The World of Image in Islamic Philosophy: Ibn Sina, Suhrawardi, Shahrazuri and Beyond

L.W.C. van Lit

Paperback

9781474441230

Traces the medieval Islamic notion of a world of image from its conception until today

One of the most controversial issues that divided Islamic philosophers and theologians during the Middle Ages was whether human beings would have a spiritual or bodily existence after death. The idea of a world of image was conceived as a solution, suggesting that there exists a world of non-physical (imagined) bodies, beyond our earthly existence. This world may be reached in sleep, in meditation or after death.

From the embryonic conception by Ibn Sina, to the radical rethinking by Suhrawardi and Shahrazuri into a sophisticated system, L. W. C. van Lit unravels the history of this idea. Using a distant reading approach for measuring the transmission, he further shows how the idea remained relevant for Muslim thinkers through the centuries, up until today.

Contents

1. Introduction

2. From Ibn Sīnā to Suhrawardī: The Contested Idea of Using Imagination after Death

3. Suhrawardī’s recognition of an Additional Realm

4. Shahrazūrī on Suhrawardī’s Suspended Images

5. Suhrawardī’s Lukewarm Commentators

6. The reception of Shahrazūrī’s World of Image Up Until the Present Day

7. Conclusion