The Metaphysics and Cosmology of Process According to Shaykh

590 Pages·1999·4.16 MB·English

The Metaphysics and Cosmology
of Process
(cid:22)
According to Shaykh ’Ahmad al-’Ahs(cid:22)a’i
.
Critical Edition, Translation,
and Analysis of
Observations in Wisdom
by
Idris Samawi Hamid
1998
A dissertation submitted to the
Department of Philosophy of
State University of New York at Bu(cid:11)alo
in partial ful(cid:12)llment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
The Metaphysics and Cosmology of Process
(cid:22)
According to Shaykh ’Ahmad al-’Ahs(cid:22)a’i
.
Critical Edition, Translation, and Analysis of
Observations in Wisdom
by
Idris Samawi Hamid
Abstract
The subject of this study is the process metaphysics and cosmology of
Shaykh ’Ah.mad ibn Zayn al-D(cid:22)in al-’Ah.s(cid:22)a’(cid:22)i (d. 1826), especially as outlined
in al-Fawa(cid:22)’id al-H. ikmiyyah (The Wisdom Observations), his philosophical
epitome, which we have edited and translated. With Shaykh ’Ah.mad ended
the cycle of the great and originalphilosophers of traditionalMuslim civiliza-
tion, a cycle that began with al-Kindi (d. 870). Shaykh ’Ah.mad belonged to
the period of Muslim scholasticism that stemmed from the work of both the
kala(cid:22)m theologian Fakhr al-D(cid:22)in al-R(cid:22)az(cid:22)i (d. 1209) and the last great philoso-
pher in the post-Hellenic tradition, Nas.(cid:22)ir al-D(cid:22)in al-T.u(cid:22)s(cid:22)i (d. 1274). In partic-
ular, Shaykh ’Ah.mad worked two centuries after Mulla S.adra (d. 1640{41).
Thelatter, throughhistheoryofmotioninthecategoryofsubstance, marked
the beginning of a turn towards process philosophy in Muslim scholasticism,
a turn marked by a still strict adherence to Peripatetic method. My general
contention isthat Shaykh ’Ah.mad, whose philosophy inpart consists of a cri-
tique of Mulla S.adra, went beyond the con(cid:12)nes of Muslim scholasticism and
Peripatetic technique to develop a true process metaphysics and cosmology,
in contrast with the more traditional substance metaphysics.
i
Thisfour-partstudyconstitutesaninvestigationofanauthorandofatra-
ditionthat remains virtually unknown to Western philosophers. In Part I, we
(cid:12)rst give anaccount ofthe development andcontext ofMuslim scholasticism.
Then we give a brief account of the life, works, influence, and philosophical
context of Shaykh ’Ah.mad. Finally, we discuss some problems of textual
analysis and interpretation pertaining to the text of the Faw(cid:22)a’id. Part II
of this study is an analysis of what we consider to be some of the funda-
mental themes of the metaphysics and cosmology of Shaykh ’Ah.mad. We
begin with an investigation and attempt to determine the author’s concept
of metaphysics and its aim, object, method, and principles. Next we consider
Shaykh ’Ah.mad’s theory of subsistence. We discuss the relation of that the-
ory to his ontology of the fundamental reality of processes and acts as well
as to what he considers to be the aim of metaphysics: cognizance of God and
reality. We then discuss the application of the author’s theory of subsistence
and of the ontology of acts and processes to the traditional distinctions of
existence-essence and substance-accident. On the basis of our investigation,
we claim to show that Shaykh ’Ah.mad’s system of thought is a true process
metaphysics and cosmology. We end this part with a very brief comparison
and contrast of select elements of the author’s ontology with corresponding
elements in Whitehead’s metaphysics. Part III is our translation of the bulk
of the Faw(cid:22)a’id, while Part IV contains our critical edition of the original
twelve \fawa(cid:22)-id" or \observations" penned by the author.
ii
To
My parents
the perfect cause of this work
Abbas Mirakhor
the material cause
Sayyid Jalali
the formal cause
’Ab(cid:22)u Abdill(cid:22)ah al-H.usayn (upon whom be peace!)
the e(cid:14)cient and the (cid:12)nal cause
the gatherer and intersection of all causes ...
(cid:15)(cid:23) (cid:11) (cid:16)(cid:11)(cid:11)(cid:9) (cid:12)
Ø<¸@ iJfl (cid:213)”K(cid:11). :::
::: !(cid:213)(cid:230)(cid:16)(cid:11)m(cid:9)(cid:26)’(cid:10)(cid:11) (cid:213)”(cid:12)K(cid:11). (cid:240)(cid:11)
iii
Acknowledgements
Ø(cid:15)<(cid:23)¸ @Q(cid:19)”(cid:131)(cid:17)(cid:12) (cid:240)(cid:11) Ø(cid:15)<(cid:23)¸ Y(cid:12)(cid:210)(cid:11)m(cid:204)’(cid:11)@
(cid:11) (cid:11) (cid:11) (cid:11)
(cid:11)
œ(cid:15)(cid:12)(cid:230)(cid:15)J(cid:11)(cid:9)¸@ A(cid:238)(cid:11)E(cid:15)(cid:10)(cid:12)(cid:13)@ ‰(cid:11)J(cid:10)˚(cid:11)«(cid:11) (cid:12)(cid:213)˛(cid:23)(cid:130)(cid:15)(cid:11)¸(cid:11)@
(cid:10)(cid:11).
(cid:11)
(cid:16)Ł(cid:11)æ(cid:15)(cid:11)J(cid:12).(cid:15)J(cid:12)(cid:9)¸@ I(cid:16)(cid:11) (cid:28)(cid:10)K(cid:11). (cid:201)(cid:11)º(cid:13)@ (cid:14)AK(cid:10)(cid:11) (cid:213)”(cid:12)J(cid:10)˚(cid:11)«(cid:11) (cid:12)(cid:213)˛(cid:23)(cid:130)(cid:15)(cid:11)¸@
Praise and thanks belong to Allah. May He grant that I be one of His
grateful servants, and that I be a servant of the Chief of the Martyrs, Imam
Husayn.
It is enough of a proof of the organic nature of the world and of the inter-
subsistence of its parts that I cannot count those persons and other factors
who have contributed towards the completion of this dissertation. Among
those for whose assistance I am very grateful is Professor Jorge J.E. Gra-
cia. Given that my project involved a philosopher whose work was virtually
unknown to the philosophical community in the West, he took a bold risk
in agreeing to let me work on the metaphysics and cosmology of Shaykh
’Ah.mad al-’Ah.s(cid:22)a’(cid:22)i. I also thank my other committee members, Professors
Peter Hare, Mendel Sachs, and Father David Burrell for their con(cid:12)dence
and encouragement. I thank Professor Morewedge of SUNY Binghamton
for introducing me to process metaphysics and for giving me opportunities
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to participate in some of the various scholarly conferences he organized. I
bene(cid:12)ted immensely from Sayyid Muhammad Husayn al-Husayni al-Jalali,
his high standards of scholarship, his unsurpassed grasp of the Muslim intel-
lectual tradition, and his friendship. This study was in large part supported
by the Alfonso Schomburg Graduate Fellowship Program. I must thank Dr.
Nancy Woodru(cid:11) of the O(cid:14)ce of the Vice-President for Public Service and
Urban A(cid:11)airs for her continual support since my entry into graduate school;
her e(cid:11)orts always went far beyond the call of duty. In this vein I also thank
Dr. Mary Gresham, Vice-President for Public Service and Urban A(cid:11)airs,
and Charles Karr. The love and a(cid:11)ection of my uncles Kareem Abdulghani
and Muhsin Nakhid were a constant source of strength, and helped to ease
the pain and to (cid:12)ll the void occasioned by the loss of my father and their
brother Yusuf Muza(cid:11)aruddin. Abbas Mirakhor, Sayyid Baqir al-Hasani, Ali
Agha, Reza Hashim, and Ali Ridwan Shah together constituted a spiritual
family which provided much solace in hard times; it is from their connection
with the Logos that any good to be found in this study stems. I also thank
Saeid Vafaisefat and Mohsen Sahafeyan for their friendship. The compan-
ionship of Nizamuddin Ahmad, whose acquaintance I recently had the honor
to make, has been a wonderful experience whose fruits I hope will become
more manifest as time goes on. Among my fellow graduate students I must
single out my friend Shannon Kincaid for special appreciation; I learned a
lot from our discussions of process metaphysics, in which he was much more
well versed than myself. I thank my community of Medina, NY for providing
a comfortable and supportive environment for my family.
Finally, I must thank my wife Muminah al-Zahra for her support over my
v
years ingraduateschool. Icannot show her gratitudeenoughforher patience
and assistance, which were crucial for the completion of this dissertation.
(cid:209)(cid:238)(cid:11)E(cid:11).A(cid:146)(cid:11)(cid:211)(cid:12) œ˛(cid:23)«(cid:11) ‰(cid:11)(cid:11)¸ Æ(cid:11)(cid:9)K(cid:10)Q(cid:11)»(cid:11) A(cid:130)(cid:15)(cid:17)(cid:11)¸@ Y(cid:11)(cid:212)g(cid:11) Y(cid:12)(cid:210)(cid:11)m(cid:204)’@ ‰(cid:11)(cid:11)¸ (cid:209)(cid:15)(cid:11)Œ(cid:12)&(cid:15)˚¸(cid:11)@
œ(cid:10)(cid:230)(cid:16)(cid:11)(cid:15)K(cid:10)(cid:11)P(cid:11)(cid:9)P(cid:11) (cid:11)(cid:213)(cid:230)(cid:10)¢(cid:11)(cid:9)«(cid:11) œ˛(cid:23)«(cid:11) Ø(cid:11)(cid:15)<(cid:23)¸(cid:11) Y(cid:12)(cid:210)(cid:11)m(cid:204)’@
X(cid:11)(cid:240)P(cid:12)æ(cid:12)(cid:6)¸@ —(cid:11)æK(cid:10)(cid:11) Æ(cid:11)(cid:9) (cid:30)(cid:10)(cid:130)(cid:11)(cid:12)m(cid:204)’@ Ø(cid:16)(cid:11)«(cid:11)Afi(cid:11)(cid:9)(cid:131)(cid:17)(cid:11) œ(cid:10)(cid:230)(cid:11)(cid:9)fl(cid:16)P(cid:12)(cid:9)P@ (cid:209)(cid:15)(cid:11)Œ(cid:12)&(cid:15)˚¸@
(cid:11)
Æ(cid:11)(cid:9) (cid:30)(cid:10)(cid:130)(cid:11)(cid:12)m(cid:204)’@ H(cid:11). A(cid:11)m(cid:25)(cid:149)(cid:13)@ (cid:240)(cid:11) Æ(cid:11)(cid:9) (cid:30)(cid:10)(cid:130)(cid:11)(cid:12)m(cid:204)’@ '(cid:11)(cid:211)(cid:11) …(cid:11)Y(cid:11)J(cid:9)«(cid:11) (cid:134)(cid:16)(cid:19)Y(cid:147)(cid:11) —(cid:11)Y(cid:11)fl(cid:16)(cid:11) œ(cid:10)˝(cid:11) I(cid:16) (cid:28)(cid:15)(cid:11).(cid:17)K(cid:11) (cid:240)(cid:11)
.(cid:12)(cid:213)˛(cid:130)(cid:15)(cid:11)¸@ Ø(cid:11)J(cid:10)˚(cid:11)«(cid:11) Æ(cid:11)(cid:9) (cid:30)(cid:10)(cid:130)(cid:11)(cid:12)m(cid:204)’@ (cid:224)(cid:11)(cid:9) (cid:240)X(cid:12) (cid:209)Œ(cid:12)j(cid:11). Œ(cid:11)(cid:211)(cid:12) @æ(cid:12)¸Y(cid:11)(cid:9)K(cid:11). Æ(cid:11)(cid:9) K(cid:10)Y(cid:11)(cid:9)(cid:15)(cid:11)¸@
vi
Figure 1: Shaykh ’Ah.mad ibn Zayn al-D(cid:22)in al-’Ah.s(cid:22)a’(cid:22)i (1753{1826).
vii
Contents
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Acknowledgements iv
Portrait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Transliteration Scheme xvii
I Introduction 1
1 Exordium 2
2 The Post-Avicennan Development 8
2.1 The Philosophical Situation of the Post-Ibn S(cid:22)in(cid:22)a Era . . . . . 12
2.1.1 The Myth of Ibn Rushd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.1.2 The Legacy of Ibn S(cid:22)in(cid:22)a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.1.3 Mulla S.adra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2 The General Problem of Processes in Islamic Philosophy . . . 22
viii
3 Biographical Sketch 26
3.1 The Life of Shaykh ’Ah.mad al-’Ah.s(cid:22)a’(cid:22)i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.2 Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.3 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.3.1 Falsafah and the Kal(cid:22)am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.3.2 Natural Philosophy and Astronomy . . . . . . . . . . . 42
3.3.3 Pristine Sh(cid:22)i‘(cid:22)i Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.3.4 The Mystical Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
3.4 Shaykh ’Ah.mad vs. Mulla S.adra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
3.5 Influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4 The Faw(cid:22)a’id H. ikmiyyah 56
4.1 Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.2 Nature of the Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
4.3 Audiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.3.1 Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.3.2 The Intended Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.3.3 The Contemporaneous Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
4.3.4 Intermediary Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.3.5 The Contemporary Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.4 Problems of Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.4.1 Challenges of Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.4.2 Metaphilosophical Considerations of Interpretation . . 70
4.5 The Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4.6 The Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
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