Alfarabi, Book of Letters (Kitab Al-Huruf)
★★★★★
reviews
$49.99
In stock — ships today
Out of stockSKU ZC013
Add $75.00 more for free US shipping
Secure checkout
30-day returns
Scholar-vetted
Edition transparency
Exactly what you're buying
Translator
Charles E. Butterworth
Description
From The Backcover
"Thus, as a whole, philosophy is prior to religion in the way the one who uses instruments is prior in time to the instruments, and the faculties for dialectic and sophistry are prior to philosophy in the way nourishment of the tree is prior to the fruit or the tree's blossom is prior to the fruit. And religion is prior to dialectical theology and jurisprudence in the way the ruler who uses a servant is prior to the servant and the one who uses an instrument is prior to the instrument." - From Part 2, Chapter 19, Alfarabi, Book of Letters
"Alfarabi's Book of Letters (Kitab al-Huruf) moves from the beginning of Aristotle's logical teaching, the categories, through the perfection of the syllogistic arts to inquiries about being evocative of those found in metaphysical investigation. In the process, it pauses or digresses to consider the origin of language as well as of religion and explore how religion and philosophy can work together for political well-being. It is, certainly, one of this compelling author's most important writings." - Charles E. Butterworth, from the Introduction
"We are delighted to do our small part with others in this critical effort to revive traditional metaphysics by presenting this new translation by Charles E. Butterworth of al-Farabi's Book of Letters. We sincerely hope that this book kindles an interest in and desire to study the works of Aristotle and al-Farabi, whom the likes of the great Maimonides considered the first and second teachers respectively." - Hamza Yusuf, from the Foreword
About the Contributor(s)
About the author
al-Farabi: Abu Nasr Muhammad al-Farabi rahimahullah (c. 257-339 AH / c. 872-950 CE) was a philosopher, logician, and musician from the region of Farab in Central Asia, widely regarded as the greatest Islamic Aristotelian philosopher and a seminal figure in Islamic political philosophy and the philosophy of language. He pursued his education in Baghdad, where he studied logic, philosophy, and the sciences under leading scholars of his era. He later spent time at the court of Sayf al-Dawla al-Hamdani in Aleppo and died in Damascus. His major works include Kitab al-Huruf (Book of Letters), a philosophical treatise on the origins of language and metaphysics; al-Madina al-Fadila (The Virtuous City), his most celebrated work in political philosophy; and numerous commentaries on Aristotle's logical and political writings. He also wrote on music, producing the Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir. His mastery of philosophy earned him the epithet 'al-Mu'allim al-Thani' (the Second Teacher), second only to Aristotle.
About the translator
Charles E. Butterworth: Charles E. Butterworth is emeritus professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, where his research and teaching have centered on medieval Arabic and Islamic political philosophy. He is a leading academic specialist in the philosophical and political writings of classical Islamic thinkers, with particular focus on the Aristotelian tradition as transmitted and transformed in the Islamic world. His translation of Alfarabi's Kitab al-Huruf (Book of Letters) makes this foundational work in Islamic philosophy of language accessible to English-language readers. His scholarly career has contributed significantly to the academic study of classical Islamic political thought in the Western academy.
About the editor
Hamza Yusuf: Hamza Yusuf hafidhahullah (born 1960) is one of the most prominent American Muslim scholars of his generation and co-founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California. A steadfast advocate of classical learning in Islam, he has promoted Islamic sciences and traditional pedagogical methodologies throughout the world. He serves as an advisor to the Centre for Islamic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, and as a member of the board of advisors of George Russell's One Nation, a national philanthropic initiative promoting pluralism and inclusion in America. He also serves as vice-president of the Global Centre for Guidance and Renewal, an institution founded and presided over by Abdallah bin Bayyah. He is among the signatories of A Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter from Islamic scholars to Christian leaders calling for peace and understanding. His published works include translations such as The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi and Purification of the Heart, and authored titles such as Agenda to Change Our Condition and Caesarean Moon Births.
Specifications
EAN 13 / ISBN
9781733836340
Binding
Hardback
Publisher
Zaytuna College
Author
al-Farabi
Pages
576
Translator
Charles E. Butterworth
Editor
Hamza Yusuf
Year Published
2024
Size
W-6.3 in | H-9.3 in | D-2 in
Shipping & returns
Free US shipping on orders over $75. Multi-volume sets ship as one boxed parcel. 30-day returns — return shipping is on us for any fault in the book.