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Taskopruzade's Commentary on the Ethical Philosophy of Adud al-Din al-Iji
Abstract
?A?u? al-D?n al-?j? was a foundational figure in the development of post-classical Sunni theology whose engagements with the Avicennan tradition harmonized much of the Aristotle’s thought as transmitted through Avicenna with what was perceived to be mainstream Islamic theology by Sunnis. Unfortunately, there is still a significant absence in the study of this prominent scholar’s thought in the Western academy. Al-?j?’s, Akhl?q al-A?u?iyya is one such understudied gem that has only recently been published from manuscript form in Turkey. The Akhl?q al-?A?u?iyya or the “Spiritual Ethics of ?A?u? al-d?n al-?j?” is a rich resource on Islamic ethics drawn from the Islamic philosophical tradition which incorporated and then revised Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics. What is significant about this text is the way in which Islamic spirituality and mysticism is presented in a framework originally found in Aristotelean ethical thought in which various traits and behaviors are examined in terms of their two extremes (their excess or their lack). Furthermore, Ta?köprüzade who was a renowned Ottoman scholar further expanded upon the Akhl?q al-?A?u?iyya, through providing further scriptural evidence for the ethical principles outlined by A?u? al-D?n al-?j? as well as many sayings attributed to Imam ?Al?. This paper will outline the framework of the “Spiritual Ethics of ?A?u? al-d?n al-?j?” and examine Ta?köprüzade’s commentary to consider how Sunni theologians comprehended the relationship between philosophy and ethics, as well as how Imam ?Al? was envisioned as a paragon of spirituality and mysticism in Sunni scholarship.
Discipline
Philosophy
Geographic Area
All Middle East
Sub Area
7th-13th Centuries