Al-Farabi

Addition to historical analyses, three different types of reading of the ideas of al-Farabi have been offered: First, the connection between his ideas and the Greek thought; second, the connection between his ideas and theology, and the relationship that can be established between philosophy and religiousness; and third, the explication of al-Farabi’s ideas on the basis of the crisis (-es) he faced. In the present article the relationship between al-Farabi’s philosophy and Greece, Islam and the social crisis of the time are elaborated on.

Der Aufsatz beschäftigt sich mit dem Metaphysikbegriff Al-Fārābīs. Nach einem Überblick über das Leben und die wichtigsten Werke Al-Fārābīs wird die Herkunft des Namens und die verschiedenen Bezeichnungen (Göttliche Wissenschaft, Erste Philosophie, Weisheit, Theologie) sowie das Wesen von Metaphysik dargestellt. Anschließend wird Al-Fārābīs Werk „Über die Ziele des Philosophen (d. h. des Aristoteles) in jeder Abhandlung des Buches, das mit den Buchstaben bezeichnet wird (d. h. der Metaphysik) (Fī Aġrāᶁ al-Ḥakīm fī kull maqāla  min al-kitāb al-mausūm bi-l-ḥurūf)“ untersucht. Dabei ist die Unterscheidung zwischen Einzelwissenschaften und der einen universalen Wissenschaft grundlegend. Abschließend wird kurz auf Al-Fārābīs Versuch hingewiesen, das Staatswesen metaphysisch zu begründen. Im Anhang wird Al-Fārābīs „Abhandlung von den Tendenzen der Aristotelischen Metaphysik von dem zweiten Meister“ in der deutschen Übersetzung von Friedrich Dieterici vorgelegt.

 Al-Fārābī is a renowned and influential Muslim philosopher who has impacted not only Muslim scholars but also scholars of other religions, among whom Moses Maimonides is one of the most significant. This study, employing an analytical and comparative approach and drawing upon the works of both al-Fārābī and Maimonides, seeks to answer the question of how much Maimonides was influenced by al-Fārābī in the domain of philosophical psychology, particularly regarding human characteristics, faculties, perfections, and ranks. The findings indicate that Maimonides was influenced by al-Fārābī in various areas, frequently citing him and his works as a primary source. However, in many instances, to avoid provoking sensitivity or opposition from his audience, he refrained from explicitly mentioning his source, though it is evident that al-Fārābī’s works were among his principal references. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that Maimonides was influenced by al-Fārābī not only in the structure of his works but also in his fundamental theories concerning human characteristics, faculties, perfections, and ranks. His conceptual framework and terminology also reflect al-Fārābī’s influence, to the extent that the title of one of his major works on faculties, perfections, and moral philosophy was derived from one of al-Fārābī’s works.