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

206 Part 3: Islamic Philosophy in History
in it. Moreover, he is yet another example of a philosopher of the
School of Shiraz who, like Ghiyåth al-D¥n Man∑¨r and Shams al-D¥n
Khafr¥, was also an accomplished scientist.
Among M¥r Fat± Allåh Sh¥råz¥’s most enduring contributions
were the educational reforms he carried out on the orders of the
Emperor Akbar. Sh¥råz¥ introduced works of philosophical theology
by figures such as Jurjån¥ and Dawån¥, as well as works of pure philosophy
by Ghiyåth al-D¥n Man∑¨r Dashtak¥ and others into the curriculum
of traditional Islamic madrasahs both Sunni and Shi‘ite. Henceforth the
teaching of Islamic philosophy would continue in many centers of learning
until our own times in contrast to the Arab world where the intellectual
sciences and especially philosophy ceased to be taught in
non-Shi‘ite madrasahs practically after the eighth/fourteenth century.
M¥r Fat± Allåh Sh¥råz¥ wrote a number of works, some of which
have been lost. These include a Quranic commentary (now lost), a
Persian translation of Ibn S¥nå’s al-Qån¶n fi˘l-†ibb (The Canon of Medicine)
(attributed to him but possibly by another author with a similar
name), and a number of glosses and commentaries upon difficult texts
of philosophy and philosophical theology by apple¨s¥, Taftåzån¥, and
Dawån¥. His most important philosophical impact was, however,
through his educational reforms and the training of a number of students,
many of whom gained great eminence on their own. In Persia
the famous philosopher Mu±ammad Ma±m¨d Dihdår had studied
with him and preceded his master to Bijapur, where, after M¥r Fat±
Allåh’s migration, he continued to study philosophy with his old
master. M¥r Fat± Allåh also had numerous other disciples in India
whose names cannot be recounted here. There is, however, one exception
who must be mentioned, and that is Mawlånå ‘Abd al-Salåm of
Lahore who studied philosophy under him in the Punjab. He in turn
was the master of Mullå ‘Abd al-Salåm of Dewa, east of Lucknow, who
was made mufti of the imperial army by Shåhjahån but who was also
a philosopher. His student Daniyål Chawras¥, also from Lucknow, became
in turn the teacher of Mullå Qu†b al-D¥n, one of the most renowned
Muslim scholars of the eleventh/seventeenth century in India.
It was upon the violent death of Mullå Qu†b al-D¥n that the
emperor Aurangzeb bequeathed to his descendents a mansion in
Lucknow that had belonged to the Dutch. This quarter became known
as Farangi Mahall and the most important center of Islamic philosophy
in India until the partition of 1948. 47 The third son of Mullå Qu†b
al-D¥n, Mullå Niπåm al-D¥n, who had studied with several masters of
the school of M¥r Fat± Allåh Sh¥råz¥ became the principle teacher at
Farangi Mahall, and numerous students came from all over India to