Islamic Philosophy from Its Origin to the Present: Philosophy in the ...

98 Part 2: Philosophical Issues
from Aristotelian and Neoplatonic sources, it is not a rationalistic school
as this term is usually understood in Western philosophy. The mashshå˘¥
school is based on a view of the intellect that is properly speaking
metaphysical and not only philosophical and distinguishes clearly
between the reflection of the intellect upon the human mind, which is
reason, and the intellect in itself, which transcends the realm of the
individual and which is a substance (jawhar) of luminous nature with
several levels of reality. 9
A complete treatment of the intellect and “a theory of knowledge”
are to be found in the writings of the master of Muslim Peripatetics,
Ibn S¥nå. Basing himself on the treatises on the intellect (al-Risålah
fi˘l-‘aql ) by al-Kind¥ and al-Fåråb¥, 10 Ibn S¥nå gave an extensive analysis
of the meaning of the intellect in several of his works especially The
Book of Healing (al-Shifå˘), The Book of Salvation (al-Najåh), Springs of
Wisdom (‘Uy¶n al-÷ikmah), and his last masterpiece The Book of Directives
and Remarks (Kitåb al-ishåråt wa˘l-tanb¥håt). Basing himself upon
the Alexandrian commentators of Aristotle, such as Themistius and
Alexander Aphrodisias, and with full awareness of the Quranic doctrine
of revelation, Ibn S¥nå distinguishes between the Active Intellect
(al-‘aql al-fa‘‘ål), which is universal and independent of the individual,
and the intellectual function within man. Each human being possesses
intelligence in virtuality. This is called “material” or “potential” intelligence
(bi˘l-quwwah). As the human being grows in knowledge the
first intelligible forms are placed in the soul from above, and man
attains to the level of the habitual intelligence (bi˘l-malakah). Further
on, as the intellect becomes fully actualized in the mind, man reaches
the level of actual intellect (bi˘l-fi‘l) and finally as this process is completed,
the acquired intelligence (mustafåd). Finally above these stages
and states stands the Active Intellect (al-‘aql al-fa‘‘ål), which is Divine,
and which illuminates the mind through the act of knowledge. 11 According
to Ibn S¥nå, every act of cognition involves the illumination of
the mind by the Active Intellect, which bestows upon the mind the
form whose knowledge is the knowledge of the subject in question.
Although Ibn S¥nå denies the Platonic ideas, he stands certainly closer
to the realists of the medieval West than to the nominalists. It is not
accidental that the followers of St. Augustine were to rally around the
teachings of Ibn S¥nå once his works were translated into Latin and
that a school was developed that owed its origin to both St. Augustine
and Ibn S¥nå. 12 In any case Ibn S¥nå does not in any way confuse
reason with intellect, nor does he deny completely the role of intuition
as when he speaks of ÷ads or intuition, which in some ways resembles
Aristotle’s agkhinoia or quick wit, although it is not identical with it.