Al-Ghazali and Suhrawardi on the Ontology of Light (Nūr): A Critical Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22452/afkar.vol28no1.14Keywords:
Nūr (light), epistemology, ontology, al-Ghazali, al-Suhrawardi, Islamic philosophyAbstract
The concept of light (nūr) occupies a central position in Islamic intellectual history, yet its epistemic function remains insufficiently examined in a systematic and comparative manner. Although Aminrazavi (1997) identified that a comprehensive study on al-Ghazali's influence on al-Suhrawardi remains limited, and despite the attention given by scholars such as Davidson (1992), Marcotte (2007), and Arnzen (2011) to the relationship between these two figures, existing studies do not focus specifically on a systematic comparison of the epistemological and ontological dimensions of light (nūr) between them. Most research is either too general in describing al-Ghazali's influence, or too rigidly separates the two figures into opposing traditions, as reflected in Walbridge (2001). This gap necessitates a more detailed and nuanced comparative study, which serves as the primary objective of this article. The findings of this study reveal that the concept of light (nūr) in the Islamic intellectual tradition develops along two fundamentally distinct paradigms: an epistemological-theological model in the thought of al-Ghazali and an ontological-illuminationist system in the philosophy of al-Suhrawardi. Although both thinkers concur that light is “manifest in itself and makes others manifest” (ẓāhir li dhātih wa muẓhir li ghayrih) and ultimately derives from the Nūr al-Anwār (Light of Lights), their divergence lies in the structural relationship between epistemology and ontology. This study examines the concept of light through a comparative analysis of Mishkāt al-Anwār by al-Ghazali and Ḥikmat al-Ishrāq by al-Suhrawardi, with particular focus on their epistemological and ontological dimensions. It demonstrates that al-Ghazali approaches light within an epistemological-theological framework, wherein light operates as a symbolic language for spiritual cognition and unveiling. In contrast, al-Suhrawardi advances light as the primary ontological principle, effectively displacing the Peripatetic notion of wujūd, constructing a hierarchical metaphysics grounded in degrees of luminous intensity (shiddat al-nūr), from which both reality and knowledge are derived. The study concludes that the discourse on light in Islamic philosophy undergoes a significant transition from a symbolic-theological paradigm to an ontological-illuminationist one.
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