A Comparison of the Four Schools of Islamic Political Philosophy

The present study aims at a systematic comparison of the four schools of the Islamic political philosophy. To explain and recognize the epistemic identity of each of the philosophical schools, we first investigated its methodical and epistemic approach, then its religious nature and its link with monotheistic worldview and Islamic doctrines, which are important in understanding and recognizing the truth and identity of a school of political philosophy, were the focus of attention. The results showed that the methodological issue is the first point of distinction between those four philosophical schools. While the peripatetic school stresses on argumentative method, Suhrawardi’s school accepts argumentation along with the method of illuminative (ishrāqī) intuition. The transcendental philosophy goes further and makes the rational, mystical, illuminative and theological approaches its foundations. And the philosophy of Islamic revolution deepens all abovementioned methodic approaches to employ new concrete and innovative methods. Comparing the four abovementioned schools in their political lines showed their fundamental distinctions in three important issues, i.e. necessity of social life, necessity of politics and policy-making, and necessity of state and government, in a way that persuaded the author to accept the theory of independent political philosophy of Islamic Revolution.