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toorsahab Saturday, July 25, 2020 07:44 PM

I need help in understanding this sentence.
 
"The Doctrine of Immortality of Active Intellect is entirely opposed to the view that the Quran takes of the value and destiny of human ego."

MonstarAshar Sunday, July 26, 2020 12:00 PM

[U]The Doctrine of Immortality of Active Intellect[/U] VS [U]Quran's teaching of the value and destiny of human ego
[/U]

Basically the first half of the sentence is being described as the polar opposite to Islamic/Quranic teachings. The first half being the Western school of thought as interpreted by earlier Muslim Scholars (esp Ibn Rushd) while the second half being Iqbal's assertion that these interpretations are opposite to Quran's concepts and teachings.

As a sentence or as a question prompt. The answer requires a background knowledge of Western Philosophy and Iqbal's POV. Alongwith Western Philosophers like Socrates and Plato, Ibn Rushd's POV on the idea Active Intellect is the bone of contention. Just like the poster boy of Congress (Maulana Abul Kalam Azad), Ibn Rushd is heralded as Averroes by Western School of thoughts due to his views on the subject. This contrarian view is one of the talking points mentioned by Iqbal in his book "Reconstruction of Religious thought in Islam".

Iqbal mentions (Pg 2-4, Reconstruction of Religious thought in Islam");

"As we all know, Greek philosophy has been a great cultural force in the history of Islam. Yet a careful study of the Qur‘南 and the various schools of scholastic theology that arose under the inspiration of Greek thought disclose the remarkable fact that while Greek philosophy very much broadened the outlook of Muslim thinkers, it, on the whole, obscured their vision of the Qur‘南. Socrates concentrated his attention on the human world alone. To him the proper study of man was man and not the world of plants, insects, and stars. How unlike the spirit of the Qur‘南, which sees in the humble bee a recipient of Divine inspiration[6] and constantly calls upon the reader to observe the perpetual change of the winds, the alternation of day and night, the clouds,[7] the starry heavens,[8] and the planets swimming through infinite space![9] As a true disciple of Socrates, Plato despised sense– perception which, in his view, yielded mere opinion and no real knowledge.[10] How unlike the Qur‘南, which regards ‘hearing‘ and ‘sight‘ as the most valuable Divine gifts[11] and declares them to be accountable to God for their activity in this world.[12] This is what the earlier Muslim students of the Qur‘南 completely missed under the spell of classical speculation. They read the Quran in the light of Greek thought........based religion on philosophical scepticism........Ibn Rushd, who defended Greek philosophy against the rebels, was led, through Aristotle, to what is known as the doctrine of Immortality of Active Intellect,[14] a doctrine which once wielded enormous influence on the intellectual life of France and Italy,[15] but which, to my mind, is entirely opposed to the view that the Qur‘南 takes of the value and destiny of the human ego.[16] Thus Ibn Rushd lost sight of a great and fruitful idea in Islam and unwittingly helped the growth of that enervating philosophy of life which obscures man‘s vision of himself, his God, and his world."


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