MS London, British Library Or. 3126: An Unknown Work by al-Ghazālī on Metaphysics and Philosophical Theology

Abstract

MS London, British Library Or. 3126 is a sizeable book of 284 folios. Its title page identifies it as a copy of Maqāsid al-falāsifa, and it has subsequently been catalogued as such. Yet the full description of the manuscript in the British Library catalogue mentions that it cannot be identified with Maqāsid al-falāsifa or any other work by al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111). A close look at the MS confirms its unique character. It is a compilation and adaptation of extracts from various works by philosophical authors including Ibn Sīnā, al-Fārābī, and Miskawayh. According to its author, the book's subject matter is the report of the Muslim philosophers' (falāsifa) teachings on metaphysics (mā baʿda l-tabīʿa) and philosophical theology (ilāhiyyat). This article presents the content of the book preserved in the MS and tries to determine its purpose and authorship. In a single reference at the end of the MS, its author refers to al-Ghazālī's Tahāfut al-falāsifa as one of his own works. While this claim is treated with caution, several features of the text suggest that it covers those topics that we know were al-Ghazālī's areas of interest. In order to decide its authorship, the article compares a passage in the MS with one in Miʿyār al-ʿilm, a work known to be by al-Ghazālī. A close comparison of the language and structure of the passages shows that their authors made very similar decisions on how to present philosophical teachings, leaving little doubt that both were authored by al-Ghazālī. MS London Or. 3126 is the unique copy of a book written by al-Ghazali during or shortly after his work on Tahāfut al-falāsifa. It provides evidence for the extensiveness of his knowledge of philosophical literature and the profundity of his discussion with it. Moreover, it is an important document for a crucial moment in Muslim theology, namely the beginning of the application of Avicennan metaphysics within the Ash‘ari school.

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