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Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī and the meeting of kalām and philosophy

Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī

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For everyone

Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (1149–1210) re-examined Ashʿarī kalām with the concepts and methods of Avicenna's philosophy. He wrote on kalām, philosophy, Qur'an commentary, legal theory, medicine and astronomy. His great commentary, Mafātīḥ al-ghayb, explains the verses through extensive theological and philosophical discussion. His critical commentary on Avicenna's Ishārāt, together with Ṭūsī's defence, started a debate that was read for centuries.

For specialists

Rāzī is seen as a pioneer of a new, post-classical style of writing in which kalām and philosophy are interwoven. He often first builds the Peripatetic positions forcefully and then lists his objections, a method his critics described as "strong in doubts, weak in answers". It has been argued that in ethics he developed an approach assessing the goodness of acts by their consequences. The later madrasa tradition was shaped through his works.

Claims

The concepts and methods of philosophy can be used in kalām, but the philosophers' conclusions on matters such as God's knowledge and the eternity of the world rest on no conclusive proof.^[1][3]

Positions

Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī: Rāzī's commentary on the Ishārāt is not a commentary (sharḥ) but a "wounding" (jarḥ); correctly understood, Avicenna's views withstand Rāzī's objections.^[1]
Modern scholars (Shihadeh, Griffel): By combining kalām and philosophy, Rāzī is the key figure who opened the period of "post-classical philosophy" in Islamic thought.^[2][3]

Connections

Parent

Kalām (Islamic theology)

Argues against

Ibn Sīnā and the Book of Healing

Ashʿarism and occasionalism Al-Ghazālī's Incoherence of the Philosophers

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Sources

EncyclopediaFahreddin er-Râzî. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisiislamansiklopedisi.org.tr archive
BookShihadeh, A. (2006). The Teleological Ethics of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī. Brill, Leiden
BookGriffel, F. (2021). The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam. Oxford University Press

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī and the meeting of kalām and philosophy. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/fahreddin-razi/

BibTeX

@misc{athena_fahreddin_razi,
  title        = {Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī and the meeting of kalām and philosophy},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/fahreddin-razi/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 28, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history

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