al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ibn Rushd

al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ibn Rushd (Reason and Revelation according to Ibn Rushd) is a theological treatise written by the Saudi scholar Muhammad Aman al-Jami (d. 1415 AH / 1995 CE), former dean of the Faculty of Hadith and Islamic Studies at the Islamic University of Madinah al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…. It originally appeared as a research paper in the 41st issue of the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah Bughyat al-Muqtasid Sharh…+1.

Purpose and Overview

The treatise aims to analyze the philosophical and theological methodology of Abu al-Walid Ibn Rushd (Averroes, 520–595 AH / 1126–1198 CE) concerning the relationship between intellect (aql) and transmitted revelation (naql) al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+1. The author evaluates Ibn Rushd's positions on divine attributes, creation, speech, eschatology, and predestination against the theological framework of the early Muslim generations (the Salaf) and the principle that sound reason never contradicts authentic revelation al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+1.

Structure and Contents

The work is organized into an introduction, foundational principles, specific theological inquiries, and a conclusion:

• Biographical Introduction: Al-Jami begins by noting Ibn Rushd's birth in Cordoba in 520 AH / 1126 CE and his upbringing under his father al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…. He discusses the lack of certainty regarding Ibn Rushd's early philosophical instructors, arguing historically that he could not have studied under Ibn Bajjah due to his youth at the latter's death, nor was he an initial direct student of Ibn Tufayl prior to becoming known to him al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+1. He also touches upon Ibn Rushd's trial (mihnah) during the reign of the Almohad ruler Abu Ya'qub Yusuf's successor, Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur, during which his philosophical works were burned al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib….
• Methodological Foundations: The author defines reason as a spiritual light through which necessary and intuitive knowledge is apprehended, and transmitted evidence (naql) as the textual proofs derived from the Quran and the Sunnah al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…. Citing Ibn Taymiyyah's work Dar' Ta'arud al-Aql wa al-Naql (also titled Muwafaqat Sahih al-Manqul li-Sarih al-Ma'qul), he establishes that perceived contradictions between reason and revelation stem either from inauthentic transmission, misinterpretation, or corrupted reasoning al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+1.
• Harmonization of Philosophy and Religion: Al-Jami examines Ibn Rushd's division of religious interpretation between the common public (al-jumhur), dialectical theologians (al-jadaliyyun), and philosophers (al-burhaniyyun or al-khawass) al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+1. He critiques Ibn Rushd's maxim that the truth does not oppose the truth when applied to sanction esoteric readings for philosophers while leaving the literal wording for the masses, and strongly criticizes Ibn Rushd's phrasing describing philosophers as the prophets of the learned class al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+1.
• Critique of Dialectical Theology: Drawing on Ibn Rushd's Kashf 'an Manahij al-Adillah fi 'Aqa'id al-Millah, the book outlines Ibn Rushd's opposition to the figurative interpretation (ta'wil) practiced by the Mu'tazilites, Ash'arites, and Maturidites, particularly his famous medical analogy of successive physicians corrupting a composite remedy and causing illness among the populace al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+1.
• Proofs of God's Existence and Divine Attributes: The author highlights Ibn Rushd's two scriptural-rational proofs for God's existence: the proof of divine care (dalalat al-'inayah) and the proof of invention (dalalat al-ikhtira') al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+1. He discusses Ibn Rushd's treatment of divine unity (tawhid), knowledge (ilm), life, will, and eternity, noting his internal tension between affirming the apparent texts and adopting philosophical terminology regarding whether attributes are identical to or distinct from the essence al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+2.
• The Eternity of the World (Qidam al-Alam): Al-Jami analyzes Ibn Rushd's attempt to posit a middle position treating the debate on the pre-eternity versus temporal origination of the world as a verbal dispute, refuting Ibn Rushd's arguments regarding the non-annihilation of matter and God's eternal creativity al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+2.
• The Nature of Divine Speech: The treatise addresses Ibn Rushd's stance on the speech of God (kalam Allah) and the Quran, critiquing his definition of speech as an action and his division of Quranic letters into those created by God and those produced by humans to signify uncreated meaning al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+2.
• Eschatology and Bodily Resurrection: Al-Jami discusses Ibn Rushd's recognition of the afterlife through reason and revelation, but faults him for treating whether resurrection is purely spiritual or both bodily and spiritual as a subject of open scholarly deduction (ijtihad), rather than an explicit textual obligation al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+2.
• Divine Decree and Human Action (al-Qada' wa al-Qadar): The author reviews Ibn Rushd's synthesis reconciling human capacity and will with predestination by combining inner human intention with external causes, noting that this position aligns closely with the middle way of Ahl al-Sunnah between the Jabriyyah and the Qadariyyah, and free from the ambiguities of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari's concept of kasb al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+2.

Conclusion

The treatise concludes by emphasizing that divine revelation alone is the sufficient and unified source of Islamic creed, arguing that scriptural texts provide clear guidance on foundational theology without requiring reliance on Hellenistic philosophy or dialectical theology (ilm al-kalam) al-Aql wa al-Naql inda Ib…+1.