KINDI (800-873)
Arab Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Kindi, who belonged to the Kindi tribe, is considered the first Islamic philosopher. According to him, philosophy is the most valuable of arts. Philosophy is man's knowledge of the truth of existence to the extent of his power. Philosophy and theology serve the same purpose, there is no opposition between them. He has over 250 works in various fields such as medicine, psychology, mathematics, astronomy, metaphysics, etc.
The first argument for the existence of God is the proof of purpose or order; the planned universe must have a planner, that is God. The second argument is the proof of hudus, which is the equivalent of the cosmological proof in Islamic philosophy; the universe was created and it must have a creator, that is God.
Man has a body and a soul. He can only reach the true happiness, which is the purpose of life, by living virtuously. There are four virtues; wisdom , forbearance or moderation, justice and courage.
He was influenced by Aristotle in the metaphysics of being and by Plotinus in the metaphysics of unity. He epistemologically founded the idea that revelation is a possible, necessary and reliable source of knowledge for man.
RAZI (864-925)
A physician, philosopher, naturalist, and the most successful representative of naturalist philosophy, Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Zakariyya al-Razi is known to the West as Rhazes. Razi, who was also interested in goldsmithing and medicine, is also known as the Galen of the Arabs due to his contributions to medicine.
He explains the relationship between unity and multiplicity with a system he calls the five eternal principles (el-kudemau’l-hamse); the creator (el-bari), the self (the universal self), hayula (the formless first substance), hala (emptiness, absolute space) and dahr (absolute time).
Razi is a deist. He does not believe in a religion or the institution of prophethood. According to Razi, evil does not come from God but from the relationship that the soul establishes with matter. In the work of the soul, excess (excess) or deficiency (deficit) is negative, while balance and moderation are the source of positive behaviors. A person can distinguish right from wrong with his own mind and will. Death is the beginning of a new life in which justice will be realized. If people believe in this, they will overcome the fear of death.
FARABI (871-950)
His full name is Abu Nasr Muhammad b. Muhammad al-Farabi et-Turki. He was born near the city of Farab in Turkestan. He is known as “Muallim-i Sani” (Second Teacher) after Aristotle, who was known as the First Teacher, with the names Alfarabius and Abunaser. Farabi, who wrote nearly 100 works, is the philosopher who systematized philosophy in the Islamic world.
Farabi lists existence as separate minds, active mind, soul, form and matter, starting from the most perfect first cause God. He explains existence with the theory of emanation.
Sense perception is the beginning of knowledge. Practical mind is the practical mind that regulates our actions. Theoretical mind is the area of our theoretical thoughts such as physics and metaphysics. In the theoretical mind, the impressions coming from sense perception pass to the stages of mind as power, mind as action and acquired mind. With the acquired mind, we have the opportunity to think and reason theoretically.
A virtuous life is necessary for human happiness. For this, there must be a just, strong and virtuous state. The basic qualities that a ruler must have for a virtuous state are; health, healthy evaluation, sharp intelligence, strong memory, ability to express, love of learning and teaching, not being fond of temporary pleasures, truthfulness and honesty, hatred of injustice, cruelty and lies, justice, car efor human dignity, determination, , courage and contentment.
If it is not possible for one wise person, who knows the law and customs, has the ability and experience to make a judgment, and has the power of leadership and persuasion, and is healthy, then the state should be governed by two people, or if that is not possible, by six people.
IBN SINA (980-1037)
Ibn Sina was born in the Khorasan region. The philosopher, whose real name was Abu Ali al-Husayn Ibn Abdallah Ibn Sina, is known in the Islamic world with the title of ash-sheikh al-reis, meaning chief master, and in the West as Avicenna. His most well-known works are his work Al-Qanun fi't-Tıbb (The Law of Medicine), which is used as a reference source in the field of medicine, and Al-Shifa (The Book of Healing), a comprehensive work covering philosophy, logic, mathematics and natural sciences. He synthesized Islamic theology with the accumulation of Aristotle, Plato and Neo-Platonic knowledge. According to Ibn Sina, philosophy and wisdom are synonymous, and it is to become competent by being aware of the truth of all that exists.
He divides the existing things into two. Beings whose existence is not dependent on the will and action of man; God, angels, reason and natural objects. The knowledge related to these is theoretical (theoretical) philosophy. The second is the things whose existence is created by human will and action, and the knowledge about them is practical (amal) philosophy.
Necessary existence (el-wajibu’l-vücud) is the being that does not have a reason for its existence, and non-necessary existence (el-mumkinü’l-vücud) is the being whose existence is based on a reason.
According to him in the field of psychology (ilm al-nafs), each body has a soul. The soul, which has an independent existence, is an incorporeal and pure substance, exists together with the body, and there are three types of souls: vegetative, animal and human. The human soul has three faculties: the power of perception, the power of movement and the power of thought. The abilities of touching, tasting, smelling, hearing and seeing are the external perception powers, the common sense, planning, imagining, imagination, contemplation, imagination, memorization and recall are the internal sense or internal perception powers.
The ability of knowing that a person possesses is the intellect in the form of power, the acquisition of the principles of thought with this ability is the intellect in the form of a faculty, the acquisition of the knowledge of the objective world through observation and experiment based on these principles is the intellect in the form of action, and the attainment of perfection under the influence of the active intellect is the acquired (mustafad) intellect. The sacred intellect in the prophets is the intellect that can establish a perfect relationship with the active intellect without receiving any education and without going through these processes.
The philosopher who first tried to prove the fact that the human intellect is conscious of its own existence attributes this to the soul being an incorporeal, immortal, pure substance with an independent existence.
GHAZALI (1058-1111)
Born in the Khorasan region, Abu Hamid Muhammad b. Muhammad al-Ghazali was known to the West as Abuhamet and Alghazal. In his best-known work, Tahafut al-Falasifa (Contradictions of the Philosophers), he criticizes the points of philosophy that are incompatible with Islamic thought and settles accounts with philosophers and Ibn Sina (because he quoted Aristotle). His work, Ihya-u Ulum-id-Din" (Revival of Religious Sciences), is about Sufism and morality.
Ghazali approached knowledge with a skeptical attitude. He says that he was saved from the crisis of doubt, where he reached the conclusion that no information with certainty and reliability could be reached except mathematical knowledge, thanks to a light that Allah threw into his heart, and that the mind began to trust in the certainty of necessary and clear information. In the field of metaphysics, the word should be left to revelation. In his criticism of determinism, he says that even if it is determined that two events occur one after the other, it is not possible to prove scientifically and logically that there is a necessity here. According to him, the cause and effect relationship is not the necessary result of a characteristic in the essence of natural beings and events, but a result of Allah's will, decree and creation. Determinism invalidates the will of God. According to Ghazali, it is not possible to know God rationally, and he can be reached by entering the path of the heart and through Sufism.
IBN RUSHD (1126-1198)
Born in Spain, Ibn Rushd is known as the commentator, and Averroes for his translations and interpretations of Aristotle. He is an Islamic philosopher, medical doctor and jurist. In his work Tahafut al-Tahafut (Contradiction of Contradictions), he criticizes Ghazali's work The Contradiction of the Philosophers. He is of the opinion that there is no conflict between religion and philosophy if they are understood correctly.
There is no time or space between God's will and its realization, and God's creation is continuous. The actualization of the form existing in the substance depends on the first cause, that is, God. The First Agent is the cause of unity and multiplicity in the universe.
Since all human minds emanate from the first mind, they are essentially one. The soul is not immortal, when a person dies, the active mind that is common and unique to all people remains.
Ibn Rushd considers passive intellect and active intellect as one and the same thing, that is, functions of human intellect. From the very beginning, active and passive intellects are already in a relationship. The perfection of a person is not achieved by retreating to a corner and being alone (solitary retreat), but by solidarity within society. The purpose of human life is happiness, for this, he must use his freedom of choice in the face of good and evil to develop himself, become perfect, and live virtuously.
Revelation and religion open new horizons for man with the answers they provide to the most difficult questions. If there seems to be an incompatibility and contradiction between the data of reason and religious texts, what needs to be done is to reconcile religion and philosophy through the interpretation of religious texts.
IBN MISKAWAYH (932-1030)
Abu Ali Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Miskawayh was born in Isfahan and was a philosopher, historian, and political scientist. His philosophical studies focused particularly on ethics and human nature. In his book Tahzib al-Akhlak (The Improvement of Morality), he describes his understanding of morality influenced by Aristotle and Islamic thought, and in his work Kitab al-Fawz al-Asghar (The Book of Small Successes), he describes his thoughts on the qualities of an ideal ruler, state administration and social order.
IBN MESERRE (883-931)
Abu Abdillah Muhammed ibn Meserre was a philosopher, mystic and mathematician born in Spain. Ibn Meserre developed his own philosophical views by combining Aristotelian and Neoplatonic ideas with Islamic philosophy. He emphasized the importance of mystical experiences and spiritual quests. He argued that the human soul should be supported by reason and knowledge in the process of getting closer to God.
IBN BACCE (1080-1138)
Born in Spain, Ibn Bacce is an Islamic philosopher and scientist known in the West as Avempace. He was interested in mathematics, astronomy, medicine and philosophy. He interpreted Aristotle's metaphysical and ethical theories and synthesized these interpretations with Islamic thought.
IBN TUFEYL (1105-1185)
Born in Spain, Ibn Tufayl is a jurist, physician and Islamic philosopher. In his philosophical novel Hayy bin Yakzan, he tells the story of Hayy, who lives alone on an island, reaches divine truths with his own mind, observations and experiences. According to him, there is no conflict between what the mind says and revelation, or between philosophy and religion. Although Sufi knowledge obtained through spiritual observation or experience is superior to rational knowledge, they do not contradict each other. Ibn Tufayl combines Aristotle's thoughts with Islamic philosophy and carried out analyses on metaphysical and ethical issues.
HALLAC-I MANSUR (858-922)
Hussein bin Mansur al-Hallaj, born in present-day Iraq, was an Islamic mystic and Sufi. He is an important figure in the history of Sufism and is especially known for his expression "Enel-Haq" (I am the Truth). He was a student of Beyazid Bistami (an Iranian mystic) and Junayd al-Baghdadi (an Iranian mystic). He was executed in 922 on various charges (heresy, misleading the people). His book Kitab-ut Tavasin includes his mystical thoughts and views.
SUHRAVERDI (1154-1191)
Sheikh Ismail Suhrawardi was an Islamic philosopher and mystic thinker born in the town of Suhraward in Iran. He is known for his philosophical and mystical thoughts and is especially known for his "Philosophy of Light" (Illustrious Philosophy) in Islamic thought. Suhrawardi defined light as the essence of truth. He argued that the fundamental principle of existence is light and that this light is the source and regulator of everything. Truth can only be reached through the heart and ishraq(light) In his book Hikmetü'l-Işrak" (Philosophy of Light), he explains the nature of existence. In Suhrawardi, the necessary existence is the "Light of Light".
İBN ARABI (1165-1240)
Muhyiddin İbnü'l-Arabi, born in Spain, is known for his thoughts in the field of Sufism and mysticism and is known as Şeyhül Ekber (Great Sheikh). According to the Theory of Vahdet-i Vücud (Unity of Existence), all existence is a whole, everything is a reflection of God, all beings are manifestations and names of God and are the result of God's desire to be known. In his book Fusus el-Hikem (Essences of Wisdom), he explains the wisdoms of various prophets, and in his book El-Fütuhat el-Mekkiyye (Openings of Mecca), he explains his mystical experiences, mystical views, cosmology and metaphysics.
YUNUS EMRE (1238-1321)
Yunus Emre, who was born in Sarıköy village of Eskişehir province, is one of the most important poets of Turkish folk literature and his main subjects are Sufism, divine love, love of humanity and love of nature. His Divan is a compilation of his poems. Risaletü'n-Nushiyye (Passage of Advice) is about Sufism and morality.
MEVLANA (1207-1273)
Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi was born in the city of Belh in Afghanistan and is a poet and Islamic thinker who describes Sufism with his poems. The date of his death, December 17, is known as Şeb-i Arus (Wedding Night) and is accepted as the day he reunited with God. His work called Mesnevi includes Sufi teachings and moral lessons with stories, allegories and poems. The Divan-ı Kebir (Great Divan) contains his poems, the Fihi Ma Fih (Contents) contains his conversations and speeches, and the Mektubat (Letters) contains letters from Rumi to his friends and disciples, which describe his spiritual teachings and advice. Divine Love and the concept of Vahdet-i Vücud (Unity of Existence) are the cornerstones of his Sufi philosophy. The Sema is a traditional whirling ritual in which Rumi expresses his mystical experiences, spiritual enthusiasm, love and devotion to God.