes ‘man against occultiem in the fourteenth century ae al-Bani was for it in the thirteenth century, Tha Qayyim stands out as one of the most im- portant thinkers in the Hanbalt tradition, whieh included his own teacher Ibn Taymiyyah, and century before him Thn al-Jawsi. All thee of these religious scholars express in the corpus of their writings, sermons and legal decisions (feed), sentiments not, only of the Hanbelt school, but of all the member of the Swen? community who Wwere seriously concerned with defending the established Sunna of Islam from innovations from any direction, whether Christian saint- worshin, Aristotelian metaphysics, or astrological divination and the pursuit of alehemiesl. trans mutation. With respect to oecultism in particular, those who sew in its practice 2 threat to Sunnt Islam as it had developed throughaut the centres found theie most eloquent and violent. euardian io Ton Qayyim. His attack, oF defense, dependiog "This does not include “nor-rligious thinkers," such oa the thrve faruous folsifa, al-Farab( Cd 200), Tn Sina (4. 1057) sed Tha Rushd (4. L198) who alsa wrote sasinst oceuldem and whove arguments were tusod by the religions thickets when chey swited che Purpose. £L Goldaiber, “Stellung der Alten Islemisehen Orchodoxie Zu der Antiken Wissenschaften", ADhand- Inagen der Akademia der Wissenschaften, Boris, 194-18. oa how ove chooses to view it, comes in his Miftth, Der at-Sa'adah,’ compared by Natlino to Pico della Mirandola’s Aduersus Asivoiogiam.* His arguments, some of which by their originality reveal a certain scape of imagination, and even lumor—not that Honbola or auy type of con servatism should engender an “ankylose” of humar and imagination—stand by their own merit. ag worthy of being reviewed. In addition to this, however, the thesis put forth by Professor Abel, wha by neglecting to mention the tradition expressed by Ibn Qavim’s polemic has given a distorted picture, males a review of these argu. ments all the core desirable. Thn Quyyim’s arguments are directed generally against alchemy and divination of all varieties, but particularly agsinst the astrologers: those who would dere think they could know seerets locked within the mystery of God’s supreme and all-embracing wisdom, Kor the astrological diviners, the heavens, with the unchanging har mony and periodicity of the fixed and moving stars, were the key to divine secrets which by expert interpretation of the initisted could be known to man; but for Jbn Qayyim the heavens offered divine proofs of the perfection of God's casmic creation, the product of a wiedom 30 great. that it, woutd be the height of folly for one to claim knowledge of even the smallest sorap of it, For Tbn Qayyim, the structure and harmony of the universe, and of the earth’s relation ta it, with ite four seasons, its maon and sun winding around their celestial belts, were God's gifts to man. The sum nourished plants and animals for man’s sustenance and measured his years and days. By them he reckoned religious feasts and proper times to pray. ‘The stars were the traveler's nightly muideposts. The earth, with its elements af fre, water, air and earth, its sezsans, seas, mountains and winds all in perfect balance, about, which circumambulated the secautrements of the cos mos, formed a well-built and furnished home, a FPhore aro tivo editions of chla bool, bah made in Cairo; the fest was prineed ix tw valumes, 1005-07, thesetond in one velume, 1950, by al-Athte Library. S.A. Nallino, Racoale di Servis Baits a Inet. Val V, Asivaogia, Astronomia, Geographia, a cura di Maia Nallino, Rosia, 1944, 39 98, masterpiece of cnsmic utilitarianism, whose archi- tect had designed with infinite vision and un- wasted effort for man's needs and pleasures.” As for him wha believes that. human personalities and events are influenced by the heavenly bodies, he is the most ignorant of people, che mast in ereor and the furthast from humanity; he as rouch as declares him- self publicly ta know nat uoat his creatar is he same treater of the heavens and the earth; nor doce he most the Lord's stiributes nor His wets, Indeed, be knows nat bis awn saul within him, nor does he know ‘ts purpose or why it was crested, nor by what iit perfected snd what is goad for it, what corrupts it snd ‘what destroy if. He it certainly the most ignorant of people concerning bis ows. soul and its ereator.® He is even worse off than the ignorant Christians with their trinity, pape and ecclesiastical hier acehy." “Is this anything but deceit and Lies” by those ignorant of God's revelation, who claim, the sublunary world is influenced by heavenly bodies and spits, in the same manner the. sun. and moon infuence plants and animals? ‘The change and transformation, the generation and Aeseneration of this world can have no relationship. ‘with ater fexchuding the sun and moon) whose oe- currenee (enga) can only be imagined (yalasawwary) 2 the will of an all-powerful aetive agane (fet) to whose power are subjuguiad the effects of stars and spirit, and by whoee will they are ordered. If the stars had intelligence and will, would they not leave their fixed orbits? They do not do s0, for they cannot, bound as they ate by the Al- mighty Will. And ¢o for theae who elaios Rappinass end sedness to bein celation with the stare, they are Laughed et by intelligent people (com every country. Theie ignorance feud error male ther a center for all excesses and ig farence concerning prophetic and rational truth. 89 ‘we shell show you their ignorance aad lies and contra Gletions and the falaicy of what ey any. * 46th, pp. 4200. Mal, p46. This pone i miapapinated ae 962. AEP,» 88, s= Tt ly epiit which guide the movements of the over. moving sar. Mipsh p162. Sw atfah, pp M8288 Sournal of the American Oriental Society, 1.1 (1991) Having properly castigated the astrologers as being worse than infidels, quite in accordance with the form of Muslim polemics, [bn Qayyim wwhithles their act away in more rational tones. Th must not be thought, however, that the presenta tion here of his arguments is in the same order as that in his own narrative. Only the mast interest- ing arguments will be mentioned, and presented 50 43 hest to bring out their essence in the feweet pessible words; Tha Qayyim often repeats itself in unfolding his arguments and sometimes pune: tuates them with emotional outbursts and pious admonitions irrelevant to the loge of his proofs Also, details of variations of sore of his main arguments which are soattered throughout. the text have been brought, together for unity and coherence. Hlis first. argument is drawn from Aristotelian celestial physics, ironical though this may be for a Hanbatt jurist.* ‘Let it he asked of them: Concerning tbe thing which causes induuences with respect to gosd and bod fertuns, Ss it from one star by Itel!, oF one sodieal eonstlls tun, of i# it from a star but conditional pon the star's being a part of a constellation? All (three) are absurd. The frst and cevond nacossitate the cant tance of the influence, since that which influences is perpetually Axed in place. ‘The thied is also absurd Iheeause when the [fluence of the star changes because ‘of change of toa eanstellasione (along the sodiea it is necessary thal the nature af each constellation difer in oorence from the nature af dhe second, sizes if it wore not eo, the aaturee ofa the eonszellatians would be the same in escence and therefore the infuence af tho finduoneing] star fall ofthe constellations would neceasarily be the same influence, simee ti impossible that diflerences fljaw from things ‘dantical im nature ‘When the induences ofall ster are weoestarilydiflerent. bby reason of the difference in the eoustllations, 1 fellows that there must be a break (gi!) or dividing point im the state (hawn) of the 2adiae which marks a difference in nature and essence, and this requires that the ateta of the estestial ephore be earapoted of several subetanges and not one. Yet all che philosophers have However, s HHanbals faylesif was ot, unknows. ans ibm Azji studied logic snd phitorophy snd wrate that the knowledge of che propkets was ic vecordance with that of Aristotle and Hermes; Goldtiter, “Seal lung" p. 8 Lavinosron: Astrological Divination and Alchemical Pransmutation 90 aid that the eeleetial ephore is of one pure, sisaple stubatenee and nat a compound. In the following section, entitled “The Second Aspect in Discourse on the Fality of Astrology,” Ton Qayyim presents a number of short proofs, some of which are criticiams of the astrologer's methodology and technique rather than proofs bearing on the falseness of the art. This is true of the first three arguments whieh are quite similar toone another. Sinee human eyesight is not cosmic inits reach, the number of moving stars, he argues, (now dispensing with the celestial system of Aristotle) is unknown, and therefore knoveledge of their sublanary influences must be limited. For example, if a body the size of Mercury were in the luighest. sphere, human eyesight, would not per ceive ft, and accordingly, smaller stars in pro- portionately lower spheres would also be perceptible. Influences of these stars, unseen be- cause of size and distance, would bs indeterminate. And if you astrologers answer that it is precisely be: ‘cause of this distance and smallnees that thee nue fences are negligible, thon why io it thet you elaim. ‘ress infuonce for the smallat heavenly body, Mer- ‘cury? Why fs it shat you have given an influance to ‘-fia's snd al-Dhanab, which are wa imaginary points Inscending and desoendisg, nodes|é" Hf the Milky Way is 6 myriad of tiny stars packed together in the sphere of the fixed stars it fs certainty impossible to have knowledge of their influences." Tn a later section Ton Qayyim uses ‘the same argument but with an empicical ap- proach. The only way to know the individual influences exerted hy all possible combinations of positions of the moving and fixed stars is by repe- tition of experience. The same outcome of 8 worldly event, must, oecur for each identical stellar 1 Mijtah, pp. M6-64. Compare with al-PaeRbt's argu iment, Nallino, Raccolia di Sera, V, pp 28-24. "Ror the impariance of nodes, soe Wily Hartner, “

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