The Thought of Muslim Philosophers in the Classical Period about Practical Arts

Abstract

In this article, some thoughts on practical arts have been examined based on Farabi and Ikhwan-i Safa. Farabi divides arts into theoretical and practical. Practical arts are arts that aim to achieve useful things for life. These arts are related to the dexterous (mihenî) aspect of the practical mind. For Farabi, although the arts were born out of necessity, they contribute to human happiness. For Farabi, the aim of man is happiness. To achieve this, it is essential to acquire theoretical, practical thinking, moral and artistic virtues. The happiness of a society depends on these virtues being settled in that society. Thinking that a virtuous society consists of various classes, Farabi stated that every people in the society should have a single job. Drawing attention to expertise in profession and art, Farabi states that an artist who maintains his competence with up-to-date information will be considered distinguished. Ikhwan-i Safa, on the other hand, considers art as giving form to matter. The art also means imitating God by giving form. Because the artist imitates the Creator by giving shape to a substance in his mind. This can be seen as the metaphysical foundation of artistic mastery. Necessary needs force people to acquire art, and this view presents the purpose of existence of practical art as utility. In order to benefit, there is a need to know the object, which is the subject of art, and to learn the shapes it can take. Therefore, art necessarily leads people to knowledge. Therefore, in a way, art is a way of approaching God. Although both thinkers state that art arises out of necessity and is aimed at meeting a need, they are of the opinion that it ultimately conduces to the perfection of man. The metaphysical dimension about the aim and goal of art has not been neglected by expressing that the artist is a member of the superior class in this world with his scientific and moral virtues and will be one of the happy people in the hereafter.