History of Islamic Philosophy

History of Islamic Philosophy

The Unification of political philosophy and political jurisprudence in Al-Fārābī 's Philosophy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran
2 MA Student in Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
3 PhD Student in Jurisprudence and principles of Islamic law, University of Tehran
Abstract
The study has focused on the views of Fārābī regarding the essence and foundations of the two concepts of "political philosophy" and "political jurisprudence". By elucidating and then analyzing the opinions of Fārābī, it has sought to answer the question of whether "political philosophy and political jurisprudence in Farabi's philosophy are the same". By examining what Fārābī has discussed in his works Kitāb al-Millah, Siāsat al-Madania, and Al-Madinah Fāzel'a regarding political philosophy and political jurisprudence, it can be understood that both concepts exist in Fārābī's civil philosophy, and even their theoretical foundation is present in his theoretical wisdom. However, it should be noted that it is not possible to consider the essence of these two to be the same, but in terms of the foundations that include the foundations and the purpose, these two concepts can be considered as two parts of a single whole. The foundation and purpose of Fārābī's political philosophy and political jurisprudence, since they are part of the civil philosophy of Fārābī, is the same as the foundations and purpose of civil wisdom. The distinguishing feature of Fārābī's philosophical school with other philosophical schools is his emphasis on happiness, and this key concept is the foundations and purpose of civil wisdom first and then political philosophy and political jurisprudence.
Introduction
The focus of our inquiry in this study is to determine whether what is referred to as political philosophy within civil philosophy, which itself is part of Al-Farabi's practical wisdom, is related to jurisprudence. If there is a connection, can it be termed political jurisprudence? And if we consider it political jurisprudence, can we regard the two as one? If we can regard these two issues as one, can they be considered identical in terms of essence or in terms of instances?
The answers to these questions, which constitute the central issue of the study, are based on two main axes:

The nature of political philosophy and political jurisprudence in Al-Farabi's intellectual system;
The characteristics of Al-Farabi's political philosophy and political jurisprudence.

To address the issue, our effort is to analyze and elucidate Al-Farabi's own views, and as much as possible, we adhere to the opinions of Abu Nasr Al-Farabi to reach the posed questions. We will also draw on the thoughts of other thinkers for further clarification in certain contexts; however, the final analysis will rely on Al-Farabi's views and, of course, our interpretation of this foundational philosopher's thoughts.
 
Method
The study has a descriptive-analytical method. The term "descriptive" in this context refers to the expression of Al-Farabi's views, while "analysis" pertains to the examination of these opinions and our interpretations. Furthermore, the method of collecting scientific data is library-based. It is noteworthy that, for greater accuracy in the research background, relevant keywords were used in scientific databases for the section on international studies regarding Al-Farabi's political thought. Moreover, it should be noted that the significance of this study lies in several aspects: 1. Achieving a more precise and comprehensive understanding of Al-Farabi's political philosophy; 2. Demonstrating the flexibility of Al-Farabi's civil philosophy in relation to other concepts and instances; 3. Understanding the uncommon meaning of jurisprudence based on what is presented in Al-Farabi's intellectual framework.
 
Results
As a matter of fact, by focusing in the nature and characteristics of political philosophy and political jurisprudence, one can conclude that there is a fundamental difference between these two concepts in terms of their essence. Although both are part of civil philosophy and share a common political scope, it should be said that each is distinct in its own right. Based on what has been discussed, we understand that political philosophy and political jurisprudence are not synonymous concepts. The situation regarding the specifics of these two concepts is different. Happiness is the main foundation of Al-Farabi's civil philosophy and all its components, and this key concept serves as the basis for both political philosophy and political jurisprudence as two parts of civil science. Furthermore, the ultimate goal of civil wisdom and politics in Al-Farabi's thought is nothing other than happiness, and it could be argued that we should consider Al-Farabi as a "happiness-oriented" individual. If we also refer to his philosophical school as "hedonism," we would not be far from the truth. Political philosophy and political jurisprudence are similar in that they, like civil wisdom, have no aim other than happiness. Just as Al-Farabi viewed the universe as a unified whole despite its multiplicities, we can see all components of his civil philosophy as a single entity. In this case, we arrive at the idea of "equating political philosophy with political jurisprudence."
Conclusion
The terms "political philosophy" and "political jurisprudence" are not something that is explicitly used in Al-Farabi's philosophy, however, these two terms can be well understood from Farabi's civil philosophy. What can be understood as political philosophy in Al-Farabi's view is the same knowledge of politics and political issues - of course in Farabi's language - and what is used as politics in Farabi's philosophy is the actions of the ruller of Utopia (Virtuous City) which It is based on his intellectual power and the source of revelation. It is for this reason that politics is one of the issues of theoretical philosophy because it is derived from the supreme source, and because it is adapted to other issues, it is one of the issues of practical philosophy. Furthermore, the aim of politics is the same as the aim of philosophy, i.e. likeness to God, and applying Godlikeness to the civil wisdom of happiness. On the other hand, according to Al-Farabi, jurisprudence is the determination of opinions based on the intellectual tradition of the first ruller, and this knowledge is part of theoretical wisdom in terms of opinions, and part of practical wisdom in terms of actions. First, political philosophy is the knowledge of politics and its initial situation, and political jurisprudence is the revision and limitation of political opinions and actions based on the same traditions as in the initial situation. From the point of view of the coordinates, it is also worth noting that happiness is the basis and the main goal of the civil wisdom of Al-Farabi, and all issues revolve around this concept, and according to the civil wisdom, political philosophy and political jurisprudence are also considered as its components. It is Conclusively clear that, it should be noted that political philosophy and political jurisprudence are compatible with each other in Al-Farabi's intellectual system, but they are not completely the same, and the identification of these two concepts is due to their goals and coordinates and not what they are.
Keywords

Subjects


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  • Receive Date 01 July 2024
  • Revise Date 30 September 2024
  • Accept Date 30 September 2024