Islamic philosophy

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/islamic-philosophy

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key philosophical schools?Peripatetic (Mashsha'iyya), Illuminationist (Ishraqi), and Transcendental Theosophy (Al-Hikma al-Muta'aliya)
2. What is the major texts influencing the tradition?Works of Aristotle, Plato, Plotinus, and Islamic theological texts (Hadith, Quran)
3. How did Islamic philosophers use Greek ideas?They read Greek books in languages like Greek, Syriac, Persian, and Indian, then translated them into Arabic. After translating, they added their own thoughts, making new ideas that built on Aristotle and Plato.
4. Who was Al‑Kindi and why is he important?Al‑Kindi lived around 801‑873 and is called the first major Arab philosopher. He mixed Greek philosophy with Islamic ideas, showing that science and faith can work together.

Falsafa: The Arabic term for philosophy, referring to the tradition influenced by Greek thought.
Aql and Naql: The Arabic terms for reason and transmitted revelation, central to debates on their compatibility.
Emanation: A Neoplatonic concept where reality flows from a single divine source in a hierarchical order.