Religion and Philosophy on the Eternity of the World: A Critical Comparative Analysis of ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn al-Bukhārī’s Position and the Philosophers

This study presents a comparative analysis of the theological and philosophical positions on the question of the eternity of the world (qidam al-ʿālam), with a focus on the critical contributions of the Islamic theologian ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn al-Bukhārī. Engaging with classical philosophical assertions—particularly those of Aristotle and Avicenna—that posit the world as eternal, the paper examines al-Bukhārī’s refutations grounded in rational deduction and kalām-based metaphysics. The research outlines the foundational concepts of substance (jawhar) and accident (ʿaraḍ) in both philosophical and Islamic theological traditions, and reconstructs al-Bukhārī’s epistemological and logical critique of the notion of an eternal cosmos. Drawing upon his seminal work Sharḥ al-Fiqh al-Akbar, the study highlights how al-Bukhārī strategically employed both consensus (ijmāʿ) and reasoned argumentation to reject philosophical cosmology and affirm the world’s createdness. By situating this debate within the broader Islamic intellectual tradition, the paper offers a nuanced contribution to contemporary scholarship on the intersection of kalām and philosophy in classical Islamic thought.