Political Science

Muslim Philosopher:

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AL- FARABI

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Introduction:
Al Farabi, an eminent sage of the age and the foremost Muslim philosopher is credited
with laying down a formidable base for the Muslim philosophical evolution. His concepts
of human groupings, the forms of state and attributes of rais, propelled him to the
position of intellectual lordship. Our great philosopher knew the political maladies of his
age and recommended suitable maladies.

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His name would definitely be echoed with great deference and respect.

Pinnacle of intellectual

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● 870-950
● Turk by birth, born near a village near Farab Transoxania.
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● Furst Turkish Philosopher
● Called Al Mualim Al Thani
● His works
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○ A summary of Plato's laws

○ Sisyat al Madaniyah
○ Jawam ul Siyasat
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HUMAN GROUPINGS
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Introduction
● Rosenthal writes in the Political Thought in Medieval Islam,
○ "Political science with the help of metaphysics shows man the way of a
gradual ascent from a perception of a physical world and is intelligible to
that of a spiritual world and in search of the principles of "existing things"
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that is of reality. It teaches man to distinguish what is good in that it helps

him to his end, from what us evil. Ethical values must be joined by
intellectual virtues and practical arts in order to prepare man to
acquire speculative virtues by means of speculative sciences."

● Al Farabi enumerates the underlying principles of all bodies ethereal and

physical.

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● Agent Intellect and Gained Intellect.

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○ Agent intellect is kike the Sun which gives light to the eyes. and without
which power of sight is latent.

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○
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DIVISION OF MAN'S POWERS
● Power of Thinking
● Power of Reason
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○ Peculiarity of human species.
● Power of contention
● Power of feeling
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HUMAN GROUPINGS
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● Gregarious
● Why does man live in large groups?
● Plato's view that man should have only one occupation.

1. AL Farabi's Distincion a Perfect State According to Size

a. Madina Corresponds to Plato's polis
i. Perfect grouping
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b. Ummah middle size nation

c. Dar-al-Islam and Dar-al-Harb…. universal Islamic empire

2. Kinds of Human Groupings: Perfect and Imperfect

a. Ideal state
b. Perfect grouping

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i. Citizens help each other to attain happiness
ii. Free from matter and turns towards substances free from

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corporeality.
c. Middle grouping... nationality

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d. Imperfect groupings
e. Largest human groupings
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f. Interconnected…

3. Natural and Artificial Barriers to Human Unity and

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Cooperation
a. Geographical factors
b. Relation to celestial bodies
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c. Montesquieu theory of impact of climate on social and Political behavior.

d. Happiness is the highest virtue and can only be attained in a state.
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MUTUAL RENUNCIATION OF RIGHTS: SOCIAL

CONTRACT
● Anticipates HOBBES by many centuries….
● Why social contract?
● Hobbes writes in the Leviathan…"....."
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● Man agreed to 2 basic Principles

○ Endeavour for peace and justice
○ So much liberty against other men as he would allow other men against
him.
● The Contract is at the bottom of all peaceful occupations and mutual renunciation
of rights.
● What was Hobbes' Contract?

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● Farabi on the Artificiality of the State

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○ Sherwani says in the Muslim Political Thiand Administration.

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FARABI'S CONCEPT OF STATE AND HIS IDEAL HEAD OF
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STATE

HEADSHIP IN STATE
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● Plato's philosopher king in the 'Republic' and downgraded to the council of

Guardians in the 'Laws.'
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● The Ability of Making Strong Deductions is the sole criteria of Al Farabi's

Sovereign
a. First leader and the second leader
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● FARABI'S Rais should be a superior man by very upbringing...

● Rosenthal wrote about Al Farabi's Head of State in the 'Political Thought in
Medieval Islam' in the following words….
a. "He is the Imam, the first ruler of the ideal city state, over the ideal nation
and over the whole inhabited earth."

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b. "The Philosopher prophet in the opinion of Al Farabi's is alone qualified

to help man, a citizen, to reach his true human destiny where his moral
and intellectual perfection help him to perceive God under the guidance of
divinely revealed Shariah."

ATTRIBUTES OF AL FARABI'S RAIS

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● Egotistical ruler.
a. Persuasion and imagination

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b. Visualization
c. Physical power

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d. Justice
e. Excessive playfulness
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f. Arguments and authority
g. Power to convey
h. Lover of truth
i. Bring happiness
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j. Protect subjects from internal and external aggression and possess some
wealth
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k. Capacity of comprehensive knowledge.

● Such a ruler not possible
● Al Farabi's Proposed Arrangement in Case a Single Person with these
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Attributes is not Available / Five to six attributes will suffice.

a. If such a person is also not available, Farabi would prefer heredity
leadership.
■ If such a person is also not available then there should be a council
of 2 to 5 persons possessing such abilities and qualities.
■ One of them should be Hakim.
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b. If such persons are not available, then the state is bound to be shattered
into atoms.
● Al Frabis three Means of Getting Over Practical Difficulties of Leadership: a
Council of efficient men, Superintendents of Rais and Respect for laws,
traditions, regulations of state.
a. Comparison of Al Farabi's councillors with Plato's Guardian… above the
law vs take cues from law.

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● The Rais should Possess the Knowledge of the Intelligibles: the difference
between the elect few and the masses.

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a. Al Farabi says of the first ruler "that he is the Philosopher king, the most
elect of the elect who aims at complete fulfillment of his aim and purpose.
f-a He possesses the knowledge of the intelligible."
b. Ruling is the first and the most perfect science.
c. While divulging on the importance of education for Rais, Sherwani writes
in the Muslim Political Thought and Administration, " the Caliph had
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become a mere pulpet in the hands of his capable Waziris and later on all
political authority had passed into the hands of Turkish and Persian nobels
who had come to control the affairs from the Oxus and the Indus to the
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extreme limits of the Caliphate."

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ADMINISTRATION OF THE STATE

1. IMPORTANCE OF MERITOCRACY IN APPOINTMENTS OF STATE

OFFICIALS
a. Appointing men of high caliber without favoritism.
b. A junta of intelligent men at the helm of the affairs.
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2. TAKING INSPIRATION FROM THE WORK OF GOD

a. Plato contends, " good life consists in progressive assimilation to God as
far as possible."

3. THE RAIS IS SOVEREIGN

a. Takes no instructions from no body

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b. Each man is a master and a servant in its own sphere. Taking orders from
the superior and giving them to the inferior.

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4. A PERFECT CHAIN OF COMMAND IS NECESSARY FOR

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EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF THE STATE
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5. AL FARABI'S BIOLOGICAL SMILEYS FIR COMPARISON OF
THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT WITH HUMAN BODY
a. Sherwani writes in the Muslim Political Thought and Administration, " the
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body consists of organs, the importance of which is decreased as they

move further from the heart 💓till finally we come to the lowest bowl and
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bladder which stand hardly any comparison with the pivot if the whole
body, the heart."
b. The supreme head controls Important functionaries if the state and their
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importance increases or decreases with the distance between the head

and the functionaries.
c. Herbert Spencer has been criticised for not only comparing body politic
with physical body but making a political capital out of it.
d. Al Ghazali used biological smileys for finding the ethical basis of state.

6. FORMATION OF A STATE
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a. Criticism of Plato's theory of Communism

i. Against basic nature of man
b. His Theory of Individualism
c. A proponent of Individual Ownership of Property
i. Why?
d. THREE REASONS WHICH LEAD MEN LIVING IN
IMPERFECT/IGNORANT/INDIVIDUALISTIC STATES TO FORM A

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POLITICAL SOCIETY

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i. Force and fear
ii. Patriarchal theory

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1. Every incident of birth entails cooperation.
iii. Happiness could only be realised in an ideal state.
f-a iv. Other Factors which lead to cooperation among people
1. Mutual Renunciation of rights
2. Language and customs
3. Geographical factors
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KINDS OF STATES/ DIVISION OF IGNORANT STATES BY

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FARABI
● Other than Ideal States
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IGNORANT STATES
1. State of Necessity
2. Vile State
a. Wealth and riches
b. Plato's oligarchy
c. Account in Siyasia
3. Base and Despicable State
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4. Timocracy... honours
a. 2 types
5. Tyranny
a. 2 types....Internal and external
6. Democracy

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ESTIMATE OF FARABI

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● According to Ibne Khaldun, " no Muslim philosopher, thinker ever reached the
level of Al Farabi in philosophical acumen."
● Sherwani writes: "In pure philosophy, Farabi became as famous as any

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Philosopher of Islam. It is said that a savant of calibre of Avicena found himself
entirely unable to understand true bearings of Aristotle's Metaphysics until one
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day he casually purchased one of Farabis work and by its help he was able to
grasp their purport."
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INFLUENCES OVER AL FARABI

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Contemporary Relevance
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● Ideal state and Swiss Cantons like the Madina.

● Today's Rais lacks Farabi's attributes… traits necessary for headship of state.
● Democracy, type of States.
● Human groupings and supranational Organization
● Biological similes still apt..Ministers vs Local councillors, DC