Al-Kindi
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The first Arab philosopher was Al-Kindi (796/873 AD - 185/260 AD), born in the city of Koufa – near Baghdad – where his father was governor. From an aristocratic family of the Kindah tribe, Al-Kindi was under the protection of the caliphs Al-Ma’mun and Al-Mu‘tasim and was preceptor to Ahmad, the latter’s son. He completed his education in Baghdad after having received his first education in the nearby city of Basra. A contemporary of the famous Hunayn Ibn Ishaq, Al-Kindi was the first philosopher of true Arab origin who spoke in that language and, for this reason, was called the “philosopher of the Arabs”.
Al-Kindi excelled in Mathematics and Logic, disciplines that guided him in his search for truth through philosophy. It is possible to place him in the transition from theology to philosophy, in a position to bridge the gap that existed between reason and dogma, guided by the feeling of a fundamental agreement between the search for philosophy and prophetic revelation.
In the broad horizon of the search for knowledge, Al-Kindi encouraged the search for truth wherever it might be found, starting with the sages of other times, other nations and other languages, adapting the ancient search for truth to his time and expressing it in Arabic. He understood that truth should be embraced regardless of its source since nothing should be more precious to the seeker of truth than the truth itself. Al-Kindi also presented a vision of the chronological evolution of knowledge, recognizing the cumulative role of work over subsequent generations.
In numerous passages of his work, Al-Kindi showed himself to be an enthusiast of the search for knowledge through words that sound like a constant invitation to put us in contact with philosophy as one of the ways through which our spirit can reach perfection. Al-Kindi brought many contributions to the philosophical universe and, if welcoming philosophy among the Arabs was also his mission, then he fulfilled this in all its fullness, inciting the human beings of his time to seek wisdom, in other words, to philosophize.
Visit the Muslim Philosophy website where some of Al-Kindi's books are available in Arabic or in translations into modern languages, as well as articles and commentaries by other scholars.
Source: Al-Kindi commemorative stamp - Syria, 1994. Detail.
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The First Philosophy of Al-Kindi
The First Philosophy of Al-Kindi is a work that inaugurated metaphysical philosophical reflections in the Arabic language, being the first book of the Falsafa that deals with the nature of metaphysical science and its place in all human knowledge.
Metaphysical reflections among the Arabs were only possible due to the translations of classical works of the Greek tradition, particularly those of Aristotle and Plato, but also Indian, Persian and Syriac works into Arabic during the 9th and 10th centuries CE at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. The Caliph Al-Ma'mun had founded this center of cultural radiance. It included a large library, an astronomical observatory and a translation center responsible for translating practically all of Aristotle's works into Arabic, works that, for the most part, would only be known in Europe approximately 400 years later. Al-Kindi, born in the 9th century CE, lived through this intense period of reception of works of Philosophy and Science coming from diverse sources and intellectual traditions of Antiquity and which, from that time onwards, were mostly placed under the same language. Al-Kindi worked closely with the translators and had, among other purposes, to introduce Philosophy to the Arab world, especially to the caliphs, who were careful to know to what extent such knowledge could or could not shake the power structures of the caliphate. Al-Kindi's vision, in the introduction to The First Philosophy, defends a universalist and timeless nature of Philosophy, understanding that knowledge belongs to the human species as a whole and not only to specific cultures. Al-Kindī encourages seekers of truth to admire, recognize and embrace the truth wherever it comes from. The First Philosophy is, therefore, one of the first works on the reception of Philosophy in the Arab-Islamic world. The theme of the book is linked to Aristotle's Metaphysics, especially in the construction of the complex terminology to express metaphysical concepts, an icon of difficulties for the languages of Philosophy. The First Philosophy initially follows an almost didactic presentation of concepts, which Al-Kindī then elevates to a geometric condition, constructing, through intricate syllogisms, certainties that reason, in rigorous logic, ensures and confirms. First Philosophy was thus one of how the so-called “Philosopher of the Arabs” paved the way for Philosophy, universal reason, to be expressed in Arabic.