The Qur’an and Philosophy

Then they both brought their works to the venerable ruler and presented them to him. The ruler first took the philosopher’s work in his hand. He looked at it and saw that this self-centered nature-worshipper had worked a great deal, but had written no true wisdom, because he had not understood its meaning. Rather, he had misinterpreted the Book and behaved disrespectfully toward it. Since he regarded the Qur’an, the source of truth, merely as an adorned work of art and failed to understand that it was the source of truth, he had belittled and insulted it. Therefore, the wise ruler struck him on the head with his work and expelled him from his presence.

Then he looked at the work of the other, truth-loving and meticulous scholar. He saw that it was a beautiful and valuable work, full of wisdom and instructive insights. He said: “Excellent, may Allah bless you. This is true wisdom, and the one who wrote it deserves to be called a true scholar and sage. The other man, however, is merely an artist who has overstepped his bounds.” Then he decreed that, as a reward for his work, ten gold coins should be given from his inexhaustible treasury for every letter.

If you have understood the comparison, now look and discover how it reflects the essence of reality.

The adorned Qur’an in this comparison refers to the artistically created universe. The ruler is Allah, the Eternal All-Wise. One person represents philosophy and its followers, while the other represents the Qur’an and its students.

Indeed, the Wise Qur’an is the most exalted exegesis and the most eloquent interpreter of the universe. It is al-Furqān, which teaches both jinn and human beings about all created things, written by the power of Allah on the pages of the universe and the leaves of time. It sees every created being as a meaningful letter and as a sign of its Maker. It says: “How beautifully they have been made, and how splendidly they point to the beauty of their Maker.” In this way, it reveals the true beauty of the universe.

Philosophy, however, which is called “the science of wisdom,” becomes entangled in the outward splendor and relationships of created things, and thereby loses the path to truth. Instead of seeing creation as a meaningful letter of the universe, a sign of its Maker, it looks at it and speaks about it as though it stands only for itself. Instead of saying, “How beautifully this has been made,” it says, “How beautiful this is,” and thereby loses sight of its deeper meaning and true beauty. In this way, it insults the universe and makes it its complainant. Indeed, godless philosophy is nothing but meaningless sophistry and an insult to creation.

The Second Principle

A comparison between the wisdom and moral values that the Qur’an offers to personal life and the lessons taught by philosophical wisdom.

A devoted student of philosophy behaves like a pharaoh. Yet he is a humiliated pharaoh who, for the sake of self-interest, abases himself to worship the most insignificant things. Anything that brings him benefit, he regards as his lord. Such a godless student is stubborn and obstinate, yet at the same time a miserable rebel who, for a trace of pleasure or personal gain, accepts even the greatest humiliation. He is so base and obstinate that, for the sake of a contemptible self-interest, he lowers himself to the point of kissing the feet of devilish men.