A Critical Reevaluation of the Nature of Islamic Philosophy From the Perspectives of ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī and ʾĀyatu llāh Jawādī Āmulī

ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī (Arabic: عَلَّامَة طَبَاطَبَائِی) categorizes philosophy into Divine and non-Divine branches, with Divine philosophy further divided into Islamic philosophy and non-Islamic philosophy. The divine nature of philosophy from his perspective is related to the proof of God’s existence. However, the distinguishing feature of the Divine philosophy of Islam compared to others lies in the concept derived from God’s existence. He posits that if Divine philosophy successfully demonstrates the proof of absolute monotheism (or applied and famous and known for all), acknowledging that God’s existence is pure and unbounded by any limitations, even transcending the notion of absoluteness, it will be categorized as philosophy pertaining to Islam; otherwise, it will not qualify as such. In contrast, ʾĀyatu llāh Jawādī Āmulī (Arabic: آیَةُ الله جوادی آمُلی) perceives the Islamic nature of sciences, including philosophy, in a general sense (broader context). Islam, in this general context, means the pursuit and acceptance of truth. Therefore, one cannot issue a ruling (Arabic: فَتْوی, romanized: fatawā, lit.: a legal or Islamic ruling) about the Islamic nature of a philosophy merely based on the philosopher or philosophical text; instead, each philosophical or scientific issue must be examined individually. If it aligns with truth and reality, it is Islamic; if it contradicts truth, it is not. The central focus of this research is to identify instances of Islamic philosophy among recognized existing philosophies. This research employs a documentary approach for gathering material and processes it through analytical and logical writing, addressing the implications of these two perspectives and exploring them further.