Suhrawardi’s Work Called al-Alwah al-Imadiyye and His Ideas about Physics and Metaphysics

Öz

Peripatetic School and School of Illumination as the two-main philosophical school are within the History of Islamic Philosophy. Suhrawardi is one of the important Islamic philosophers and he is the founder of the School of Illumination. He has developed a different understanding by combining the method of Peripatetics and the unveiling (kashf) and intuition that is peculiar to Sufis (mystics). However, it is possible to see Plato's thoughts, some old hermetic thought elements, and ancient religious and philosophical traditions as sources of Philosophy of Illumination. Suhrawardi wrote some of his works according to the method of the Peripatetics and some of his works according to the Illumination method. However, it can be said that he usually uses an eclectic method. For this reason, although he sometimes criticized it, it cannot be said that Suhrawardi completely rejected the Peripatetic thought. In fact, Suhrawardi expresses that this school should be known for understanding his own thoughts.

Al-Alwah al-Imadiyye is one of the important works of Suhrawardi which reflects the views of both schools. This book was dedicated to Imad al-Din Abu Bakr b. Qara Arslan, who was reigned in Kharput, Diyarbakır and their vicinity in 1185-1204 years. In this treatise, Suhrawardi has examined many philosophical subjects in a way that a king can understand. He also applied to the Qur'anic references to support his views on these matters.

In accordance with the order of Suhrawardi, in the scope of this research, firstly the subjects such as dimensions, elements and their change and transformation, movement that are the subjects of natural physics (philosophy of nature) are discussed. Dimensions are limited; otherwise we would say that the universe is not limited but unlimited. Suhrawardi thinks that there is an end and limit of the universe, and that there is nothing beyond the realm. Unlike those who accept the Atomic view, Suhrawardi thinks there is no void in the universe. The universe is completely full. There is no void or fullness beyond the outermost celestial sphere i.e. Limited. One of the important topics of philosophy of nature is motion. The motion is divided into two as circular and linear movement; heavenly motion is circular, sublunar motion is linear. In another way, Suhrawardi refers to three kinds of motion: natural motion, voluntary motion and compulsory motion. According to Suhrawardi, the existence of time depends on the motion of celestial body and it is something that is not fixed and permanent. He defines time as the measure of motion when it comes together before and after in mind, and Time is divided into years, months, days and hours.

There are three types of motion as motion around a center, motion away from a center to outward, motion toward a center. Suhrawardi accepts four basic elements in Alwah al Imadiyye. These elements are fire, air, water and earth. These four elements have some qualities: fire is hot and dry; air is hot and humid; water is cold and humid; earth is cold and dry.

There are three types of motion as motion around a center, motion away from a center to outward, motion toward a center. The first is motion of celestial bodies; the other two are the motions of elements. Suhrawardi accepts four basic elements in Alwah al Imadiyye. These elements are fire, air, water and earth. These four elements have some qualities: fire is hot and dry; air is hot and humid; water is cold and humid; earth is cold and dry. The bodies in our world come from the combination of these four elements. The material principle of the celestial bodies is not these four elements but the fifth element i.e. ether.

The second important issue that Suhrawardi deals with in the context of philosophy of nature is the soul, its’ powers, and soul-body relation. According to Suhrawardi, the soul is a non-physical substance and it is defined as a light (nur) from the lights of Allah. The soul exists with the body, not before or after the body. Despite the changes in his body, the thing he perceives, as "I" does not change. Even though he is unaware of all of his organs, one knows his own self. Therefore, the self is not in the organs of the body but in the human soul.

In addition, faculties of sensation and voluntary motion, animals have vegetative faculties. The human soul uses all of these faculties. Human soul as a perceptive and intelligent soul employs all the animal faculties. The vegetative faculties are three: nutritive, growth and reproductive. Animal have a mover and a motivational faculty that has two modes as anger and desire. There are five outer and five inner senses. Inner senses are common sense, retentive imagination, estimation, creative imagination and memory.

In the context of metaphysics, Suhrawardi studies the issues such as the Necessary Being and his unity, celestial bodies, their movements and movers namely separate beings. Finally, the subjects such as the order of the universe, evil, eternity of souls and their happiness and unhappiness, pleasure and pain were examined. According to Suhrawardi being has three types: Necessary Being, Impossible Being and Possible Being. Necessary Being is cause of existence of all Possible Beings. Necessary Being is not a body. There cannot be two Necessary Being, so he must one. Necessary Being is absolutely rich, other things are poor.

Suhrawardi explains the emergence of existence by the theory of emanation. The first thing that exists from Necessary Being is one and perfect. The multiplicity and deficiency arise in the next stages. Thus, celestial bodies and separated intellects exist. Suhrawardi thinks that the celestial bodies have soul and that their motions originate from the separated intellects. Their circular motions are not natural, it is voluntary.

The universe has the best possible asset structure, and this is an effect of divine mercy. There is no reality of evil; it is something accidental. Many good things lead to evil in small quantities. Neglecting them because of little evil does not conform to the mercy of the Creator. It is much worse to abandon many good things for a little evil.

Soul (i.e. intellect soul) is immortal because its being is not connected to the body. However, this immortality cannot be considered as a metempsychosis. According to Suhrawardi, metempsychosis is impossible. One of the topics examined by Suhrawardi is pleasure and pain. Commons thinks that there is no pleasure other than sensory pleasure and denies spiritual pleasures. However, when physical obstacles are removed will experience infinite pleasure, as he beholds the light of Necessary Being and the amazing things of the realm of lights. When such a soul reaches eternal pleasures, a contrary human soul will remain in sadness and darkness. Likewise, when the physical obstacles weaken - just as it is when you are asleep- human obtains unseen information.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Suhrawardi,The Philosophy of Illumination,al-Alwah al-Imadiyye,Physics,Metaphysics

Sühreverdî’nin el-Elvâhu’l-İmâdiyye Adlı Eseri Temelinde Fizik ve Metafiziğe İlişkin Görüşleri

Öz

İşrâkîlik İslam Felsefesi Tarihi içerisinde ana akım ekollerden biri olarak kabul edilmektedir. İşrâkî ekolün kurucusu Şihâbuddin Sühreverdî’dir. O Meşşâîlerin yöntemi ile daha çok sûfîlere özgü olarak görülen keşif ve sezgiyi birleştirerek farklı bir anlayış geliştirmiştir. Sühreverdî bazı eserlerini Meşşâîlerin yöntemine göre, bazı eserlerini de İşrâkî yönteme göre kaleme almıştır. Fakat genelde eklektik bir yöntem kullandığı da söylenebilir. Bu nedenle Meşşâî düşünceyi zaman zaman eleştirmiş olsa da Sühreverdî’nin onu tümüyle reddettiği söylenemez. Hatta o, kendi düşüncelerinin anlaşılması için öncelikle bu ekolün ortaya koyduğu düşüncelerin bilinmesi gerektiğini ifade eder. el-Elvâhu’l-İmâdiyye her iki ekolün görüşlerini de yansıtan Sühreverdî’nin önemli eserlerinden birisidir.

Bu çalışma kapsamında Sühreverdî’nin sıralamasına uygun olarak ilkin doğa felsefesi (fizik) konuları olan boyutlar, unsurlar ve bunların değişim ve dönüşümü ve hareket ele alınmıştır. İkinci olarak nefis, onun yetileri ve nefsin bedenle ilişkisi incelenmiştir. Daha sonra metafiziğe ilişkin konular ele alınmış; bu bağlamda zorunlu varlık ve O’nun bir oluşu, felekler, onların hareketi ve hareket ettiricileri yani ayrık varlıklar incelenmiştir. Son olarak da âlemin nizâmı, kötülük, nefislerin bekası ve onların mutluluk ve mutsuzluğu, haz ve elem gibi konular incelenmiştir. Bu inceleme çerçevesinde Sühreverdî’nin yöntem ve düşüncelerinin anlaşılması, sonraki dönemlerde çok sayıda mensubu bulunan İşrâkîliğin anlaşılmasına da bir ölçüde önemli katkılar sağlayacaktır

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sühreverdî,İşrâkîlik,el-Elvâhu’l-İmâdiyye,Doğa Felsefesi,Metafizik

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