Top of page

Book/Printed Material Treatise on "The Incoherence of the Philosophers".

View 127 images in sequence.

About this Item

Title

  • Treatise on "The Incoherence of the Philosophers".

Summary

  • This philosophical treatise by 15th-century Ottoman theologian Mustafa ibn Yusuf al-Bursawi, better known as Khwajah'zadah, is a rebuttal of a rebuttal. It is one of two treatises (the other is al-Dhakhirah [The hoard], a 13th-century work by ʻAlaʼ al-Din al-Tusi) that were commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, known as the Conqueror. The sultan wanted Khwajah'zadah and al-Tusi to weigh the merits of two earlier works about the divergences between philosophy and religion. The first work, Tahāfut al-falāsifah (The incoherence of the philosophers) by 11th-century Muslim theologian and philosopher Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, argued that earlier Islamic philosophers, such as Ibn Sina (Avicenna), failed to anchor their theistic philosophy in the same reasoning they applied in other branches of philosophy. The second work, Tahāfut al-tahāfut (The incoherence of the incoherence), is a rebuttal to al-Ghazali by 12th-century Andalusian jurist and philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes), who argued that al-Ghazali "undoubtedly erred at the expense of both religion and philosophy." In the treatise presented here, Khwajah'zadah indirectly rebutted Ibn Rushd. Although he commended Ibn Rushd for his comprehensive viewpoint, he argued in favor of al-Ghazali, stating that early Muslim philosophers "erred lightly in natural sciences and grossly in divine ones." The treatise is divided into chapters covering the same points of contention that al-Ghazali brought against early Muslim philosophers, namely the eternity of the world, the denial of God's knowledge of the particulars, and the denial of bodily resurrection. The manuscript is written in taʻliq style, in black ink. Chapter titles are rubricated. The scribe is named as Al-Sayyid Ahmad Bahri ibn Muhammad al-Funwi and the earliest provenance as Shaʻban 4, 977 (January 11, 1570). A note at the end states that this copy was compared to the original, and corrected by reference to it.

Names

  • Al-Funwī, Al-Sayyid Aḥmad Baḥrī ibn Muḥammad Scribe.
  • Khwājahʹzādah, Muṣṭafá ibn Yūsuf, died 1487 or 1488 Author.
  • Mehmed II, Sultan of the Turks, 1432-1481 Patron.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1570-01-11.

Headings

  • -  1570-01-11
  • -  Arabic manuscripts
  • -  Averröes, 1126-1198
  • -  Avicenna, 980-1037
  • -  Ghazzālī, 1058-1111
  • -  Islamic philosophy
  • -  Muslim philosophers
  • -  Ta'liq script

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 124 folios (21 lines) ; 16 x 18 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Qatar National Library.
  • -  Content in Arabic.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667383

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Al-Funwī, Al-Sayyid Aḥmad Baḥrī Ibn Muḥammad Scribe, Muṣṭafá Ibn Yūsuf KhwājahʹZādah, and Sultan Of The Turks Mehmed Ii. Treatise on "The Incoherence of the Philosophers". [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -01-11, 1570] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667383/.

APA citation style:

Al-Funwī, A. A. B. I. M. S., KhwājahʹZādah, M. I. Y. & Mehmed Ii, S. O. T. T. (1570) Treatise on "The Incoherence of the Philosophers". [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -01-11] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667383/.

MLA citation style:

Al-Funwī, Al-Sayyid Aḥmad Baḥrī Ibn Muḥammad Scribe, Muṣṭafá Ibn Yūsuf KhwājahʹZādah, and Sultan Of The Turks Mehmed Ii. Treatise on "The Incoherence of the Philosophers". [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -01-11, 1570] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667383/>.