Felsefî Düşüncenin Dönüşümü -Ebu’l-Berekât el-Bağdâdî’nin Metafizik İnşası-

Transformation of Philosophical Thought The Metaphysical Construction of Abû Barakât al-Baghdâdi

In this study, the views of Abu’l-Barakat al-Baghdadi, who was born in Jewish family in Mosul and later he adopted Islam, were analyzed. The main source on which the study is based is al-Baghdadi’s work called as al-Mu’teber. The philosopher devotes the third part of this book to metaphysics. Al-Baghdadi, who sees the sciences as a totality, defines metaphysics as a science examining the principles of existence by highlighting the subject of being. In this context, al-Baghdadi after examining the definition, types and principles of being in general, deals with the problem of necessary being which is the real transmission and principle of being. The philosopher tries to prove the necessary being by a few evidence and methods. Most of the evidence used by the philosopher in this regard, used by previous peripatetic philosophers especially such as Avicenna. However, al-Baghdadi differs from the peripatetic philosophers in justifying the evidence. Although al-Baghdadi adheres to Aristotle‟s philosophy in many ways in al-Mu’teber, he departs from Aristotle on the question of proof of necessary being by rejecting the first mover idea. Al-Baghdadi tries to determine his attributes after proving the necessary being. We can say that the philosopher also differs from the peripatetic philosophers in terms of adjectives such as knowledge, will and creation. It is also thought that al-Baghdadi is the basis of the Ishraqi philosophy, saying that God is the light. In the context of the God-world relationship, al-Baghdadi acknowledges that the world is infinite by the time. But he criticizes the peripatetics‟ views of emanation by attributing secondary wills to God, he expresses close views to the thought of continuous creation. Al-Baghdadi also mentions the subject of soul (nafs) in the metaphysical section of his book al-Mu’teber. The philosopher criticizes many of the peripatetics views on soul and tries to prove the soul as a happening and substantial being. Al-Baghdadi also refers to the issue of bodily resurrection depending on the subject of soul. In explaining his views on this issue, the philosopher differs from the previous philosophers, implying that bodily resurrection is possible. In brief, al-Baghdadi in his book al-Mu’teber, he constructs his philosophy by addressing and criticizing the teachings that should be considered in the history of philosophy.

Keyword: İslamic phlosophy, metaphysics, Peripatetics, existence, Avicenna, Abû Barakât Al-Baghdâdi