On the Decline of Philosophy in Medieval Islam

Abstract

This study makes a contribution in its attempt to present a new and alternative interpretation of the demise of rationalism in Islam by stressing the organic and historical connection between rationalism and heterodoxism in the Islamic world, and in its scope and critical approach. The encounter between rationalism and heterodoxism gave rise to the prevalent view in the writings of orthodox Sunni scholars that religious and intellectual movements identified as heterodox have always sought to destroy Islam from within, through rationalism and philosophy. The joint challenge to philosophy was not directed against philosophy itself but was based on the premise that philosophy was an extraordinary intellectual tool in the hands of those who posed a threat to the Ulamas’ power over knowledge in Islam