GOMBE STATE UINVERSITY
SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES
FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCEINCES
STUDENT NAME:
ABDULBASID MUHAMMAD SAFIYYU
REG NO:
PG24/MA/ASIR/1012
COURSE CODE:
IRST813
COURSE TITLE:
ISLAMIC THOUGHT AND PHILOSOPHY
ASSIGNMENT:
THE COMPARISON BETWEEN ISLAMIC AND GREEK PHILOSOPHY A
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
PRESENTED TO:
PROF. SHAMSUDDEEN UMAR ILYAS
DATE:
JULY, 2025
THE COMPARISON BETWEEN ISLAMIC AND GREEK PHILOSOPHY:
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
The intellectual traditions of Islamic and Greek philosophy have
profoundly shaped the development of Western and Eastern
thought. While Greek philosophy laid the foundations of rational
inquiry in the Western world, Islamic philosophy synthesized Greek
ideas with theological and metaphysical insights from the Qur’an and
Islamic tradition(Sunnah). This paper compares and contrasts these
two philosophical traditions, examining their key figures,
methodologies, and contributions to metaphysics, epistemology, and
ethics.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT
Greek Philosophy
Greek philosophy emerged in the 6th century BCE with the Pre-
Socratics, who sought naturalistic explanations for the cosmos. 1
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle later established systematic approaches
to ethics, politics, and metaphysics. Plato’s theory of Forms and
Aristotle’s empiricism became central to Western thought. 2
Islamic Philosophy
Islamic philosophy (falsafa) flourished during the Golden Age of Islam
(8th–14th centuries) as Muslim scholars translated and interpreted
Greek texts.3 Thinkers like Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Avicenna (Ibn Sina), and
Averroes (Ibn Rushd) integrated Greek thought with Islamic theology,
addressing questions of existence, God, and the soul.4
1. Barnes, J. (1987). Early Greek Philosophy. Penguin.
2. Aristotle. (350 BCE). Metaphysics.
3. Gutas, D. (1998). Greek Thought, Arabic Culture. Routledge.
4. Nasr, S.H. (2006). Islamic Philosophy from Its Origin to the Present. SUNY Press.
A COMPARE AND CONTRAST ANALYSIS
1. Metaphysics: The Nature of Reality
Greek Views
• Plato believed in a dualistic world: the imperfect physical realm
and the perfect realm of Forms.5
• Aristotle rejected Plato’s Forms, arguing that forms exist within
material objects (hylomorphism).6
Islamic Adaptations
• Ibn Sina (Avicenna) synthesized Aristotle’s metaphysics with
Islamic theology, introducing the concept of the "Necessary
Existent" (God) as the uncaused cause.7
• Ibn Rushd (Averroes) emphasized Aristotelian rationalism but
faced opposition from theologians like Al-Ghazali, who critiqued
philosophy’s limits in understanding divine truth. 8
Comparison: Both traditions see ultimate reality as transcendent
and eternal, but Islamic philosophy explicitly ties it to
**monotheistic theology**, whereas Greek thought is more
abstract.
2. Epistemology: Knowledge and Reason
Greek Contributions
• Plato argued that true knowledge comes from recollection of
the soul’s innate ideas.9
5 Plato. (380 BCE). Republic.
6 Aristotle. (350 BCE). Categories.
7 Avicenna. (1027). The Book of Healing.
8 Averroes. (1180). The Incoherence of the Incoherence.
9 Plato. (380 BCE). Meno.
• Aristotle emphasized empirical observation and logic as the
basis of knowledge.10
Islamic Perspectives
• Al-Farabi distinguished between rational demonstration
(burhan) and theological knowledge.11
• Al-Ghazali in The Incoherence of the Philosophers questioned
causality, asserting that God’s will determines all events. 12
Comparison: Both value reason, but Islamic philosophy integrates
revelation and mysticism, whereas Greek thought is more secular.
3 Ethics: Virtue and the Good Life
Greek Ethics
• Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics proposed eudaimonia
(flourishing) through virtue and reason.13
• Stoicism (e.g., Epictetus) emphasized self-control and
acceptance of fate.14
Islamic Ethics
• Miskawayh adapted Aristotelian ethics within an Islamic
framework, emphasizing the purification of the soul.15
• Sufi philosophers like Ibn Arabi focused on spiritual
enlightenment and divine love.16
Comparison: Greek ethics is human-centered, focusing on reason
and earthly flourishing.
Islamic ethics is God-centered, linking virtue to divine will and the
afterlife.
4 Aristotle. (350 BCE). Posterior Analytics.
5 Al-Farabi. (950). The Attainment of Happiness.
6 Al-Ghazali. (1095). The Incoherence of the Philosophers.
7 Aristotle. (350 BCE). Nicomachean Ethics.
8 Epictetus. (135). Enchiridion.
9 Miskawayh. (1030). The Refinement of Character.
10 Ibn Arabi. (1230). The Meccan Revelations.
The Concept of the Good Life
Greek View
• Eudaimonia (Aristotle): Happiness as the exercise of virtue in a
complete life.
• Ataraxia (Epicurus): Freedom from pain and fear.
• Apatheia (Stoics): Emotional detachment through rationality.
Islamic View
• Al-Falah (Success): Eternal salvation through righteousness
(Qur’an 87:14).17
• Sa’adah (Happiness): Worldly and spiritual contentment, often
tied to Sufi concepts of divine love.
• Al-Adl (Justice): Balance in personal and social conduct, a key
Qur’anic virtue.
Comparison:
• Greeks emphasize self-actualization in this life.
• Muslims emphasize submission to God for eternal reward.
5 Virtue & Vice
Greek View
• Socrates: Virtue is knowledge; vice stems from ignorance.18
• Plato: Virtues (wisdom, courage, temperance, justice) reflect
harmony in the soul.19 Vice arises from imbalance.20
• Aristotle: Virtue is a mean between extremes (e.g., courage
between cowardice and recklessness).21 Vice results from
excess or deficiency.22
17 Qur’an, Chapter 18: verse
18 Plato, Meno 87c–89a.
19 Plato, Republic 441d–444e.
20 Republic 444d.
21 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics II.6.
22 NE II.8.
Islamic View
• Qur’anic Framework: Virtues (faḍā’il) like patience (ṣabr) and
gratitude (shukr) are divine commands.23 Vice (radhā’il)
includes greed (ḥirṣ) and arrogance (kibr).24
• Miskawayh: Adapts Aristotle’s ethics, defining virtue as a
rational mean (e.g., generosity between wastefulness and
miserliness).25
• Al-Ghazali: Vice stems from a diseased heart (qalb); spiritual
purification (tazkiyah) cultivates virtue.26
Comparison: Both link virtue to rational balance, but Islamic ethics
grounds it in divine will.
Conclusion
While Islamic philosophy was deeply influenced by Greek thought, it
diverged in its integration of theology and emphasis on divine
revelation. Greek philosophy prioritized reason and secular inquiry,
whereas Islamic philosophy sought harmony between faith and
intellect. Both traditions remain foundational to global philosophical
discourse.
23 Qur’an 2:153 (patience); 31:12 (gratitude).
24 Ghazali, Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn, Book 22.
25 Miskawayh, Tahdhīb al-Akhlāq 1.2.
26 Ghazali, Iḥyā’ Book 21.
REFERENCES
1 Barnes, J. (1987). Early Greek Philosophy. Penguin.
2 Aristotle. (350 BCE). Metaphysics.
3 Gutas, D. (1998). Greek Thought, Arabic Culture. Routledge.
4 Nasr, S.H. (2006). Islamic Philosophy from Its Origin to the
Present. SUNY Press.
5 Plato. (380 BCE). Republic.
6 Aristotle. (350 BCE). Categories.
7 Avicenna. (1027). The Book of Healing.
8 Averroes. (1180). The Incoherence of the Incoherence.
9 Plato. (380 BCE). Meno.
10 Aristotle. (350 BCE). Posterior Analytics.
11 Al-Farabi. (950). The Attainment of Happiness.
12 Al-Ghazali. (1095). The Incoherence of the Philosophers.
13 Aristotle. (350 BCE). Nicomachean Ethics.
14 Epictetus. (135). Enchiridion.
15 Miskawayh. (1030). The Refinement of Character.
16 Ibn Arabi. (1230). The Meccan Revelations.
17 Aquinas, T. (1274). Summa Theologica.
18 Plato, Meno 87c–89a.
19 Plato, Republic 441d–444e.
20 Republic 444d.
21 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics II.6.
22 NE II.8.
23 Qur’an 2:153 (patience); 31:12 (gratitude).
24 Ghazali, Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn, Book 22.
25 Miskawayh, Tahdhīb al-Akhlāq 1.2.
26 Ghazali, Iḥyā’ Book 21.
