Abu Al-Walid Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Rushd, known in Latin as Averroes, was one of the most influential Islamic philosophers and scientist. He lived in a time where Philosophy was not celebrated in the Islamic world, and philosophers were regarded as unbelievers. He, however, revived the Aristotelian philosophy stressing that it has no conflict with the belief in God, and that was the theme he used throughout his writings. He integrated religion and philosophy challenging the anti-philosophical view of the Muslim scholars at that point. That influenced a group of western scholars who used the same examination and identified themselves as the “Averroists.”
Ibn Rush was born on April 14, 1126 in Cordova, Spain to a well-known family of jurist. He was educated in the traditional way. He studied the Qur’an, hadith, fiqh, medicine, and jurisprudence. He held the family’s office as a chief judge under Almoravids’ dynasty. One day, he was asked by the Caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf, who had intensively studied Greek philosophy, to write commentaries on Aristotle’s philosophy interpreting them correctly. Ibn Rush spend three decades writing his commentaries on all of Aristotle’s works, except Politics, coverings the topics of aesthetics, logic, and ethics. Many of the commentaries had a short, and a paraphrased version. He focused on the original writings and their interpretations by other scholars. His different versions were to be easily read by people with different understanding levels. His main goal was to shed light on the Neoplatonic interpretations of Aristotle’s works, and compare them to what Aristotle originally meant. In these commentaries, he inserted his thoughts on religion and philosophy, existence of God, origin of the world, an...
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...made him highly recognized among all the Islamic philosophers. He is, indeed, regarded as the most important Islamic philosopher.
Works Cited
Averroes, and Charles E. Butterworth. Decisive Treaties and Epistle Dedicatory. Provo: Brigham Young UP, 2001. Print.
Averroës, and Simon Van Den Bergh. Averroes' Tahafut Al-tahafut: (The Incoherence of the Incoherence). London: Trustees of the "E.J.W. Gibb Memorial", 1978. Print.
Hillier, Chad. "Ibn Rushd (Averroes) (1126—1198)." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
The Holy Qur'an. Maddinah: King Fahad Quran Printing Complex, 2005. Print.
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From Talmud to Tanakh, from his Pshatim to his Derashim, from his fame in the late 1000’s to his fame in the 21st century, he is a beloved figure with ever expanding fame and recognition. He is influential on scholars, commentators, and Jewish people in general because of the way his commentary spread, the simplicity and variation of his commentary, and the controversy of his method that is still discussed in modern
...y by compiling a summary of Islamic history, and, by doing so, creates a complete Islamic history that can go toe to toe with European history. As a result, his argument stands to be thorough, suggesting that Islamic history indeed plays a role in today’s international world
Ibn Munqidh, Usama. "From Memoirs." McNeill, William and Marilyn Robinson Waldman. The Islamic World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973. 184-206.
Spaeth, Harold J. and Edward Conrad Smith. The Constitution of the United States, 13th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991 (paper). ISBN 0064671054.
Amin Maalouf – Translated by Jon Rothschild. The Crusades Through Arab Eyes. 1984 Al Saqi Books. November 13, 2013. Print.
McAuliffe, J. et al (2003). With Reverence for the Word: Medieval Scriptural Exegesis in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. New York.
With the passing of the notable ancient Greek greats, a new era in philosophy emerged. The Medieval period fostered an outburst of Islamic culture and thought, with many significant philosophers leading the way. Amongst these was Averroes, who thrived during the early 12th century. His many areas of interest allowed him to be a very learned and experienced individual, enabling him to produce many publications elaborating his thoughts. One of these publications is The Decisive Treatise, in which he discusses the role that philosophy plays in religion and how that impacts society. According to Averroes, in The Decisive Treatise, philosophy is a required part of religion that provides educated individuals with a deeper understanding of sacred texts.
"The Noble Qur'an - القرآن الكريم." The Noble Qur'an - القرآن الكريم. The Noble Qur'an, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. .
...nd reason. Ibn Rushd first used this logic in order to determine the existence of God. According to Chad Hillier, “The simple fact is that reason affirms divine unity, which, by definition, is a confession of God’s existence and the denial of any other deity.” (Chad Hillier) Based on this quote, one can infer that reason plays large role in one’s faith; Ibn Rushd made this clear by proving God’s existence via rational thought and scientific explanation. He then used it to establish certain attributes and characteristics of God and also focused on the origin of the world. Later in his life, the events that Ibn Rushd was essentially involved in all led to a dramatic shift in the world of religion and theology. He had an overall positive impact on many world religions and showed how religions could eventually evolve and transform into what they are known to be today.
Al Ghazali a significant person in Islam has helped shape Islam to be what it is today - a living religious tradition for the lives of its adherents. His contribution to Islam though his theories, knowledge and works have left a positive impact upon the Islamic world that continues into the present. An everlasting impact upon the faith, Muslims and the expansion of Islam to be one of the most popular religious traditions in the present world for the lives of its adherents is seen as Al Ghazali’s
1-Fakhry, Majid. Al-Farabi, founder of Islamic Neoplatonism : his life, works and influence, Oxford: Oneworld,c 2002. Print.
...s I believe that without his role as a statesman, a religious leader, a Warner and a warrior He would not have been recognised as the man or the prophet that He was. “He was a prodigy of extraordinary merits, a paragon of virtue and goodness, a symbol of truth” who shon in all areas of his life and duties. I conclude that Muhammad had many roles in his life and that his role of a Prophet which is what many believe He was sent from God to be was possibly his most influential role as the changes He has made have affected individuals and groups world wide. But we have to remember that God is all knowing and therefore knew that Muhammad would also be a “shrewd military strategist” etc proving that God chose him for more reasons than to merely be a Prophet. In conclusion I believe that Muhammad was more that just a Prophet, He was “an ideal religopolitical leader”.
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.