Book: Al-Farabi & the Foundation

of Islamic Political Philosophy

Author: Muhsin Mahdi

Publisher: Chicago University Press

Date: 2001

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 Abu Nasr Al-Farabi, ca. 870-950
 Not much is known about his life. Probably
born in central Asia, he later moved to
Baghdad, where he made his name
 Among his teachers were Nestorian
christians
 He studied the works of neo-platonic
teachers of the Athenian & Alexandrian
schools

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 Abu Nasr Al-Farabi, ca. 870-950
 He came to reject the teaching of both the
pagan & christian neo-platonic traditions,
returning to the works of Plato & Aristotle
themselves
 Al-Farabi refers to Plato & Aristotle as the
two primary sources of philosophic
investigation (pp.2-3)

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 Abu Nasr Al-Farabi, ca. 870-950
 Travelled in syria, and died in syria
 Considered the “greatest political
philosopher of the period” although his
fame was “partially eclipsed by his two
great successors (Ibn Sina & Ibn Rushd,
known in the west as Avicenna &
Averroes)”

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 Historical context

In the period in which he lived, there was a “new

religious-political order” (p.1), brought about by the
growth of the christian and islamic civilisations.
These civilisations “challenged the tradition of Greek
philosophy to investigate & make intelligible a
religious-political order based upon prophecy,
revelation & the divine law. Al- Farabi … can be said
to have been the first major philosopher to take up
this challenge.” (p.1)

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 Part One: The political orientation
of Islamic Philosophy
 “Islamic philosophy shared the ancient
view that man is a special kind of being;
That his ability to reason … is the activity
that marks him as different from other
animals” (p.16)
 This is a philosophic view; This difference
(between man & animals) is regarded as a
radical one (p.16)
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 Philosophy & the Divine Law
(pp.17-18)
Muhsin Mahdi refers to the character of the muslim
community:
 “The entire muslim community throughout the
centuries… (its) gratitude for revelation & the
divine law; Commitment to… exemplary deeds &
sayings of the prophet (SAW); Adherence to
(his) way of life … as the correct way … to which
(the Ummah) must return”
 “Progress consists in … returning to origins …”

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 Philosophy & the Divine Law
(pp.17-18)
Muhsin Mahdi (?) concludes that:
 “The demands of Islamic philosophy & Islamic
divine law did not agree in every respect”
 “… Both (Islamic philosophy & divine law) call on
man to reach for something higher than himself”
 “The emphasis on man’s duty is the over-
arching principle of political & social life … as
seen by both the philosophers & the divine law”

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 “Virtuous Cities” (pp.18-27)
 “Virtue is at their centre; … in contrast to the
tyrannical city, whose end is not the common
good of the ruler & the ruled but the private good
only of the ruler”
 “The chief virtue is justice … (it) is obedience to
the law …”
 “… Islamic Philosophy refused to accept that the
divine law forbids - …, it argued that it demands
– free inquiry”

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 Chapter Two – Philosophy &
Political Thought (p.29)
 Plato asked: do you attribute your laws to
‘a god or some human being’?

 “When al-Farabi recognised that Plato’s

‘laws’ asked questions pertinent to divine
laws - … philosophy turned to politics, &
political philosophy emerged in the Islamic
community”

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 Chapter Two – Philosophy &
Political Thought (p.37)
 Muhsin Mahdi considers the necessity of
keeping an open mind: “… regarding extent to
which … religious tradition facilitated …
philosophers like al-Farabi to understand the
intention of Plato’s ‘republic’ & ‘laws’”
 “… We tend to assume … the religious tradition
… is … in some sense (the intention of
philosophers … through activities as political
philosophers) … the fundamental and
determining one”

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 Chapter Two – Philosophy &
Political Thought (p.62)
 There “… have always been philosophers who
think they can pursue wisdom as private men
regardless of the quality of public life”
 “al-Farabi was aware of tension between … the
pursuit of public and private salvation”
 “But he … chose to explore this tension …(&)
brought to … fore, philosophy’s philanthropic
spirit & philosopher’s devotion to true welfare of
his community”

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 Part Two: The Virtuous City
Ch.4 – Science, philosophy & religion (p.83)

 Al-Farabi’s political science (also called political

philosophy) “… explains that some of them
(ends) are true happiness, while others are
presumed to be happiness but they are not”
 “… True happiness cannot possibly be of this
life, but of another life after this, which is the life
to come; While that which is presumed to be
happiness … consists of … wealth, honour,
pleasures, when these are made the only ends
in this life”

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 Political philosophy & religion
(p.97)
 What is religion?
 “Religion is opinions & actions,
determined & limited by certain conditions,
prescribed for a community by their
supreme ruler, who seeks to achieve by
their practising them a definite goal with
respect to them or by means of them”
(43.3 – 4)
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 Ch. 6 - The virtuous city
 “There are a number of striking resemblances
between many of the … fundamental features of
Islam & the good regime envisaged by classical
political philosophers in general, & by Plato in
the ‘Laws’ in particular”
 “Both are opposed to the view that mind or soul
is derivative from body …& to the timorous piety
that condemns humans to despair … of ever
understanding the rational meaning of the
beliefs they are called upon to accept or of the
activities they … perform”
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 War & the limitations of Law (p.139)
 “… the ruler has to use force &
compulsion with those who, out of nature
or habit, cannot be educated or
persuaded to obey the law
spontaneously”

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