Abū Ḫayyān al-Tawḫīdī’s Gnoseology: A Study of “al-Laylà l-khāmisa wa-l-thalāthūn” of <em>al-Imtā‘ wa-l-mu’ānasa</em>

Abstract

To date, the aspects of the gnoseology exposed by Abū Ḫayyān al-Tawḫīdī in “al-Laylà l-Khāmisa wa-l-thalāthūn” of his book al-Imtā‘ wa-l-mu’ānasa have not been studied; yet, they are worthy of consideration due both to their intrinsic value and the guidance they might provide to reconstruct and systematize the evolution of philosophy in the Islamic civilization. This research adopts a hermeneutic methodology, but in the light of the most-likely influences which might have had a sway on al-Tawḫīdī’s thought. The research is introduced by a short contextualization on the relevance of gnoseology in Philosophy and the society, as well as by an assessment on the relevance of al-Tawḫīdī and his works in the History of Islamicate’s philosophy. The main theses defended by al-Tawḫīdī are: the impossibility of knowledge’s self-understanding, the divine origin of the ‘aql and nafs, and the nafs’ immortality. However, other aspects of al-Tawḫīdī’sgnoseology are unclear: the exact correlation between the functions of the nafs and the ‘aql, and the immortality of the ‘aql after the death of the body.