The meaning and concept of philosophy in Islam

Abstract

In the light of the Qur’ān and Ḥadīth in both of which the term ḥikmah has been used, 1 Muslim authorities belonging to different schools of thought have sought over the ages to define the meaning of ḥikmah as well as falsafah , a term which entered Arabic through the Greek translations of the second/eighth and third/ninth centuries. On the one hand what is called philosophy in English must be sought in the context of Islamic civilization not only in the various schools of Islamic philosophy but also in schools bearing other names, especially kalām, ma‘rifah, uṣūl al-fiqh as well as the awā’il sciences, not to speak of such subjects as grammar and history which developed particular branches of philosophy. On the other hand each school of thought sought to define what is meant by ḥikmah or falsafah according to its own perspective and this question has remained an important concern of various schools of Islamic thought especially as far as the schools of Islamic philosophy are concerned.

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