An Examination of al-Kindī's Perspective on the Theory ‎of Emanation and Creation Ex Nihilio

Document Type : The Quarterly Jornal

Authors

1 PhD student, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of ‎Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran ‎

2 Assistant professor, Department of Philosophy of Religion, Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute, Qom, Iran. ‎

3 Assistant professor, Department of Contemporary Philosophy, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran. ‎

4 Assistant professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Philosophy, Qom, ‎Iran. ‎

Abstract

Kindī is a philosopher who did not present a coherent conception of God. The God he portrays sometimes resembles the God of the Quran, at other times the God of the Mu'tazilites, and occasionally the God of Neoplatonists. These varying interpretations have led to diverse perspectives in his surviving works regarding the emergence of beings. Some commentators attribute the theory of emanation (al-ṣudūr) to al-Kindī, while others emphasize the theory of creation ex nihilo (creation from nothing). The main objective of this article is to examine al-Kindī’s views and those of his significant commentators on the theories of emanation and creation ex nihilo. The data collection method is library-based, and the data analysis method is descriptive-analytical. The article’s rough conclusion is that al-Kindī, by distinguishing between fiʿl (action) and ʿamal (deed), argues that God, or the "True First Agent," possesses perfect action (fiʿl), while metaphorical agents (fāʿils bi-l-majāz) perform deeds (ʿamal). This distinction allows creation ex nihilo to be understood as God’s action, while emanation is viewed as the deed of metaphorical agents. With this perspective, it can be argued that al-Kindī reconciles the theory of emanation with the theory of creation ex nihilo.

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References

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