Syamsuddin Arif

Universitas Darussalam (UNIDA) Gontor
  •  156
    Rethinking the Concept of Fiṭra: Natural Disposition, Reason and Conscience
    American Journal of Islam and Society (Ajis) 40 (3-4): 77-103. 2023.
    An essay on the philosophy of human nature in Islam, this article examines the views of contemporary Western thinkers to creatively rethink the concept of fiṭra, not only from a theological perspective but also a scientific perspective. Drawing upon Islamic scholarship and previous research on the subject that explore the wide spectrum of connotations couched in the Arabic term fiṭra in comparison with Western perspectives, this study offers a fresh look at, and approach to, the concept of human…Read more
  •  149
    Searching for Islamic Economics: A Philosophical Inquiry
    Journal of Critical Realism in Socio-Economics 1 (4). 2023.
    It can hardly be denied that each field of knowledge has its own subject-matter and aims, scope and limits, specific method and distinctive characteristics. Every science has its own historical background and dynamics which explain its emergence and raison d'etre, as well as influence its development over time, expanding and contracting as it were in response to the prevailing Zeitgeist and alongside societal, legal, and political changes. Consequently, each discipline inevitably reflects the re…Read more
  •  400
    This article discusses Ibn Sīnā’s reasons for upholding the eternity of the world in his major philosophical writings and the ensuing heated debate between his detractors (al-Ghazālī, al-Shahrastānī and al-Rāzī) and supporters (al-Ṭūsī and al-Āmidī). I argue that notwithstanding the responses and surrejoinders it had elicited, Ibn Sīnā’s position on the issue is indeed coherent and irrefutable, since he distinguishes three modes of eternity, corresponding to the hierarchy of beings which he intr…Read more
  •  1192
    This article presents an analysis of a short treatise entitled Ādāb al-Baḥth wa al-Munāẓarah (The art of discussion and disputation) by the celebrated Ottoman scholar Abu al-Khayr ‘Iṣām al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Muṣṭafā ibn Khalīl Ṭāshkubrīzādah or Ṭaşköprüzade (d. 968 AH/ 1561 CE). An overview of the nomenclature and a brief introduction about the author and his work will be presented along with an annotated English translation of the text in order to highlight Ṭaşköprüzade’s contribution to this nearly…Read more
  •  144
    This book critically discusses Western academic approaches and contributions to Islamic studies, covering a wide range of subjects from the Qur'an and falsafa to Sufism and contemporary Muslim thought.
  •  477
    Intuition (hads) as a function of 'aql, fitrah and khirad, according to Ibn Sina, not only constitutes the basis of all learning, and hence a way for arriving independently at new knowledge, but serves as means for verifying what has been studied and learned from others, representing direct insight into the true nature of reality as a coherent whole. Some questions remain, however, as to what distinguishes intuition from other kinds of cognition and what is so special about intuitive knowledge a…Read more
  •  267
    Intuition and Its Role in Ibn Sīnā’s Epistemology
    Al-Shajarah 5 (1): 95-126. 2000.
    This paper reexamines Ibn Sina’s theory of knowledge and discusses the key role he assigns to intuition in solving the epistemological problems of knowing the first principles, the middle terms, primary concepts, and existence of oneself. To reconstruct and give a coherent restatement of his epistemology by means of textual analysis and hermeneusis is certainly a worthwhile task since Ibn Sina’s own statement of his views about knowledge has come down to us in a very disjointed form, scattered t…Read more
  •  471
    Contrary to the widespread assumption, philosophy in the Islamic world did not begin with al-Kindi nor ended with Ibn Rushd (Averroes). This article looks into the metaphysics part of Sayf al-Din al-Amidi's kitab al-Nur al-Bahir fi al-Hikam al-Zawahir ('The Splendid Light on the Bright Wisdom') in order to show the continuity of philosophy in post-classical period.
  •  420
    This article explores Ibn Sīnā’s cosmological views and analyzes the underlying assumptions and arguments in support of the theories to which he subscribes. These include the notions of the central and stationary position of the earth in a finite, spherical cosmos, the impossibility of the existence of many universes, and the metaphysical forces that drive, guide, and maintain the perpetual movement of cosmic bodies
  •  361
    This article is intended to provide insight into aspects of Ibn Sīnā’s natural philosophy. It will summarize his interpretation of the Aristotelian four causes, explicate his theory of efficient and necessary causal linkage, and analyze his arguments for causal efficacy. Finally, it will discuss Ibn Sīnā’s views on chance happenings in nature.
  •  401
    Divine Emanation as Cosmic Origin: Ibn Sīnā and His Critics
    TSAQAFAH - Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization 8 (2): 331-346. 2012.
    The question of cosmic beginning has always attracted considerable attention from serious thinkers past and present. Among many contesting theories that have emerged, that of emanation was appropriated by Muslim philosophers like Ibn Sînâ in order to reconcile the Aristotelian doctrine of the eternity of matter with the teaching of al-Qur’ân on the One Creator-God. According to this theory, the universe, which comprises a multitude of entities, is generated from a transcendent Being, the One, t…Read more
  •  752
    Filsafat Islam - Tradisi dan Kontroversi
    TSAQAFAH - Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization 10 (1): 221-247. 2014.
    Is there such a thing called “Islamic philosophy”? If there is one, what is it? What does it mean for philosophy to be Islamic? How does Islamic philosophy differ from non-Islamic one? Why do some Muslim scholars reject philosophy, ban its instruction, and even scorn its proponents? The present article will address all these questions and seeks to offer a balanced perspective on controversial issues pertaining to philosophy in Islamic intellectual context, drawing upon authoritative, primary sou…Read more
  •  2015
    Sufi Epistemology: Ibn 'Arabi on Knowledge
    AFKAR - Journal of Aqidah and Islamic Thought 3 (1): 81-94. 2002.
    This paper discusses the definition and sources of knowledge according to Ibn 'Arabi, the leading Sufi master of Andalusia (Muslim Spain).
  •  440
    Ibn Sina's Idea of Nature and Change
    AFKAR - Journal of Aqidah and Islamic Thought 8 (1): 111-139. 2007.
    This article discusses Ibn Sina's idea of 'nature' and his theory of change, including that of substantial change, in comparison with the views held by Aristotle and some Pre-socratic philosophers.
  •  946
    Al-Qur'an, Orientalisme dan Luxenberg
    AFKAR - Journal of 'Aqidah and Islamic Thought 6 55-76. 2005.
    The article focuses on issues related to the Qur'an, Orientalism and the controversial writer Christoph Luxenberg. A brief survey on studies by the Orientalist on the Qur'an is presented. It explains some critical confusions and misunderstandings by the Orientalist concerning the Qur'an especially that related to the authenticity of the Qur'an, as well as its writing and recitation tradition. The application of the philological methods used in the Biblical studies on the Qur'an is discussed. The…Read more
  •  509
    This article compares the elucidation of the semantic structure and fixity of a number of key terms and concepts of the Qur'an by two contemporary scholars, Toshihiko Izutsu (1914-1993) and Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas (1931--), with that of al-Raghib al-Isfahani (d. ca 443/1060), the author of the celebrated Kitab al-mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an. By 'key terms and concepts' are meant those words used by the Qur'an which play a decisive role in making up the basic conceptual structure of the Qu…Read more