Angels in medieval Islamic theology : a study in Fakhr al-Di¯n al-Rāzī
Creators: name: Street, Tony
Publisher: name: The Australian National University
Year: 1988

description: This thesis is a study of one of the articles of Muslim faith as treated in the works of an eminent theologian. In studying Fakhr al-Drn al-Razi on the angels, two important things emerge. One is how a great thinker confronts and restructures the tradition in which he finds himself; the other is how the article of faith is conceived within a larger theological system. Formally, this study comprises translations of a number of relevant passages selected from Fakhr al-Din ’s Koranic commentary, the Tafsir al-Kabir, and a set of essays in comment on these passages. I use the Cairo edition of the Commentary, and give the translations with only essential emendations, prosopographical glosses, references to other relevant Raziana, and expansions of the more difficult arguments. Square brackets within the translation set off words or numbers not actually in the Arabic text; they also indicate the pagination of the text being translated. There are six fairly lengthy passages translated,1 and the places from which these translations are taken are given in footnotes at the beginning of each translation. The essays occasioned by these translations are intended to relate Fakhr al-Din ’s reflections to the principles in areas of theology such as ethics, physics and methods of exegesis, and to the writings on the subject by other medieval Muslim authors, who came both before and after his time. Fakhr al-Din writes mainly on Asha؛rite and Mu‘tazilite formulations from the third to the sixth century after the Hijra, though he canvasses other views quite frequently. It is convenient to note here some other points of procedure I have adopted. First, I give Sale’s translation of the Koran, rephrasing it occasionally in the interests of clarity, and referencing it according to the Egyptian Khedival edition. Second, cross-references give section and subsection numbers as found in the table of contents, and if the cross-reference is to one of the passages I have translated, the section and subsection number is followed by the number I have given each paragraph of the translation. Third, side-stepping the eternal stumbling-block of transliteration, I have in the main followed the system Cook uses in Early Muslim Dogma. I have however omitted to show accidence in terms or titles transliterated in isolat ion. Like him, I have denied diacrit ical machinery to proper nouns with a common anglicized form. Fourth, those abbreviations I use are explained in the bibliography. Books therein may seem inconsistently arranged, given sometimes by author, sometimes by editor. I have been guided by how these books were listed in the library catalogs I used. Fifth, once again influenced by Cook, all dates are hijri era only. Finally, I have left out of the translations all honorifics given to God and His prophets in the original Arabic, not as a sign of disrespect, but to leave complicated passages as uncluttered as possible. There remains the pleasant duty of thanking those who helped me with this thesis Above all else. I want to thank Father Georges Anawati for his interest in my work. He devoted a large amount of his valuable time to read and correct my translations, to give advice for further research, and to go over the study at the end of the day. He and the other fathers of the Dominican Institute extended such hospitality that my stay with them in Cairo was the most enjoyable and educational period of my life. To Professor A.H. Johns, warm thanks are due for introducing me to Fakhr al-Din and his wonderful commentary, for guiding my early studies, and for constant encouragement, advice and help. His many suggestions for revision of phrasing have certainly made this thesis clearer and more readable. Many thanks are due to the following: Mr R. Barnes, who provided clear-sighted comparisons with the angelologies of other religions, comments on style and method, much-needed help with the Teutonica, and many a cup of coffee; Father L. Fitzgerald, who has been the ideal colleague in study, encouraging me at times when the work seemed too tedious for words, and who was also kind enough to read this thesis in search of mistakes; Professor R. Frank, who has offered many valuable suggestions, references and explanations, particularly on kalam atomism; Herr Professor Dr Dr P. Antes at Hannover, who made a number of general observations on the subjec t, and who went to a deal of trouble to send me otherwise unobtainable German articles. At the nuts-and-bolts level, thanks are due to the Faculty of Asian Studies of the ANU, the ANU and the Commonwealth Government for contributing variously to the wherewithal of a peripatetic PhD. The typing, done so ably by Monica Kratochvil, was processed by the ANU Faculties’ Computer, piloted by the patient Melanie Bleeze. Finally, thanks are due to my family, my students and my sundry friends, who put up with me for the duration. Writing this thesis has gone on, and occasionally off, for seven years, and at times it was only the nagging of these people that kept me on the straight and narrow...