Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam

Zidane Zeraoui; Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti

doi:doi:10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12

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Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam

Zidane Zeraoui, Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti

Published in Science Development (Volume 2, Issue 4)

Received: 24 September 2021 Accepted: 25 October 2021 Published: 25 November 2021

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Abstract

This article on Al Farabi seeks to introduce the reader unfamiliar with the political thought of classical Islam, to one of the most relevant political thinkers of the Golden Age of Islam. Al Farabi was called the "Magister secundus", that is to say the most brilliant mind after Aristotle. The depth of his intellect placed him as the most important thinker of his time and the second most important in all of history, according to the Europe of the Middle Ages. His book on the Virtuous City was ahead of its time with the proposition that rulers should seek the happiness of their subjects. The theme of happiness arrived to the universities, and some of the most prestigious ones founded their own Centers for Happiness. In fact, the theme became one of the main preoccupations of the international organizations. The General Assembly of the United Nations itself in its resolution 66/281, decreed back in 2012, March 20 to commemorate The International Day for Happiness, as a way to recognize the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal aspirations for all human beings. In addition, it puts political thought above religious thought because it is more scientific. Al Farabi managed to displace religious thought, relegating it to second place after political thought, the only one that allows reaching the truth. Religious thought does not seek the truth, but to establish immutable truths that are not based on scientific reasoning, but on faith. For this reason, we can consider that with Al Farabi, the Political Science is introduced in Islam. His legacy is so deep that after him, Political though in the Islamic World changed definitively.

Published in	Science Development (Volume 2, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12
Page(s)	71-81
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Islamic Thought, The Virtuous City, Religious Thought, Magister Secundus, Happiness

References

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[39]	Cfr. Abu Nasr Al-Farabi (2011). La ciudad ideal, Madrid, Tecnos. Muhsin (2000). Al Farabi and…, Op. Cit. Taib, Dalila (1997). “La Ciudad Ideal. Una lectura de al-Farabi” in Verde Islam, num. 6, year 3, Centro de Documentación y Publicaciones de Junta Islámica, Madrid.
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Zidane Zeraoui, Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti. (2021). Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam. Science Development, 2(4), 71-81. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12

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Zidane Zeraoui; Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti. Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam. Sci. Dev. 2021, 2(4), 71-81. doi: 10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12

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AMA Style

Zidane Zeraoui, Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti. Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam. Sci Dev. 2021;2(4):71-81. doi: 10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12

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@article{10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12,
  author = {Zidane Zeraoui and Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti},
  title = {Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam},
  journal = {Science Development},
  volume = {2},
  number = {4},
  pages = {71-81},
  doi = {10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.scidev.20210204.12},
  abstract = {This article on Al Farabi seeks to introduce the reader unfamiliar with the political thought of classical Islam, to one of the most relevant political thinkers of the Golden Age of Islam. Al Farabi was called the "Magister secundus", that is to say the most brilliant mind after Aristotle. The depth of his intellect placed him as the most important thinker of his time and the second most important in all of history, according to the Europe of the Middle Ages. His book on the Virtuous City was ahead of its time with the proposition that rulers should seek the happiness of their subjects. The theme of happiness arrived to the universities, and some of the most prestigious ones founded their own Centers for Happiness. In fact, the theme became one of the main preoccupations of the international organizations. The General Assembly of the United Nations itself in its resolution 66/281, decreed back in 2012, March 20 to commemorate The International Day for Happiness, as a way to recognize the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal aspirations for all human beings. In addition, it puts political thought above religious thought because it is more scientific. Al Farabi managed to displace religious thought, relegating it to second place after political thought, the only one that allows reaching the truth. Religious thought does not seek the truth, but to establish immutable truths that are not based on scientific reasoning, but on faith. For this reason, we can consider that with Al Farabi, the Political Science is introduced in Islam. His legacy is so deep that after him, Political though in the Islamic World changed definitively.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam
AU - Zidane Zeraoui
AU - Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti
Y1 - 2021/11/25
PY - 2021
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12
DO - 10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12
T2 - Science Development
JF - Science Development
JO - Science Development
SP - 71
EP - 81
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2994-7154
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12
AB - This article on Al Farabi seeks to introduce the reader unfamiliar with the political thought of classical Islam, to one of the most relevant political thinkers of the Golden Age of Islam. Al Farabi was called the "Magister secundus", that is to say the most brilliant mind after Aristotle. The depth of his intellect placed him as the most important thinker of his time and the second most important in all of history, according to the Europe of the Middle Ages. His book on the Virtuous City was ahead of its time with the proposition that rulers should seek the happiness of their subjects. The theme of happiness arrived to the universities, and some of the most prestigious ones founded their own Centers for Happiness. In fact, the theme became one of the main preoccupations of the international organizations. The General Assembly of the United Nations itself in its resolution 66/281, decreed back in 2012, March 20 to commemorate The International Day for Happiness, as a way to recognize the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal aspirations for all human beings. In addition, it puts political thought above religious thought because it is more scientific. Al Farabi managed to displace religious thought, relegating it to second place after political thought, the only one that allows reaching the truth. Religious thought does not seek the truth, but to establish immutable truths that are not based on scientific reasoning, but on faith. For this reason, we can consider that with Al Farabi, the Political Science is introduced in Islam. His legacy is so deep that after him, Political though in the Islamic World changed definitively.
VL - 2
IS - 4
ER -

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Author Information

Zidane Zeraoui

Department of Political Science and International Relations, School of Government and Social Sciences, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Studies, Monterrey, Mexico
Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti

Department of Political Science and International Relations, School of Government and Social Sciences, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Studies, Monterrey, Mexico

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APA Style

Zidane Zeraoui, Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti. (2021). Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam. Science Development, 2(4), 71-81. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12

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ACS Style

Zidane Zeraoui; Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti. Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam. Sci. Dev. 2021, 2(4), 71-81. doi: 10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12

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AMA Style

Zidane Zeraoui, Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti. Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam. Sci Dev. 2021;2(4):71-81. doi: 10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12

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@article{10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12,
  author = {Zidane Zeraoui and Luz Araceli Gonzalez Uresti},
  title = {Al Farabi and the Birth of Political Science in Islam},
  journal = {Science Development},
  volume = {2},
  number = {4},
  pages = {71-81},
  doi = {10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20210204.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.scidev.20210204.12},
  abstract = {This article on Al Farabi seeks to introduce the reader unfamiliar with the political thought of classical Islam, to one of the most relevant political thinkers of the Golden Age of Islam. Al Farabi was called the "Magister secundus", that is to say the most brilliant mind after Aristotle. The depth of his intellect placed him as the most important thinker of his time and the second most important in all of history, according to the Europe of the Middle Ages. His book on the Virtuous City was ahead of its time with the proposition that rulers should seek the happiness of their subjects. The theme of happiness arrived to the universities, and some of the most prestigious ones founded their own Centers for Happiness. In fact, the theme became one of the main preoccupations of the international organizations. The General Assembly of the United Nations itself in its resolution 66/281, decreed back in 2012, March 20 to commemorate The International Day for Happiness, as a way to recognize the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal aspirations for all human beings. In addition, it puts political thought above religious thought because it is more scientific. Al Farabi managed to displace religious thought, relegating it to second place after political thought, the only one that allows reaching the truth. Religious thought does not seek the truth, but to establish immutable truths that are not based on scientific reasoning, but on faith. For this reason, we can consider that with Al Farabi, the Political Science is introduced in Islam. His legacy is so deep that after him, Political though in the Islamic World changed definitively.},
 year = {2021}
}

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