An Ontological Perspective on the Legal Industries in Ibn Sina's Philosophy; Connecting Social Tradition to Divine Tradition

Authors
S. Hajipour Karimi 1
M. Shamsabadi Hoseini 2
1 Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Islamic Studies and Theology, Imam Sadiq (AS) University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.58209/jpt.5.2.223
Abstract
Avicenna, by offering two distinct classifications of the sciences, presents different perspectives on the nature and purpose of knowledge. One classification is based on the Aristotelian method, while the other is a unique division outlined in his work Al-Mantiq al-Mashriqiyyin (The Logic of the Easterners). By integrating philosophy (ḥikmah) and religious law (sharīʿah), Avicenna emphasizes the harmony between reason and religion.

He introduces sharīʿah as the primary means for the emergence of sunnah (tradition), aimed at realizing justice and regulating both individual life (acts of worship) and social life (transactions). Tradition, on the one hand, is established by the sānni (lawgiver or prophet) to manage society and ensure the survival of humankind, and on the other, is linked to the divine sunnah, through which God's providence extends goodness to creation.

Avicenna underscores the necessity of both the shāriʿ (lawgiver) and the caliph for the preservation and sustainability of tradition. This article analyzes Avicenna’s perspective on the ṣanāʾiʿ shāriʿah (legislative crafts) and their relationship to revelation, the Active Intellect, tradition, sharīʿah, and human felicity.

Keywords

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Philosophical Thought
Volume 5, Issue 2 - Serial Number 18
Winter 2025
Pages 223-238