ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Social Sciences and Religion: What Relationship? The nature of the relationship between the social sciences and philosophy. What is agreed between men of science, scholars and philosophers alike, is that philosophy was the 'mother of science'. However, this belief which prevails in Western culture does not have a place in an Islamic setting. Thus, philosophy has never been regarded as the 'mother of science' in the field of Islam.

Here it is the judicio-religious sciences based on the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet (the sunnah), which are the supreme sciences, and the basis of all the sciences. Greek philosophy passed through many phases during the course of history, i.e.. during the pre-Christian period, the post-Christian period, the Islamic period, and finally its recent development during the contemporary Western period. We will confine our attention to the latter two phases.

In the following paragraphs a brief account of the position of philosophy and its relationship with the other sciences during these two phases is given. Philosophy's status within the Islamic civilisation framework. Philosophy or wisdom ( hikmah) had not gained much importance in the history of the Arabs prior to Islam.

As a matter of fact, philosophy did not occupy any scientific seat during the first chapter of Islamic history, which covered the Prophetic period and the Caliphates of the rightly guided Caliphs. This was simply because the Holy Qur'an and the honorable sunnah, as origins of faith and jurisprudence, amply sufficed the early Muslims to answer their questions related to the universe, its Creator, life and death, the creation of man, and his nature and his mission.

However the rapidly spreading conquests, and extensions of the boundaries of the Caliphate resulted in the Arab Muslims coming in contact with a number of different cultures and philosophies, such as the Greek, Persian, Indian, and Judeo-Christian philosophies and other religions and philosophical sects. It is against this background that the science of scholastic theology ( kalam) emerged during the Abbasid period.

Indeed, the Mutazilites came into existence in response to the deviated streams and false trends that appeared as the Muslims came in contact with the Magians of Persia and the Hindus.