The concept of Shariah in Al-Farabi’s philosophy

Abstract

Politics is one of the most important concepts of Farabi philosophy. According to him, true happiness can only be achieved in a virtuous society. A virtuous society emerges only through a form of government led by the chief ruler (al-rais al-awwal) [Aydınlı, 1987 C. 2, p.2:291-302]. The most important feature of the chief ruler is that he is in contact with Active Intellect. Religion is accepted by Farabi in the virtuous society as the management style and lifestyle applied by the chief ruler. The purpose of this study is to reveal how religion is philosophically understood by Farabi and what is the need for religion in making laws needed in social life. Based on this, the dimensions of the relationship between religion and law have been tried to be reached. In addition, the metaphysical basis of the laws and the role of the philosopher and the prophet in the formation of the laws were also discussed. We tried to answer what kind of features are the laws that will lead to this supreme goal and who should be made by them and how they can be applied and changed in the historical process are also included in the research. Finally, the place of fiqh science in virtuous society has also been analyzed.  Key words: Religion, Politics, Farabi, Interpretation, Fiqh.