Islamic Wisdom Library

About Islamic Wisdom Library

Wisdom, which is one of the branches of the vast tree of Islamic sciences and knowledge, is the knowledge of the truths of existence to the extent of human capacity. The roots of wisdom must be sought in human nature, for which divine prophets were sent to develop and elevate it, to teach him wisdom in addition to the book. The Holy Quran has repeatedly emphasized wisdom and its place in the exaltation and development of man, and has encouraged humans to rush towards it in order to quench their thirsty souls with it. The rich treasury of Islamic wisdom has grown on the basis of ancient divine wisdom and has borne many fruits and innovations. Ancient wisdom had various branches, ranging from logic to medicine and music. This treasure has been formed by the great Islamic sages and philosophers.

Greek wisdom, which has a more philosophical approach, entered the Islamic sphere and was expanded and explained by Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina, two of the great Islamic philosophers. Of course, as researchers have said, the Enlightenment trend is clearly evident in Ibn Sina's philosophy. It is noteworthy that the wisdom of the past has also had negative reactions among Muslims due to its pure rationalism.

Types of Wisdom

Wisdom is divided into two parts: practical and theoretical. Theoretical wisdom is knowledge whose status is merely to know, but practical wisdom is knowledge that must be manifested in human action. Theoretical wisdom has three branches: divine knowledge, the subject of which does not need matter at all; mathematical and educational knowledge, which is the knowledge of the states of something that needs matter in external existence, but is abstract from matter in the mind; Natural science is the knowledge of the states of something that requires matter, both in external and mental existence.

Among these, medicine, which is a branch of natural sciences, has a special place in Islamic wisdom because it is related to people's daily lives and has created a practical connection between Islamic sages and the masses of people. Therefore, in ancient Iran, doctors were known as sages.

Practical wisdom also has three branches: ethics, household management, and political science. Ethics discusses the refinement of the soul, household management discusses the relationship between family members and each other, and political science discusses the relationship between individuals and society.

Islamic knowledge pays great attention to the three aspects of practical wisdom. Therefore, some Islamic scholars have combined practical wisdom in terms of moral virtues with Islamic practical wisdom and have created new ideas.

Some Islamic scholars have approached theology and On the contrary, they have contributed to the growth of these two sciences, and among them, the role of Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi and Fakhr al-Din Razi is more colorful than the rest of the scholars. Fakhr al-Razi made many criticisms of Masha's philosophy, and Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi, by responding to them, gave new life to Masha's wisdom and enriched it by philosophizing the science of theology.

Illuminist wisdom is another philosophical approach. This wisdom has many branches that have spread from Greece to India in the past. Plato was the representative of Illuminist wisdom in Greece, and his wisdom was expanded in the Alexandrian school by Plotinus. The wisdom of Pahlavi and Khosrowani was the representative of Illuminist wisdom in Iran. Of course, this wisdom also has a close connection with mystical thoughts and tendencies.

The various branches of Iranian and Greek Illuminist wisdom were linked together by Sheikh Ishraq, who considers himself the reviver of this wisdom, and were combined with Islamic teachings to create Islamic Illuminist wisdom. Of course, some traces of Indian wisdom can also be found in it.

After the Illuminist period, the great philosopher Sadr al-Mutalahin Shirazi founded the Transcendental Wisdom by linking the wisdom of Masha, Illuminism, Sufism, and Islamic teachings. This wisdom was developed with the idea that there is no knowledge in these areas that is so different from other knowledge that they cannot be combined. Therefore, for the unity of human thought and thought, it is necessary to prove the unity of these knowledges, and he dedicated his wisdom to this cause. Mulla Sadra's philosophy did not emerge all at once, but was the result of a philosophical tradition that gradually became more integrated with mysticism and Sharia. Hence, in Hikmat-e-Ta'aliyeh, it is easier to claim that the Quran, mysticism, and proof are inseparable. At the same time, he was able to rationalize and prove the claims of the mystics. He also believed that Sharia had a sacred ontological source for the philosopher and agreed with the necessary intellectual teachings.

The Library of Islamic Wisdom

The collection that is now presented under the title of the Library of Philosophy is a valuable collection of books on wisdom and philosophy that includes almost all the ideas that were raised above. Of course, the library in its current version includes most of the philosophical and logical works up to the time of Hakim Sabzevari, and God willing, the rest of the books will be added to the program in the next version. Below we mention the names of some of the authors of these books along with their intellectual approaches.

1- Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle.
2- Alexandrian philosophers such as Plotinus.
3- Sophists such as Zakaria Razi.
4- Islamic philosophers such as al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Bajja, Ibn Rushd, Fakhr Razi, Muqeeq al-Tusi, Qutb al-Din Razi, Mir Damad.
5- Philosophers of the Enlightenment such as Sheikh Ishraq, Shahrazuri, Qutb al-Din Shirazi, Muqeeq al-Dawani.
6- Sadr al-Mutalahin, the founder of Hikmat al-Mu'ta'aliyah and the commentators of his school.

In addition to the philosophy library, which is in Arabic or Persian, there is also an English library, which includes books by Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato, Neoplatonic philosophers such as Plotinus, and Western philosophers such as Kant, Descartes, and others.