Ibn Rushd (Averroës) (1126-1198) was one of the most
important Islamic philosophers. He was wrote widely in
medicine and jurisprudence, but he is best known for his work on the
philosophy of Aristotle. The excerpt which follows is from one
of his best known works. Written around 1190, he attempts to
demonstrate that the study of philosophy is compatible with
Islam.
We maintain that the business of
philosophy is
nothing other than to look into creation and to ponder over it in
order to be guided to the
Creator -- in other words, to look into
the meaning of existence. For the knowledge of creation leads to the
cognizance of the Creator, through the knowledge of the created. The
more perfect becomes the
knowledge of creation, the more perfect
becomes the knowledge of the Creator. The Law encourages and exhorts
us to observe
creation. Thus, it is clear that this is to be taken
either as a religious injunction or as something approved by the
Law. But the Law urges us to observe creation by means of reason and
demands the knowledge thereof through reason. This is evident from
different verses of the Qur'an. For example, the Qur'an says:
"Wherefore take example from them, you who have eyes"
Qur'an
49.2. That is a clear indication of the necessity of using the
reasoning faculty, or rather both
reason and
religion, in the
interpretation of things. Again it says: "Or do they not
contemplate the
kingdom of heaven and earth and the things which God
has created"
Qur'an 7.184. This is in plain exhortation to
encourage the use of observation of creation. And remember that one
whom God especially distinguishes in this respect,
Abraham, the
prophet. For He says: "And this did we show unto Abraham: the
kingdom of heaven and earth"
Qur'an 6.75. Further, He says:
"Do they not consider the camels, how they are created; and the
heaven, how it is raised"
Qur'an 88.17. Or, still again:
"And (who) meditate on the creation of heaven and earth,
saying, O Lord you have not created this in vain"
Qur'an
3.176. There are many other verses on this subject: too numerous to
be enumerated.
Now, it being established that the Law makes the observation and
consideration of creation by reason obligatory -- and consideration
is nothing but to make explicit the implicit -- this can only be
done through reason. Thus we must look into creation with the
reason. Moreover, it is obvious that the observation which the Law
approves and encourages must be of the most perfect type, performed
with the most perfect kind of reasoning. As the Law emphasizes the
knowledge of God and His creation by inference, it is incumbent on
any who wish to know God and His whole creation by inference, to
learn the kinds of inference, their conditions and that which
distinguishes philosophy from dialectic and exhortation from
syllogism. This is impossible unless one possesses knowledge
beforehand of the various kinds of reasoning and learns to
distinguish between reasoning and what is not reasoning. This cannot
be done except one knows its different parts, that is, the different
kinds of premises.
One cannot maintain that this kind of reasoning is an innovation
in religion because it did not exist in the early days of Islam. For
legal reasoning and its kinds are things which were invented also in
later ages, and no one thinks they are innovations. Such should also
be our attitude towards philosophical reasoning. There is another
reason why it should be so, but this is not the proper place to
mention it. A large number of the followers of this religion confirm
philosophical reasoning, all except a small worthless minority, who
argue from religious ordinances. Now, as it is established that the
Law makes the consideration of philosophical reasoning and its kinds
as necessary as legal reasoning, if none of our predecessors has
made an effort to enquire into it, we should begin to do it, and so
help them, until the knowledge is complete. For if it is difficult
or rather impossible for one person to acquaint himself
single-handed with all things which it is necessary to know in legal
matters, it is still more difficult in the case of philosophical
reasoning. And, if before us, somebody has enquired into it, we
should derive help from what he has said. It is quite immaterial
whether that man is our co-religionist or not; for the instrument by
which purification is perfected is not made uncertain in its
usefulness by its being in the hands of one of our own party, or of
a foreigner, if it possesses the attributes of truth. By these
latter we mean those Ancients who investigated these things before
the advent of Islam.
Now, such is the case. All that is wanted in an enquiry into
philosophical reasoning has already been perfectly examined by the
Ancients. All that is required of us is that we should go back to
their books and see what they have said in this connection. If all
that they say be true, we should accept it and if there be something
wrong, we should be warned by it. Thus, when we have finished this
kind of research we shall have acquired instruments by which we can
observe the universe, and consider its general character. For so
long as one does not know its general character one cannot know the
created, and so long as he does not know the created, he cannot know
its nature.
All things have been made and created. This is quite clear in
itself, in the case of animals and plants, as God has said
"Verily the idols which you invoke, beside God, can never
create a single fly, though they may all assemble for that
purpose" Qur'an 22.72. We see an inorganic substance and then
there is life in it. So we know for certain that there is an
inventor and bestower of life, and He is God. Of the heavens we know
by their movements, which never become slackened, that they work for
our benefit by divine solicitude, and are subordinate to our
welfare. Such an appointed and subordinate object is always created
for some purpose. The second principle is that for every created
thing there is a creator. So it is right to say from the two
foregoing principles that for every existent thing there is an
inventor. There are many arguments, according to the number of the
created things, which can be advanced to prove this premise. Thus,
it is necessary for one who wants to know God as He ought to be
known to acquaint himself with the essence of things, so that he may
get information about the creation of all things. For who cannot
understand the real substance and purpose of a thing, cannot
understand the minor meaning of its creation. It is to this that God
refers in the following verse "Or do they not contemplate the
heaven and the earth, and the things which God has created?" Qur'an
7.184. And so a man who would follow the purpose of philosophy in
investigating the existence of things, that is, would try to know
the cause which led to its creation, and the purpose of it would
know the argument of kindness most perfectly. These two arguments
are those adopted by Law.
The verses of the Qur'an leading to a knowledge of the existence
of God are dependent only on the two foregoing arguments. It will be
quite clear to anyone who will examine closely the verses, which
occur in the Divine Book in this connection. These, when
investigated, will be found to be of three kinds: either they are
verses showing the "arguments of kindness," or those
mentioning the "arguments of creation, " or those which
include both the kinds of arguments. The following verses may be
taken as illustrating the argument of kindness. "Have we not
made the earth for a bed, and the mountains for stakes to find the
same? And have we not created you of two sexes; and appointed your
sleep for rest; and made the night a garment to cover you; and
destined the day to the gaining of your livelihood and built over
you seven solid heavens; and placed therein a burning lamp? And do
we not send down from the clouds pressing forth rain, water pouring
down in abundance, that we may thereby produce corn, and herbs, and
gardens planted thick with trees?" Qur'an 77.6-16 and,
"Blessed be He Who has placed the twelve signs in the heavens;
has placed therein a lamp by day, and the moon which shines by
night" Qur'an 25.62 and again, "Let man consider his
food" Qur'an 80.24.
This method is the right path by which God has invited men to a
knowledge of His existence, and informed them of it through the
intelligence which He has implanted in their nature. The following
verse refers to this fixed and innate nature of man, "And when
the Lord drew forth their posterity from the loins of the sons of
Adam, and took them witness against themselves, Am I not your Lord?
They answered, Yes, we do bear witness" Qur'an 7.171. So it
is incumbent for one who intends to obey God, and follow the
injunction of His Prophet, that he should adopt this method, thus
making himself one of those learned men who bear witness to the
divinity of God, with His own witness, and that of His angels, as He
says, "God has borne witness, that there is no God but He, and
the angels, and those who are endowed with wisdom profess the same;
who execute righteousness; there is no God but He; the Mighty, the
Wise" Qur'an 3.16. Among the arguments for both of themselves
is the praise which God refers to in the following verse,
"Neither is there anything which does not celebrate his praise;
but you understand not their celebration thereof" Qur'an
17.46.
Source: Ibn Rushd:
On the Harmony of Religions and
Philosophy, in Arabic
Kitab fasl al-maqal, with its
appendix (
Damina). Appended is an extract from
Kitab
al-kashf`an manahij al-adilla, published and translated
as: Averröes,
The Philosophy and Theology of Averroes, trans.
Mohammed Jamil-al-Rahman (Baroda: A. G. Widgery, 1921), pp. 14-19.