Amongst all creatures created on earth, human beings stand out the most due to the gift of intellectual thinking. We were given and are blessed with the gift of the mind. So with this gift, what are we supposed to do?
Question everything. Stay curious. Seek the truth.
Here is how one man, in historical context. sought out the truth by reconciling philosophy and religion.
Al-Kindi, The Philosopher of the Arabs
“Philosophy died…around 610…; and it was resurrected, perhaps around 830, by the Arab Al-Kindī in Baghdad.”
Dimitri Gutas
His name was Abū Yūsuf Ya’qūb ibn Ishāk ibn As-Sabbāh Al-Kindī. He was born in Kufa to an aristocratic family of the Kinda tribe, descended from the chieftain al-Ash'ath ibn Qays, a contemporary of Prophet Muhammad. He was educated in Kufa and later Baghdad, and due to his aptitude for study, Khalifah al-Ma'mun appointed him to the House of Wisdom, a recently established centre for the translation of Greek philosophical and scientific texts in Baghdad.
Working from the House of Wisdom, his mission and greatest contribution to the development of Islamic philosophy was his efforts to make Greek thought both accessible and acceptable to a Muslim audience. On top of translating many important texts, much of what was to become standard Arabic philosophical vocabulary originated with al-Kindi; indeed, if it had not been for him, the work of philosophers like Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, and Al-Ghazali might not have been possible.
(Baghdad House of Wisdom. Image Credit : 1001 inventions)
Despite plenty of prohibitions on the study of philosophy from classical Muslim scholars for fear of heavy influence causing deviation in religion, the scholar decided to pursue it with the intention to reflect using one's intellect. He became globally known as the Arab Muslim Philosopher who introduced the Peripatetic school, the school of Aristotle, to benefit the Muslim world.
Al-Kindi was also a polymath who mastered other religious sciences - he memorised the Quran and studied Islamic Jurisprudence, Prophetic Narrations, and Islamic Theology. His influence in the fields of physics, mathematics, medicine, philosophy and music were far-reaching and lasted for several centuries.
Despite many of his works being lost to time, Al-Kindi is still revered and credited for being a scholar who brought great knowledge to Muslims around the world. Without him, many practices would not be possible today.
Source: Wikipedia, https://muslim.sg/articles/al-kindi-and-islamic-philosophy
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