Comparing and Contrasting Fictional Treatises of Ibn Tufail and Suhrawardi

Document Type : Original Research

Author
Nadia Maftouni
Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Wisdom, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The term ‘SciArt’ refers to bilateral relations between art and science, including artistically-inclined science, science-minded art, and intertwined SciArt activities. In this definition, different disciplines from metaphysics to physics are reckoned as science, as different types of art- from literature to music are counted as art. The SciArt approach, in the fields of philosophical inquiry, can be accounted for by Farabi’s works. As Farabi holds, rational well-being and rational truths just might be brought to mind of people via imagery and analogy. In Islamic philosophy, two representatives of the field are Ibn Tufail and Suhrawardi. I will compare and contrast the main characters of these two major figures in chronological order. Plus a few more philosophical and mystical issues Ibn Tufail developed in scientific matters like anatomy, autopsy, and vivisection in the non-allegorical style. Contrary to Ibn Tufail, Suhrawardi explains mystical vs. philosophical problems in his fictions, using the allegorical style. He represents the world of spheres and the sublunary realm by a variety of imageries like nine shells, eleven layers of a basin, and eleven mountains. Both Ibn Tufail and Suhrawardi use fictional manner to explain mystical as well as philosophical themes.

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The International Journal of Humanities
Volume 25, Issue 1
Autumn 2018
Pages 67-76