The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam By Frank Griffel

Abstract

In this work, Frank Griffel provides a historical and philosophical overview of important developments in Islamic philosophy and theology in the eastern parts of the Islamic Caliphate during the twelfth century, greatly expanding on a topic that had been discussed by other scholars, such as Ayman Shihadeh. The book is divided into three parts. Part I (‘Post-classical philosophy in its Islamic context’) concentrates on the historical and philosophical context of the development of Islamic philosophy in the twelfth century in the Islamic East. Griffel looks into specific areas of the Islamic East, such as Khorasan and Central Asia, but also the centre of the Caliphate in Baghdad, and Syria. Part I also studies the transformation of philosophy as falsafa into ḥikma (wisdom), which marks a certain assimilation of philosophical ideas into Islamic theology. The last chapter of Part I looks at the connection between Islamic law and philosophy, more specifically the way in which philosophers were persecuted and whether al-Ghazālī’s accusation of unbelief (kufr) against the philosophers had a practical effect on the lives of philosophers and whether it resulted in actual convictions.