Al-Farabi’s Fusus ul-Hikam; the Origin of Illuminative Knowledge

Regardless of the discussions over the attribution of Fusus ul-Hikam to Al-Farabi, one cannot ignore the richness and delicacy of its content dealing with various philosophical topics namely psychology, epistemology, theology, and theoretical mysticism. The illuminative factor has granted a special unity to the discussions of this treatise. Therefore, a relatively systematic explanation of the epistemological issues of this treatise can be presented, and this has not been done yet. The approach and method of "Illumination" in its exact sense is historically and traditionally associated with Al-Suhrawardi (Sheikh ul-Ishraq) in the Islamic world. Though, this association is absolutely accurate, however, in finding earlier roots of this philosophy and prior to Avicenna’s illuminative texts and mystical stories, one will come across Fusus ul-Hikam, in case of the accuracy of the attribution of Fusus ul-Hikam to Al-Farabi. This treatise’s largely illuminative content indicates its priority to other texts, a point that has not been sufficiently considered throughout the history of Islamic philosophy.