al-Yūsī, Tawḥīd and the Theological Structure of Islamic Knowledge

Abstract Academic studies of Islamic epistemology have predominantly focused on the classical and post-classical periods and neglected works in the “organization of sciences ( tartīb al-ʿulūm )” genre from the early-modern period. At that time, the field had already developed several models, including one inspired by Aristotle, the encyclopedic template, and the pedagogical ordering of sciences. These models have been studied by scholars in the history of philosophy and science, history of religion, as well as pedagogy and learning. However, scholars in Divinity faculties have long ignored these works, leading to an inadequate treatment of their theological foundation and function. Bringing theology to the fore, this article offers an appreciation of how theological principles and epistemic holism have framed and shaped the contours of the “organization of sciences” genre from the early-modern period onwards. The article focuses on al-Qānūn fī Aḥkām al-ʿIlm written by Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥasan b. Masʿūd al-Yūsī (d. 1102 AH / 1691 CE ) and explains how the interdependent, cohesive, and holistic dimensions of al-Yūsī’s organization of the sciences is directly derived from Islamic theology. More specifically, the article explores the unique structural role of the tri-partite definition of the religion ( dīn ) as “faith, religion, and spiritual excellence ( imān-islām-iḥsān )” in al-Yūsī’s organization of the sciences and the function of tawḥīd in his conception of knowledge.