The Development of Metaphysics in Persia

by Muhammad Iqbal

The Development of Metaphysics in Persia is the book form of Muhammad Iqbal's PhD thesis in philosophy at the University of Munich submitted in 1908 and published in the same year. It traces the development of metaphysics in Persia from the time of Zoroaster to the advent of the Bahá'í Faith.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Islam, Theology, History

78 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

Sir Allama Mohammad Iqbal also known as Allama Iqbal was born in 1877 in Sialkot, Punjab, in British Ruled India, now Pakistan, and was educated in the local school and college in Sialkot, before going on the university in Lahore. There he studied Arabic and philosophy as an undergraduate, then in 1899 did an M.A. in philosophy (being ranked first in the Punjab, and awarded a Gold Medal). He was appointed to a Readership in Arabic at the Oriental College in Lahore, and over the next few years became well known as a poet, as well as writing his first book (in Urdu), The Knowledge of Economics (1903).

In 1905 he travelled to Europe to continue his philosophical studies, first at Cambridge, then at Munich, where he obtained his doctorate with a thesis entitled The Development of Metaphysics in Persia. From 1907 to 1908 he was Professor of Arabic at the University of London; during this period he studied for the bar, becoming a barrister in 1908, when he returned to Lahore to practise law. While practising as an advocate at the Lahore High Court he continued to a part-time academic career as professor of philosophy and English Literature, being appointed Professor of Philosophy at the Government College, Lahore in 1911. He was knighted in 1923.

Despite his law practice, his philosophical work, and his gradual entry into politics, first as a member of the Punjab Legislative Council and later as president of the All India Muslim League, Iqbal was probably best known and respected as a poet. Nevertheless, his other activities brought him some measure of fame, especially six lectures that he gave at Madras, Osmania University at Hyderabad, and Aligarh, which were later published as The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (1930). During the early thirties he travelled extensively in the Middle East and Europe, participating in international political conferences, meeting philosophers and politicians, and writing.

His political view was that in theory a Muslim state wasn't desirable, as he held to the ideal of a world-wide Muslim community; nevertheless, he held that, at least in the short and medium terms, the only way for Indian Muslims to be able to live according to the tenets of Islam was in such a state, and he campaigned accordingly. He died in Lahore in 1938, some nine years before the creation of Pakistan, where his birthday is celebrated as national holiday.

Iqbal's philosophical work involved bringing various philosophical influences, including Leibniz, Hegel, and Nietzsche, to his Islamic scholarship, thus holding out the promise of a revival of genuine Islamic philosophical thought — a return of Islam to its place in the philosophical world. That promise has yet to be truly fulfilled, though it remains in place.

"To exist in pure duration is to be a self, and to be a self is to be able to say 'I am'." (The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam p.56)

Reviews

[Motahareh Nabavi]

comprehensive examination of development of metaphysics in persia; things that I personally appreciated were Iqbal's linking of ideas thoughout times/religions/places, and his brining in the topic of "love" in every philosopher's ideas that he touched on.

[البهلول أحمد مصطفى]

كتاب "تطور الميتافيزيقا في بلاد فارس" للسير محمد إقبال هو عمل فلسفي نُشر عام ١٩٠٨. قُدِّم في الأصل كأطروحة دكتوراه في جامعة ميونخ، وتتتبع هذه الدراسة الرائدة تطور الفكر الميتافيزيقي في بلاد فارس عبر آلاف السنين، بدءًا من تعاليم زرادشت القديمة مرورًا بالتطورات الفلسفية المتعاقبة وصولًا إلى ظهور الديانة البهائية. وبالاستناد إلى مخطوطات فارسية وعربية أصلية، يرسم إقبال رحلة فكرية عبر واحدة من أغنى التقاليد الفلسفية في التاريخ.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/dnfv7v...

[Waseem Naser]

What do I think? I'm thinking how in the world did Iqbal make such a dry subject like Persian metaphysics so engaging and rich. If only we have more Iqbals...

[Hamed]

تلاش کرده است روایتی کامل از تاریخ تفکر ایران بیرون بکشد اما آنچه یافته، گاهی منطبق و گاهی بی ربط به ایده است. ثنویت مغ های ایران و فلسفه ی یونانی جاهایی خودی نشان میدهند اما بسیاری اوقات در محاق اند و جهد اقبال ناکام مانده است.
منابع اصلی او غلط نیستند اما دست دوم اند و اکثرا غربی.
کاری که اقبال آغاز کرده نه توسط سید حسین نصر و نه توسط کُربن، تکمیل نشده است به دست دادن یک روایت کامل از تفکر ایرانی هنوز هم در آغاز راه است.

[Bahman Bahman]

محمد اقبال لاهوری(1256_ 1317خورشیدی) شاعر فیلسوف و متفکر اهل شبه قاره که اشعار زیادی به زبان پارسی سروده است.
کتاب سیر فلسفه در ایران(یا سیر حکمت در ایران) در اصل پایان نامه ی دکترای اقبال لاهوری است.
در این کتاب کوتاه که به زبان نو رایج در محافل باخترزمین و در نتیجه روان تر و قابل درک تر نوشته شده است به صورت اجمالی با فلسفه ی ایران و آراء و اندیشه های برخی از فیلسوفان ایرانی آشنا می شوید.در این کتاب خواهید دید بسیاری از اندیشه های فیلسوفان عصر جدید در اروپا نظیر دیوید هیوم , جرج برکلی , دکارت و... سال ها پیش به گونه ای در لابه لای نوشتجات و مجادلات فلسفی فیلسوفان ایرانی و عرب یافت می شوند.
اقبال در این رساله با روش تشریحی زمینه‌های تاریخی ظهور و تحولات فلسفه در ایران را بررسی کرده است .اقبال، علاوه بر آن مفاهیم فلسفی قدیم را به زبان فلسفی امروزی بیان کرده و مضافا این که ریشه‌های تصوف ایرانی و اسلامی را مرور نموده است .این رساله در دو بخش سامان یافته است .
بخش نخست با عنوان فلسفه در ایران باستان به شرح دو گرایی ایرانی (زردشت، مانی و مزدک) و بخش دوم با عنوان "دو گرایی یونانی " با این موضوعات به طبع رسیده است :ارسطوییان نوافلاطونی"، "ظهور و سقوط خردگرایی در اسلام"، "مجادله واقع‌گرایی و انگارگرایی"، "تصوف"، و "فلسفه در عصر جدید .

[Aliakbar]

به عنوان کسی که با فلسفه آشنایی نداره و این کتاب رو خونده می‌نویسم. انگیزه‌ی اولیه‌ی من این شنیده بودم که «اقبال لاهوری یکی از بزرگترین، و شاید بزرگترین، فیلسوف اسلامی معاصر است». بعد از خواندن کتاب، با یک فیلسوفی اسلامی درباره‌ی این نظر سوال کردم و او چنین اعتقادی نداشت. هرچند برای من کتاب مفیدی بود.
کتاب، تاریخ فلسفه است و تاریخ فلسفه یک، علم است. به این معنی که می‌خواهیم از مطالعه‌ی تاریخ فلسفه در ایران، به این شناخت، و دقیق‌تر، به دسته بندی نوع فکر کردن جامعه‌ی ایران برسیم. از این نگاه باید بگویم که خواندن یک کتاب راه گشا نیست. به چیزی که من در نظر دارم نمی‌رسیم.
حتما باید با مطالعه‌ی کتاب‌های مفصل‌تر و پرس و جوهای بیشتر بین دوستان و اطرافیان همراه باشد.
کتاب دشواری است و نیاز به فکر کردن و سبک-سنگین کردن زیادی دارد. شروع خوبی است ولی اصلا شبیه چیزی نیست که بعد از تمام شدن به جوابی برسیم. بیشتر یک طرح مسئله نیست. یک مسئله‌ی بسیار جذاب.

[Heather Gleason]

It was approx. 145 pages, yet it took me a while to finish this book because the concepts in it were "heavy". The book is a doctoral thesis that describes the religions and philosophy of Persia (present Iran) from the days of Mani and the Zoroaster religion, to dual and single universe natures, to Greek and subsequently Muslim schools of thought. Much of the thinking of Persia reflects other areas and overlaps other religions including Buddhism and Hinduism. There are even elements of the mystical Sufi religion and it's various forms and philosophers discussed. So, while a short read, it is rather thorough in it's chronological discussion of the thinking of the Persian empire.

[Rohan Rajesh]

A great survey of Persian metaphysics from Zarathustra to the Bab. Iqbal weaves an intricate thread that ties together Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Persian Sufism among others. In doing so, he also draws in fascinating connections with Greek Philosophy, Vedanta, and Christianity. The only issue is that this does read like an early 20th century paper in terms of assigning large-scale qualities to Aryan vs. Abrahamic worldviews, but not in a way that would prove offensive. Overall this is invaluable to an understanding of Persian culture and thus old world culture generally

[Dayi Behrad]

کتاب در حد سُک سُک کردن به فلسفه پرداخته، نه کم‌تر و نه بیش‌تر! واژگان نامتعارف و عدم تشریح کافی از ایرادات این کتاب بود. در فصل سوم اینگونه به نظر می‌رسید که نویسنده این کتاب را برای خودش نوشته، نه برای ما.
به هیچ عنوان خواندن این کتاب را توصیه نمی‌کنم.

[Shehroze Ameen]

It took nearly five years, but honestly the time and duration taken to fully read this masterpiece was worth it.

It isn't Kant, or Plato or any of the great Western philosophies, but it is still a good place to learn about Zoroastrianism and Persia both in the context of what it was, and what it had become (as Ireland). Even the references which are included in the book make it worthwhile.

Gives a definitive understanding of Iqbal as a philosopher in the day when we literally didn't have so much information in the palm of our hands.

[tangy]

This was great. Flawed, but great. I know more about a niche subject than I ever did before, and have much to learn going forward in regards to Zoroastrianism, the many schools of Sufism, etc. I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in Persian/Islamic theology with Greek undercurrents.