Islamic philosophy

point of view of the Brethren of Purity? One probably has to delve into the ideals and values of the Ismaili Shi’ism sect and the time period in which the 52 treatises were written by the Brethren of Purity to truly achieve a somewhat respectable conclusion. However, one has to consider the Mutazilites, an Islamic school theology based on reason and rational thought that flourished in the cities of Basra and Baghdad during the eighth to tenth centuries, as well. By the 9th century, the Ismailis were an identifiable sect, based in Syria and strongly opposed to the rule of the Abbasid caliphs (who led an inquisition/mihna in support of the Mutazilites under the caliphs al-Mamun and al-Mutasim for more than twenty years in the early half of the ninth century) in Baghdad. In the tenth century, they established their own rule over the entire coast of North Africa, technically part of the caliphate. One has to remember this work was written sometime in the second half of the tenth century and also take into consideration that the whole Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity contributed to the popularization and the legitimization of Platonism, a part of Islamic philosophy in the Islamic world. The central concept of Platonism is the distinction between the reality which is perceptible but unintelligible, and the reality which is imperceptible but intelligible. Taking all this into account along with the presumable support of the character of the king of the Jinn, it seems as though…

In the fifth and sixth centuries AD, previous to the rise of Islam, the clans of the Arabian Peninsula played only minimal part in what was already a highly developed and complex culture, dominated by the two great superpowers of the era, which were the Byzantines and Sasanian Empire. Islamic art was vastly influenced by the Byzantines and Sasanians Empire. Between, 750 to 1500 the Islamic world developed and perfected some of the old techniques that were initially used by the Romans like the…

God’s existence. Leibniz’s cosmological argument is valid in form, yet that does not mean the argument isn’t flawed. Throughout class we discussed the general objections to this viewpoint yet one occurred to me that wasn’t openly vocalized. Directly derived from his first premise which lists any contingent fact about the world must have an explanation due to principle of sufficient reason. Yet, my objection is why is the existence of God the one thing that doesn’t mandate around a explanation?…

Globalization is the practice of global assimilation ascending from the exchange of world opinions, merchandises, philosophies and additional features of culture. Progresses in transport and satellites organization, as well as the growth of the telecommunication and its expansion the Internet, are most important aspects in globalization, engendering additional interdependence of financial and ethnic events. Globalization has basically remained motivated by the benefits and requirements of the…

The fluidity of calligraphy symbolizes the "intertwining" of stability and change that exists in the mortal world (Nasr 28). Islamic calligraphy has the appearance of a never ending line; the letters are all connected to one another and the writing seems to be constantly moving (Piostrovsky 29). The continual movement of the line "is one of the ways of manifesting [Allah] to this world" (27) and "projects the concept of continuity, of endlessness, of pluriformity" (29). The symbolism of…

Radical Islam has become the number one focus of U.S. intelligence, military, and foreign policy in the years since 9/11. Its growth from political Islam to terrorism has been marked by numerous scholars and their contemporaries ranging from Qutb to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. There are many driving forces behind radical Islam, but one of the most important yet confusing is the concept of Jihad, which is used by all groups. Qutb describes the main goal of Islamic jihadism by writing, in his book…

Antichrist. In this case, “great things” speaks of a boasting about the measure of “greatest” he sees in himself, not an intrinsic greatness in the words themselves. After the tragic terrorist shooting in Orlando that left fifty people dead, Trump’s first words were not of the victims or their families, or combating terrorism. Rather, they were of self-congratulation. He tweeted, “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism.” In classic Trump form, he then proceeded to…

On May 2, 2011 a team of U.S. Navy Seals invaded a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where they found and killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Since then People have condemned the invasion saying it was not moral for the Americans to go under cover and perform this secret act of retaliation to violence. This act of violence is morally permissible and can be proven through natural law theory and utilitarianism. It started back in 1993 with several bombings throughout the years on U.S. military…

CHAPTER FOUR: AQ’S CURRENT PLANS AND THEATRES OF OPERATION This chapter explores the current plans of AQ. To this end, it argues that the organisation might be planning to use either AQ in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) or al Nusra to carry out a terror attack in the West. With the increased movement of youthful fighters from the West to Syria and Iraq, it is highly likely that these could be part of the AQ plan to launch an attack in the West. The chapter also explores the theatres of operation…

end the month long fasting with the celebration of Eid- ul-fitr (EID). The Eid al-Fitr (the Feast of Fast-Breaking) is also known as the Eid as-Saghir (the Lesser Eid), and comes first in the Islamic calendar. Eid falls on the first three days after Ramadan (Noakes, Greg). Eid-ul-fitr “One of the most important holidays of the Muslim calendar lasts for three days. It is a festival of victory and faith, time for relaxation, of hope renewed, of strengthened resolution to do what is right, and of…