Ibn Sina (Avicenna), one of the most influential Muslim philosophers and polymaths of the Islamic Golden Age, made significant contributions to philosophy, medicine, and science. However, his philosophical and theological positions led to sharp criticism from key Islamic scholars, most notably Al-Ghazali and Ibn Taymiyyah, who both considered him a kafir (disbeliever). This article explores the reasons behind their condemnation, focusing on Ibn Sina’s philosophical views and their perceived incompatibility with orthodox Islamic theology.
Ibn Sina’s Philosophical and Theological Views
Ibn Sina (980–1037) was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, particularly the works of Aristotle and Neo-Platonism. His philosophical system sought to reconcile reason with revelation, but in doing so, he advanced several ideas that diverged from orthodox Sunni Islamic beliefs. His key controversial views included:
Eternality of the Universe – Ibn Sina argued that the universe is eternal, meaning that it was not created ex nihilo (out of nothing) by God at a particular point in time. This contradicted the Islamic doctrine of creation, which asserts that Allah brought the universe into existence through His will at a specific moment.
Denial of Bodily Resurrection – While Ibn Sina acknowledged the immortality of the soul, he leaned toward a spiritual rather than a physical resurrection. This conflicted with the fundamental Islamic belief in the bodily resurrection on the Day of Judgment.
God as the Necessary Being and Emanationism – Ibn Sina described God as the “Necessary Existent” (Wajib al-Wujud) and promoted an emanationist cosmology where creation flows from God in a hierarchical manner. This idea resembled Neoplatonism rather than the Quranic concept of divine creation.
The Role of Prophets and Revelation – Ibn Sina believed that prophets possessed superior intellectual faculties that enabled them to grasp metaphysical truths and communicate them symbolically to the masses. This intellectualist approach reduced revelation to a symbolic means of conveying philosophical truths, undermining its divine and absolute nature.
These philosophical positions triggered severe reactions from orthodox scholars, most notably Al-Ghazali and Ibn Taymiyyah, who viewed them as heretical and outside the fold of Islam.
Al-Ghazali’s Critique of Ibn Sina
Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (1058–1111), one of the most influential scholars in Islamic theology, launched a systematic attack on philosophers like Ibn Sina in his work Tahafut al-Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers). In this book, Al-Ghazali condemned Ibn Sina’s ideas as not only erroneous but also heretical.
Al-Ghazali specifically accused Ibn Sina and other philosophers of committing unbelief (kufr) on three key issues:
The Eternity of the Universe – Al-Ghazali argued that the belief in an eternal universe contradicts Quranic teachings that affirm divine creation at a specific point in time. He maintained that this belief undermines God’s omnipotence and ability to create ex nihilo.
The Denial of Bodily Resurrection – According to Al-Ghazali, belief in the bodily resurrection is a fundamental article of faith. Ibn Sina’s view that resurrection is purely spiritual was seen as a direct contradiction of Quranic and Hadith teachings.
God’s Knowledge of Particulars – Ibn Sina held that God only knows universals and not particular details of creation in the way that humans experience them. Al-Ghazali contended that this view limits God’s omniscience and contradicts the Quranic assertion that Allah has complete knowledge of all things, including individual events and thoughts.
Because of these three positions, Al-Ghazali declared Ibn Sina and his philosophical followers to be disbelievers. His critique was so influential that it led to the decline of Islamic philosophical thought in many Sunni circles for centuries.
Ibn Taymiyyah’s Critique of Ibn Sina
Ibn Taymiyyah (1263–1328), a prominent Hanbali scholar, also condemned Ibn Sina, regarding his philosophical system as deeply heretical. Unlike Al-Ghazali, who engaged deeply with philosophy before rejecting it, Ibn Taymiyyah dismissed philosophy outright as a foreign influence corrupting Islamic theology.
Ibn Taymiyyah’s primary objections to Ibn Sina’s thought include:
Deviation from Scriptural Theology – Ibn Taymiyyah believed that Ibn Sina’s reliance on reason and philosophy led him away from the pure teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. He rejected the idea that human reason could override divine revelation.
Influence of Greek Philosophy – Ibn Taymiyyah saw Ibn Sina’s Aristotelian and Neoplatonic influences as evidence that his ideas were not derived from Islam but from foreign, non-Islamic sources. He argued that these influences distorted the proper understanding of Tawhid (the oneness of God).
Denial of Prophetic Authority – While Ibn Sina acknowledged prophecy, his portrayal of prophets as exceptional intellectuals rather than divinely chosen messengers diminished their religious authority. Ibn Taymiyyah insisted that prophecy is a divine gift that cannot be reduced to mere intellectual superiority.
Innovations in Theology (Bid’ah) – Ibn Taymiyyah strongly opposed theological innovations (bid’ah) that had no basis in the Quran and Sunnah. He considered Ibn Sina’s theological views as major deviations that led people away from true Islamic teachings.
For these reasons, Ibn Taymiyyah not only classified Ibn Sina as a disbeliever but also saw his ideas as a dangerous deviation that misled Muslims. He called for a return to the teachings of the Salaf (early generations of Muslims) and warned against philosophical speculation in religious matters.
Conclusion: Why Al-Ghazali and Ibn Taymiyyah Considered Ibn Sina a Kafir
Both Al-Ghazali and Ibn Taymiyyah condemned Ibn Sina because they saw his philosophical system as fundamentally incompatible with Islamic doctrine. Al-Ghazali engaged with philosophy critically before rejecting it and identified three key areas where Ibn Sina’s beliefs contradicted core Islamic tenets: the eternity of the universe, the denial of bodily resurrection, and God’s knowledge of particulars. Ibn Taymiyyah, on the other hand, viewed philosophy itself as an illegitimate intrusion into Islamic thought and dismissed Ibn Sina’s ideas as corruptions influenced by Greek philosophy.
Ultimately, their critiques played a significant role in shaping Islamic thought, reinforcing the dominance of orthodox Sunni theology and leading to a decline in the influence of philosophical speculation within many Islamic intellectual traditions. Despite this, Ibn Sina’s contributions to medicine, logic, and science continued to be recognized, particularly in the fields of medicine and rational sciences. However, his theological and metaphysical views remain controversial in traditional Islamic scholarship to this day.
