Peter S. Groff. Islamic Philosophy A-Z

Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ), Spring, 2008

Peter S. Groff. Islamic Philosophy A-Z. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. 224 pages. Paper $20.00.

Philosophy and religion are intertwined in the Islamic tradition. Islamic Philosophy A-Z helps explain how philosophy expresses itself within the Islamic context. Islamic philosophy is not reducible to Islam as a religion or "it has no uniquely "Islamic" essence" (x). Groff uses various sources from schools of theology (Isma'ilis, Sufis, etc), to Greek philosophers. He provides over a hundred concise entries: key figures, schools, concepts, topics, and issues.

The approach used might be simply described as philosophy that emerges within a context predominantly informed by the religious, social, political, and cultural dimensions of Islam. Groff says, "Even when philosophy begins by reflecting upon the revealed truths of Islam, it can move in decidedly different directions. Sometimes it preserves and clarifies and defends these insights, sometimes it appropriates but radically reinterprets them, and sometimes it rejects them altogether" (x).

This book might find its readers in the Western world who are newcomers to understanding Islamic philosophy as it gives insights that are vital in understanding Islamic philosophical tradition. The books ultimate task is to prompt readers to want to learn more.