The Heart of Islamic Philosophy The Quest for Self-Knowledge in the Teachings of Afdal al-Din Kashani

by Chittick, William C.

• ISBN13: 9780195139136
• ISBN10: 0195139135
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-10-11
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book introduces the work of an important medieval Islamic philosopher who is little known outside the Persian world. Afdal al-Din Kashani was a contemporary of a number of important Muslim thinkers, including Averroes and Ibn al-Arabi. Kashani did not write for advanced students of philosophy but rather for beginners. In the main body of his work, he offers especially clear and insightful expositions of various philosophical positions, making him an invaluable resource for those who would like to learn the basic principles and arguments of this philosophical tradition but do not have a strong background in philosophy. Here, Chittick uses Kashani and his work to introduce the basic issues and arguments of Islamic philosophy to modern readers.

Author Biography

William C. Chittick is Professor of Comparative Studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Table of Contents

Part I: Islamic Philosophy
A Persian Philosopher	3	(26)
The Worldview of Islamic Philosophy	29	(40)
Basic Philosophical Notions	69	(32)
Part II: The Writings of Baba Afdal
Background Texts	101	(26)
Writings on Practice	127	(42)
Quatrains	127	(1)
Essay on Practice	128	(1)
Quatrains	128	(1)
Essay on Disengagement and Struggle	128	(1)
Quatrains	129	(1)
Essay on Tawhid	129	(1)
Quatrains	130	(1)
The Testament of the Sages; Or, Twenty-Eight Words of Counsel to the Brethren	131	(1)
Quatrains	132	(1)
Advice to Seekers of Wisdom	133	(1)
Quatrains	134	(1)
Essay on Salvation	135	(1)
Ghazal	136	(1)
Letter to Majd al-Din Muhammad ibn `Ubayd Allah	137	(4)
Quatrains	141	(1)
Petition	142	(1)
Quatrains	143	(1)
Letter to Taj al-Din Muhammad Nushabadi	143	(2)
Quatrains	145	(1)
Supplication	146	(1)
Quatrains	146	(1)
First Letter to Shams al-Din Dizwakush	147
Quatrains	146	(7)
Second Letter to Shams al-Din Dizwakush	153	(4)
Ghazal	157	(1)
Letter to Shams al-Din Diya' al-Islam	157	(2)
Quatrains	159	(1)
Letter to Muntakhab al-Din Majd al-Islam	159	(2)
Quatrains	161	(1)
Letter to Muntakhab al-Din Haraskani	162	(6)
Quatrains	168	(1)
Writings on Theory	169	(140)
Quatrains	169	(1)
Essay on Self-Awareness	169	(1)
Quatrains	170	(1)
Essay on Intellect	170	(1)
Essay: Security from the Soul's Nullification in the Refuge of Intelligence	171	(3)
Essay on the Universal	174	(1)
Essay on Meanings	174	(1)
Essay: The State of the Particular Souls after the Corruption of the Bodies	174	(2)
Essay: The Demonstration of the Level at which Humans Gain Certainty that They Have Become Secure from Annihilation	176	(1)
Essay on the Soul's Subsistence	177	(1)
The Makings and Ornaments of Well-Provisioned Kings	178	(16)
The Book of the Everlasting	194	(39)
The Beginning of The Book of Displays	233	(5)
The Conclusion of The Book of Displays	238	(5)
The Rungs of Perfection	243	(28)
Essay: Words Giving Help to the Seeing of the Obtainers	271	(1)
The Book of the Road's End	272	(16)
Essay on the Reality of the Human	288	(3)
The Beginning of the Clarifying Method	291	(15)
The Conclusion of The Clarifying Method	306	(3)
Notes	309	(26)
Index of Koranic Verses	335	(4)
Index of Hadiths and Sayings	339	(2)
Index of Names and Terms	341