Comparative study of Islamic and non-Islamic thinkers
Hossein Mehrabanifar; Mohammad Ali Salimi
Abstract
Human communication is a fundamental element shaping the nature and structure of societies. Civil society and Madinah Fazilah represent two distinct types of societies, each characterized by different forms of communication. Jürgen Habermas and Abu Nasr Muhammad Al-Farabi are prominent thinkers ...
Read More
Human communication is a fundamental element shaping the nature and structure of societies. Civil society and Madinah Fazilah represent two distinct types of societies, each characterized by different forms of communication. Jürgen Habermas and Abu Nasr Muhammad Al-Farabi are prominent thinkers who have examined human communication, its ideal form, and its role in shaping these two societal models. This study employs a comparative-analytical approach grounded in fundamental methodology to examine and compare the levels of human communication in the thought of these two philosophers. The analysis reveals that both thinkers, adopting a critical perspective on their respective societies and the quality of communication within them, propose an ideal society concerned with rationality, mutual understanding, and collective agreement. Habermas’s concept of communicative rationality, along with his emphasis on rational-critical discourse and consensus-building, is central to establishing truth and legal legitimacy, yet it remains fundamentally rooted in conventional reason without transcending its epistemic limits. In contrast, Al-Farabi’s notion of demonstrative communication and mutual understanding extends beyond the human horizon, achieving its full significance through its connection to the First Leader (Rais al-Awwal) of Madinah Fazilah and its metaphysical relationship with the Active Intellect (al-‘Aql al-Fa‘‘āl). This research provides a foundational framework for re-examining and analyzing diverse communicative systems within the two distinct paradigms of Madinah Fazilah and civil society.
Comparative study of Islamic and non-Islamic thinkers
hossein mehrabanifar; Mohammad Reza Ghaeminik
Abstract
As one of the main foci of the development of the modern western world, the city has attracted the attention of western thinkers such as Max Weber, Karl Marx and Georg Simmel. On the other hand, in the Islamic-Iranian tradition, there has been an understanding of the city under Madinah which has caused ...
Read More
As one of the main foci of the development of the modern western world, the city has attracted the attention of western thinkers such as Max Weber, Karl Marx and Georg Simmel. On the other hand, in the Islamic-Iranian tradition, there has been an understanding of the city under Madinah which has caused the theological reflections on the city to become a wide field when Muslims face the Western world. The purpose of this article is to use the comparative-historical study method to show the pattern of Muslim scholars such as Abu Nasr al-Farabi in the confrontation with the Greek Polis and use it in today's confrontation with modern city ideas. For this purpose, we have firstly examined Farabi's critical encounter with the Greek Polis and secondly compared Farabi's idea with Georg Simmel's view. With a critical description, Georg Simmel describes the characteristics of modern city culture and life and explains its components such as the centrality of monetary economy, increasing individuality and alienation, and the like. In the conclusion, according to the insights of this comparative study, other researchable topics in this field have been pointed out regarding the situation of Islamic-Iranian cities in the face of modern cities.
