Ibn Taymiyya on Reason and Revelation: A Study of Darʾ taʿāruḍ al-ʿaql wa-l-naql

by Carl Sharif El-Tobgui

In Ibn Taymiyya on Reason and Revelation, Carl Sharif El-Tobgui offers the first comprehensive study of Ibn Taymiyya’s ten-volume magnum opus, Darʾ taʿāruḍ al-ʿaql wa-l-naql. In his colossal riposte to the Muslim philosophers and rationalist theologians, the towering Ḥanbalī polymath rejects the call to prioritize reason over revelation in cases of alleged conflict, interrogating instead the very conception of rationality that classical Muslims had inherited from the Greeks. In its place, he endeavors to articulate a reconstituted “pure reason” that is both truly universal and in full harmony with authentic revelation. Based on a line-by-line reading of the entire Darʾ taʿāruḍ, El-Tobgui’s study carefully elucidates the “philosophy of Ibn Taymiyya” as it emerges from the multifaceted ontological, epistemological, and linguistic reforms that Ibn Taymiyya carries out in this pivotal work.

Genres: Islam, Philosophy, Religion, Nonfiction

444 pages, Hardcover

Published December 30, 2019

Reviews

[Lukman Aliyu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book had the most profound effect on me in 2020. I was able to understand the thought process of one of the most influencial intellectual powerhouse of the Muslim world. I like how Carl took time to go through all the school of thoughts prior to Ibn Taymiyyah's time. It helped greatly in my understanding of the context of the Ibn Taymiyyah's 'Dar' Ta'arud Al Aql wan naql'.
After reading the book, I couldn't help but be in awe of Ibn Taymiyyah's ability to put forth his argument. It's just remarkable. By the time I was through, I had a different understanding of the relationship between reason and revelation according to the Qur'an and authentic traditions of the Prophet.
The way the book was divided into two parts helped in passing the message more succinctly. The first part titled "Reason vs Revelation" dealt with the prevailing thoughts before Ibn Taymiyyah's time and also the biography of the great scholar. The second part titled Ibn Taymiyyah's "Reform of Language , Ontology and Epistemology" tackled Ibn Taymiyyah's response to all the schools of thoughts he he believed were deviant and his proposal of how to reconcile between reason and revelation within the framework of the Qur'an and Sunnah. It's a masterpiece and I'll recommend it to everyone, especially in our modern time where there's unhindered freedom of thought. This will go a long way in enabling us to determine what lines to not cross.

[Arman Firman · Rating 5 out of 5]

this contains: general survey of scholars on the harmony before ibn taymiyya, life and works of iT (summary of the works of henri loust), ibn taymiyya on language, his contextual ta'wil, his philosophy of universals, qiyas between the knowledge of the seen and the knowledge of the unseen (on the divine attributes)

Lack of classical references (probably less than ten). but perhaps the amount of research he has done of other modern works fills that gap. a great contribution.