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Ibn Hazm, Abu Muhammad 'Ali (994-1063)
Ibn
Hazm, Abu Muhammad ‘Ali
(994-1063) Ibn Hazm was
the originator of a school
of interpretation which
based its understanding
of religious texts on the
apparent meaning of scriptural
concepts as opposed to their
hidden meaning. He argued
that there is a place for
reason in the understanding
of scripture, but that it
has to be used within the
context of revelation and
is severely limited in terms
of what it can demonstrate.
His approach is based on
the idea that the language
and context of religious
texts are sufficient for
their readers to understand
them, and that there is
no need to use concepts
such as analogy. Abu Muhammad
‘Ali ibn Hazm was born into
an important Andalusian
family and went on to have
a rather tumultuous political
career, being imprisoned
three times and banished
from Cordoba on several
occasions. He is best known
for his writings on jurisprudence,
and also for his charming
Tawq al-hamama (The Dove’s
Neck Ring), which deals
with the concept of love.
In it he analyses the concept
and differentiates between
divine love, which is placed
at the highest level, and
affection, which is the
lowest. Clearly influenced
by Plato’s Phaedrus and
Symposium, he regards love
as the coming together of
otherwise incomplete beings
(see Plato). Genuine love
occurs when the lover sees
beneath the surface of the
appearance something which
presents an idea of his
own nature, and thus becomes
strongly attracted by it.
Weaker forms of affection
result when the individual
is limited to the form of
the appearance, but perceives
nothing deeper beyond it
(see Love). Ibn Hazm is
the leading exponent of
the Zahirite school of jurisprudence.
This school adheres to the
exoteric or apparent (zahir)
meaning of the religious
text, in accordance with
the principles of grammar,
the hadith (traditions)
of the Prophet and the consensus
(ijma‘) of the community.
The main opponents of this
view are those Muslims who
appeal to the esoteric meaning
- such as the Isma‘ilis,
for example - because they
think that one needs to
look beyond the surface
of the text to discover
what it really means, and
also the philosophers, who
insist that reason is a
vital means of gaining access
to the meaning of scripture.
This is more than a dispute
about jurisprudence; it
affects the understanding
of the way in which texts
are to be interpreted. Ibn
Hazm attacks the notion
that one can understand
the meaning of a text by
using principles such as
analogy, as the Mu‘tazilites
do, to acquire some grasp
of the nature of God. The
latter argue that we can
understand the sifat, the
names or qualities of God,
by analogy from our understanding
of our own characteristics;
so, for example, we can
grasp what it means for
God to be just if we understand
what human justice is (see
Ash‘ariyya and Mu‘tazila).
According to Ibn Hazm, however,
God is a unique being whose
qualities cannot be grasped
rationally but have to be
accepted through faith.
There is no objective standard
of justice with which God
has to concur. He could
have obliged us to act in
impossible ways, and set
out to punish angels and
reward the evil. To deny
this is to anthropomorphize
the concept of God, which
is going beyond the nature
of the language in Islam
about God. The Zahirite
uses reason to get an accurate
view of the language of
the relevant texts and the
supplementary hermeneutical
material, and stops there
(see God, concepts of; Islamic
theology). What role does
reason play, then, in Ibn
Hazm’s understanding of
the meaning of important
concepts? Reason is important,
and essential in any understanding
of the facts. We have to
use reason to work out what
the facts of a particular
situation are, but we cannot
use it to identify its ethical
or religious character.
Within the context of revelation,
reason has a role to play,
but it is an essentially
subsidiary role. In comprehending
religious language we have
to use reason to interpret
the text, but we must be
aware of the dangers of
overelaborating and departing
from the apparent meaning.
Sometimes people are impressed
with the ability of reason
to delve into the mysteries
of reality, yet all that
emerges are disputes about
what texts mean and what
the nature of the law is.
We can avoid this, according
to Ibn Hazm, if we stick
to the apparent meaning
of the text and maintain
the autonomy of God. God
can do anything at all,
he is absolutely free, and
we are very limited in our
ability to use reason to
encompass him. We can use
the laws of logic, Arabic
grammar and the evidence
of our senses, but that
is all. By the time of his
death, Ibn Hazm had succeeded
in establishing the Zahiri
school of interpretation,
which followed his particular
approach to hermeneutics
and which was solidly within
the Asha‘rite and Sunni
tradition. The most distinguished
follower of this form of
thought was al-Ghazali,
who was clearly heavily
influenced by Ibn Hazm.
See also: Ash‘ariyya and
Mu‘tazila; God, concepts
of; Islamic theology; Law,
Islamic philosophy of OLIVER
LEAMAN SALMAN ALBDOUR
Routledge Encyclopedia
of Philosophy, Version 1.0,
London: Routledge
List of works
Ibn Hazm (994-1063) Tawq al-hamama
(The Dove’s Neck Ring), trans. A.
Arberry, The Ring
of
the Dove, London: Luzac, 1953.(A
systematic treatment of love and
affection, combining
metaphysics, social commentary and psychology.)
Ibn
Hazm (994-1063) al-Fisal fi’l
milal wa’l ahwa’ wa’n nihal
(Treatise on Religions and
Schools of Thought), Cairo: Maktabat al-Khanji, no date; trans. M. Asيn
Palacios,
Abenhلzam de
Cَrdoba
y su historia crيtica
de las ideas religiosas, Madrid:
Real
Academica de la Historia, 1927-32.(A treatise on the
religions and beliefs which presents
the
first comparative work of its kind in Arabic.)
Ibn
Hazm (994-1063) Mudawat an-nufus
(Character and Behaviour), ed. and
trans.
N.
Tomiche, Beirut, 1961; trans. M. Asيn Palacios, Los caracteres y la conducta, tratado de
moral
prلctica por Abenhلzam
de Cَrdoba, Madrid: Junta para ampliaciَn de estudios y
investigaciones
cientيficas, 1916.
(Ibn Hazm’s philosophical psychology, and an account of
ethical
development, with many interesting
comments on contemporary Andalusian
society.)
References
and further reading
Arnaldez, R. (1984) Grammaire et théologie chez Ibn Hazm de Cordoue:
essai sur la
structure et les conditions de la pensée musulmane (The Grammar and
Theology of Ibn
Hazm of Cordoba: Essay on the Nature and Structure of Muslim Thought),
Paris: Vrin.(A
brilliant analysis of Ibn Hazm’s philosophy of language as the key to
his thought.)
Chejne, A. (1982) Ibn Hazm, Chicago: Kazi Publications.(A general account
of his life and
thought.)
Goldziher, I. (1884) Die Zahiriten, ihr Lehrsystem und
ihre Geschichte: Beitrag zur
Geschichte der muhammedanischen Theologie (The
Zahirites, their School and its
History: Contribution to the History of Islamic
Theology), Leipzig: O.
Schulze.(Still a very
useful source of information about the school of
theology which Ibn Hazm founded.)
Hourani, G. (1985) ‘Reason and Revelation in Ibn
Hazm’s Ethical Thought’, in G.
Hourani (ed.)
Reason and Tradition in Islamic Ethics, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 167-89.
(Detailed exposition of the philosophical basis of Ibn
Hazm’s ethics.)
Pavlin, J. (1996) ‘Sunni Kalam and Theological Controversies’, in S.H.
Nasr and O. Leaman
(eds) History of Islamic Philosophy, London: Routledge, ch. 7,
105-18.(Account of some of
the most important Sunni theologians, including Ibn
Hazm.) Routledge Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, Version 1.0, London:
Routledge
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