Kumūn, İstiḥāla, and Khalq: Three Concepts in Ibn Ḥazm's Cosmology

Year 2011, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 83 - 109, 01.06.2011

Orhan Şener Koloğlu

https://doi.org/10.12730/13091719.2011.21.29

Abstract

The Kalām’s cosmology essentially depends on the theory of atomism
which suggests that everything in the world is composed of atoms
and accidents inherent in atoms, all created by God. Atomism is,
however, not the only theory of nature in kalām to support creationism.
An alternative theory to it is the theory of latency, kumūn, which
is formulated in the two different versions, the comprehensive and
the limited one, and is mostly attributed to Muʿtazilī theologian al-
Naẓẓām. Nevertheless this theory is not accepted by all opponents of
atomism like Ibn Ḥazm. The present article attempts to examine Ibn
Ḥazm’s views on the theory of latency in particular, and on the creation
in general with a comparison to al-Naẓẓām’s ideas, and also to
seek Ibn Ḥazm’s cosmology in the three key concepts: latency (kumūn),
transformation (istiḥāla), and creation (khalq). The article
points out that although Ibn Ḥazm gives some examples in accordance
with the theory of latency, it does not mean that he approves
the theory attributed to al-Naẓẓām as a whole with its theoretical
background.

Keywords

Ibn Ḥazm, al-Naẓẓām, theory of latency (kumūn), transformation (istiḥāla), creation (khalq)

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