Authors: Usep Mohamad Ishaq, Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud
DOI: 10.14421/ajis.2017.551.189-210
Abstract
Ibn al-Haytham (d. 1039) is a well known scholar for his contributions in natural and mathematical sciences. The research focuses on his works in sciences and mathematics and only a few studies carry out on his contribution on philosophy due to the lack of the primary sources. The only known surviving Ibn al-Haytham’s work on philosophy is Kitāb Thamarah al-hikmah. However, few studies have examined and explored this work. Based on this work, the present study tries to scrutinize Ibn al-Haytham’s epistemology and focused mainly on his classification of knowledge. The comparative study of Ibn al-Haytham’s classification of knowledge and that of al-Fārābī’s, Ibn Hazm’s, Tūsī’s, and al-Ghāzālī is also carried out. The result shows that Ibn al-Haytham has two mode of classifications: the ontological and epistemological. It is also obvious that Ibn al-Haytham tries to integrate Greek philosophy and sciences within the worldview of Islam. The results of the present study also suggests that the nexus between the concept of classification of knowledge and the concept of perfect man (al-insāan al-tāmm) is obvious.
Author keywords
Al-hIkmah; Classification of knowledge; Ibn al-Haytham; Kitāb Thamarah al-hikmah
This article can be accessed at https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85040654146
