Al-Suhrawardī’s philosophy of illumination and al-Ghazālī
I argue that the thought of Shihāb al-Dīn al-Suhrawardī (d. 1191), the founder of the so-called “Illuminationist” (ishrāqī) current in Arabo-Persian philosophy, displays significant influences by al-Ghazālī (d. 1111), known both for his sustained criticism of Arabic Peripateticism and his selective...
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| Format: | Journal article |
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De Gruyter
2016
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| Summary: | I argue that the thought of Shihāb al-Dīn al-Suhrawardī (d. 1191), the founder of the so-called “Illuminationist” (ishrāqī) current in Arabo-Persian philosophy, displays significant influences by al-Ghazālī (d. 1111), known both for his sustained criticism of Arabic Peripateticism and his selective appropriation thereof. The first part of the article shows that the conceptual groundwork of al-Suhrawardī’s ontology of light is in important respects derived from al-Ghazālī’s treatise The Niche of Lights. The second part contends that al-Suhrawardī’s handling of a crucial theological issue – namely, that of God’s knowledge of particulars – can also be read as drawing on and engaging with al-Ghazālī. I conclude with a general characterisation of both thinkers. |
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