Research Article

Abd al-­Rahmān al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences

Number: 35 December 31, 2016
  • Veysel Kaya
EN TR

Abd al-­Rahmān al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences

Abstract

Abd al-Rahman al-Bistami (1380-1454) is a scholar who was active in the 15. century Ottoman milieu. His engagement with occult sciences such as the science of letters (ilm al-huruf) provoked discussions among Ottoman scholars and statesmen as well. Confronted with his writings, the Ottoman ulama who were educated and well-versed in classical orthodox sciences such as Kalam and Usul al-Fiqh faced with a new dimension in the structure of Islamic sciences. Although al-Bistami harshly criticized the Hurufi teachings of Fadl Allah al-Astarabadi and his followers, he took to the science of letters seriously. Al-Bistami wrote al-Fawayih al-Miskiyya, an encyclopedia of sciences, and in that book which characterizes the Greco-Arabic literature, he is mainly under the influence of the philosophy of the Brethren of Purity (Ikhwan al-Safa). Not only al-Bistami follows the framework of the Brethren in the classification of sciences, but he maintains their philosophical project so much so that he builds a syncretic system which combines different religious and philosophical tendencies. The “Ikhwanism” of al-Bistami is not restricted to the allusion that comes by the phrase “ikhwan al-safa”, which is repeated many times throughout his work. Al-Bistami’s project is a revision of the syncretic philosophy of the Brethren, with a special touch from the occult science of the letters.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Religious Studies

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Veysel Kaya This is me
İSTANBUL ÜNİVERSİTESİ, İLAHİYAT FAKÜLTESİ
Türkiye

Publication Date

December 31, 2016

Submission Date

July 26, 2017

Acceptance Date

-

Published in Issue

Year 2016 Number: 35

APA
Kaya, V. (2016). Abd al-­Rahmān al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences. Journal of Istanbul University Faculty of Theology, 35, 187-216. https://izlik.org/JA48SB32JY
AMA
1.Kaya V. Abd al-­Rahmān al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences. Journal of Istanbul University Faculty of Theology. 2016;(35):187-216. https://izlik.org/JA48SB32JY
Chicago
Kaya, Veysel. 2016. “Abd Al-­Rahmān Al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences”. Journal of Istanbul University Faculty of Theology, nos. 35: 187-216. https://izlik.org/JA48SB32JY.
EndNote
Kaya V (December 1, 2016) Abd al-­Rahmān al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences. Journal of Istanbul University Faculty of Theology 35 187–216.
IEEE
[1]V. Kaya, “Abd al-­Rahmān al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences”, Journal of Istanbul University Faculty of Theology, no. 35, pp. 187–216, Dec. 2016, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA48SB32JY
ISNAD
Kaya, Veysel. “Abd Al-­Rahmān Al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences”. Journal of Istanbul University Faculty of Theology. 35 (December 1, 2016): 187-216. https://izlik.org/JA48SB32JY.
JAMA
1.Kaya V. Abd al-­Rahmān al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences. Journal of Istanbul University Faculty of Theology. 2016;:187–216.
MLA
Kaya, Veysel. “Abd Al-­Rahmān Al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences”. Journal of Istanbul University Faculty of Theology, no. 35, Dec. 2016, pp. 187-16, https://izlik.org/JA48SB32JY.
Vancouver
1.Veysel Kaya. Abd al-­Rahmān al-­Bistāmī’s Classification of the Sciences. Journal of Istanbul University Faculty of Theology [Internet]. 2016 Dec. 1;(35):187-216. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA48SB32JY