Practically unknown in the Western world, al-Kindi has an
honoured place in the Islamic world as the ‘philosopher of the Arabs’. Today he
might be viewed as a bridge between Greek philosophers and Islamic philosophy.
Part of the brilliant ninth-century ‘Abbasid court at Baghdad, composed of
literati of all types, he served as tutor for the caliph’s son. He gained
insights into the thought of Greek philosophers, especially Aristotle, through
the translation movement; although he did not make translations himself, he
corrected them and used them advantageously in his own thought.
Al-Kindi is
notable for his work on philosophical terminology and for developing a
vocabulary for philosophical thought in Arabic, although his ideas were
superseded by Ibn Sina in the eleventh century. The debate about the
allowability of philosophy in terms of orthodox Islam also began with al-Kindi,
a battle that is usually considered to have been won for religion by
al-Ghazali. Like other innovators, his ideas may no longer appear
revolutionary, but in his own day, to push for the supremacy of reason and for
the importance of a ‘foreign science’ – philosophy – as opposed to an ‘Arab
science’ – grammar, Qur’anic studies – was quite astonishing. When the Khalif
al-Mutawwakil came to power and sought to restore traditionalism, al-Kindi
suffered a reversal of fortunes.
Metaphysics
Al-Kindi’s
best known treatise is the metaphysical study, Fi al-Falsafa al-Ula (On First
Philosophy). Aristotelian influence can be seen in certain elements, such as
the four causes. However he is Aristotelian only up to a point. The point of
divergence is reached over the question of the origin of the world. Aristotle
teaches the eternity of the world; Al-Kindi propounds creation ex nihilo. The
later philosophers, such as al-Farabi, are usually considered to understand
Aristotle more accurately; they had the advantage of better translations and a
greater number of works. In Fi al-Falsafa al-Ula, al-Kindi described the first
philosophy, which is also the most noble and highest philosophy, as the
knowledge of the first truth, including the cause of every truth (the first
cause). The first cause is prior in time because it is the cause of time. By
the study of philosophy, people will learn the knowledge of things in reality,
and through this the knowledge of the divinity of God and his unity. They will
also learn human virtue. Throughout many of his treatises, al-Kindi emphasizes
the importance of the intellect (‘aql) and contrasts it with matter.
He also discusses the One Truth, which is another name for God, and states that it does not have any attributes, predicates or characteristics. This view is consonant with the Mu‘tazili declaration of the unity of God as being strictly without attributes, and consequently al-Kindi has sometimes been deemed to be a Mu‘tazili by scholars.
Other aspects of his position include emphasis on the absolute unity of God, his power – particularly as creator – and creation ex nihilo. The Eternal, that is God, is not due to another; he has no cause and has neither genus nor species. There is no ‘before’ for the Eternal. The Eternal is unchanging, immutable and imperishable. In human terms, death is the soul’s taking leave of the body, which it employed during life. For al-Kindi, the intellect continues. Perhaps the soul is primarily the locus of the intellect. He reiterated in his ethical treatise the idea that humans must choose the world of the intellect over the material world (see §3).
Al-Kindi differs from the Hellenistic philosophical tradition primarily in espousing the belief that the world was created ex nihilo. In Aristotelian metaphysics the Prime Mover set the world in motion, but in the Hellenistic tradition, time and motion are intrinsically linked. Matter set in motion is eternally existing, since it exists before motion (and therefore before time). In this system, time is defined as the extension of the series of movements. Thus time begins with movement. In al-Kindi’s system, matter, time and movement are all finite, with a beginning and a cessation at some future point. Other subjects that concern al-Kindi can be seen from his titles, including Fi wahdaniya Allah wa tunahiy jirm al-‘alam (On the Unity of God and the Limitation of the Body of the World), and Fi kammiya kutub Aristutalis wa ma yahtaj ilahi fi tahsil al-falsafa (The Quantity of the Books of Aristotle and What is Required for the Acquisition of Philosophy).
In his philosophical writings, al-Kindi does not so much direct arguments to the concerns of religion as avoid them altogether, instead describing a parallel universe of philosophy. He consistently tries to show that the pursuit of philosophy is compatible with orthodox Islam. The mutakallimun had previously speculated on questions about matter, atoms and substance, which he also considers. Another reason for the claim that he was a Mu‘tazili was his persecution by the Khalif al-Mutawwakil, who instigated a reactionary policy against the Mu‘tazili and a return to traditionalism (see Ash‘ariyya and Mu‘tazila). Al-Kindi was caught in the general net of the Khalif’s anti-intellectualism; the Kindian emphasis is always on rationalism, an attitude which the orthodox establishment of a revealed religion is bound to find inimical.
He also discusses the One Truth, which is another name for God, and states that it does not have any attributes, predicates or characteristics. This view is consonant with the Mu‘tazili declaration of the unity of God as being strictly without attributes, and consequently al-Kindi has sometimes been deemed to be a Mu‘tazili by scholars.
Other aspects of his position include emphasis on the absolute unity of God, his power – particularly as creator – and creation ex nihilo. The Eternal, that is God, is not due to another; he has no cause and has neither genus nor species. There is no ‘before’ for the Eternal. The Eternal is unchanging, immutable and imperishable. In human terms, death is the soul’s taking leave of the body, which it employed during life. For al-Kindi, the intellect continues. Perhaps the soul is primarily the locus of the intellect. He reiterated in his ethical treatise the idea that humans must choose the world of the intellect over the material world (see §3).
Al-Kindi differs from the Hellenistic philosophical tradition primarily in espousing the belief that the world was created ex nihilo. In Aristotelian metaphysics the Prime Mover set the world in motion, but in the Hellenistic tradition, time and motion are intrinsically linked. Matter set in motion is eternally existing, since it exists before motion (and therefore before time). In this system, time is defined as the extension of the series of movements. Thus time begins with movement. In al-Kindi’s system, matter, time and movement are all finite, with a beginning and a cessation at some future point. Other subjects that concern al-Kindi can be seen from his titles, including Fi wahdaniya Allah wa tunahiy jirm al-‘alam (On the Unity of God and the Limitation of the Body of the World), and Fi kammiya kutub Aristutalis wa ma yahtaj ilahi fi tahsil al-falsafa (The Quantity of the Books of Aristotle and What is Required for the Acquisition of Philosophy).
In his philosophical writings, al-Kindi does not so much direct arguments to the concerns of religion as avoid them altogether, instead describing a parallel universe of philosophy. He consistently tries to show that the pursuit of philosophy is compatible with orthodox Islam. The mutakallimun had previously speculated on questions about matter, atoms and substance, which he also considers. Another reason for the claim that he was a Mu‘tazili was his persecution by the Khalif al-Mutawwakil, who instigated a reactionary policy against the Mu‘tazili and a return to traditionalism (see Ash‘ariyya and Mu‘tazila). Al-Kindi was caught in the general net of the Khalif’s anti-intellectualism; the Kindian emphasis is always on rationalism, an attitude which the orthodox establishment of a revealed religion is bound to find inimical.
Abu yusuf yaqub ibn ishaq al-kindi
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