The God of the Philosophers Summary and Analysis

Karen Armstrong explains the development of the philosophic theories about the nature of God by noting that in the Abbasid Empire in the ninth century, Greek science and philosophy exerted a strong influence on Arab culture. There was now an emergence of Muslim studies in astronomy, alchemy, medicine, and mathematics. The Faylasufs developed an advanced notion of God different from that of the traditional Koran. They tried to show that al-Lah was compatible with their rationalist's ideals. Their application of the rational method to the Koran was also influenced by Persian, Indian, and Gnostic teachings. A counter movement came into being when the Shiis declared that God's presence on earth was embodied in some mysterious way by their Imams. These Ismaili philosophers opposed the teachings of the Faylasufs. The Falsafa movement reached its...