الثابت و المتغير : نظرة كلية في فلسفة طه عبد الرحمن

Abstract EN

There is little debate that any form of genuine philosophical reflection in the Arab world has been in a state of deep decline for a considerable period of time.

Whatever we do find is little more than translations from the western philosophical tradition in to Arabic, or emulative works thereof.

Indeed, for those working within some form of philosophical inquiry in the Arab world, secular modes of thought are seen as authoritative.

Still, it remains the case that specific individuals have distinguished themselves by offering some profound and original philosophical reflections.

Belonging to this group of exceptional individuals is Dr Taha Abd al-Rahman, who has been able to initiate a philosophical school of thought which calls for a reevaluation of philosophical terminology, and an attempt at coining new philosophical terms in the Arabic language for previously existing philosophical concepts, and then, by using this as a basis, work toward a fully-fledged Arabo-Islamic school of philosophy.

In this paper I have attempted to present a complete and overall picture of Taha Abd al-Rahman’s philosophical project.

As such, I have relied on two methods: (i) inductive, and (ii) analytical.

The paper concludes with the following important points: firstly, the crux of Taha Abd al-Rahman’s philosophy depends on the idea termed by him in Arabic as “al-majāl al-tadāwulī”, wherein each text is to be understood in its specific space-time context, and, secondly, even fundamental aspects of Islamic heritage are open to change and alternate understanding.