Kalam Cosmological argument in Islamic philosophy

kalam cosmological argument is an argument for the existence of god.This argument is a posteriori argument because one of its premises based on experience.This argument used by Mutakklemuns or theologians in Islam.Also the argument has different expressions among Islamic philosophers such as Avicenna and theologians like Al-Ghazali.^[1]

historical background

It seems that Plato in Laws and Aristotle in metaphysics and Physics referred to the argument. This argument was enriched when developed in Islamic philosophy by theologian.^[2] Islamic theologians favored a natural philosophy based on the changeable and contingent nature of universe. They accept somewhat logical process but they were to more extent adherent of cosmological argument.^[3]

formulation in Kalam

Craig points out that there are two expressions among Muslim on cosmological argument.In other words Muslims express the argument in two ways. The first explanation belongs to Theologian based on temporal regress.The second one belongs to Islamic philosophers relied upon contingency.^[4] The milestone of the argument is to demonstrate that the cosmos is created being.^[5]More than half of development of cosmological argument allocates to Motakallemun or theologians.^[6]In fact, Theologians emphasized on the beginning of cosmos in Time or Hoduth.^[7] Alousi mentioned six arguments pointed out by Motakallemun's Adherence to defend of temporality of universe.They are as follow:

• The argument from the contrary nature of simple bodies.^[8]
• The argument based on experience
• The argument from finitude of motion, Time and temporal objects
• The argument from the finitude of the world
• The argument from contingency
• The argument from temporality^[9]

Philosophers's argument

Among philosophers; first Al-Kindi, refers to the world at the beginning of time or 'Hodouth'. Also, according to Al-Kindi; this world needed a creator, who creates it. Al-Farabi, Avicenna and Ibn-Rushd did not accept Al-Kindi's argument because they believed in the universe being eternal. All of them try to reconcile their argument with the cosmological arguments according to philosophical premises they accepted.^[10] Avicenna, as an Islamic philosopher, had many arguments for the existence of God. He based the cosmological argument on contingency or the possibility of the world.His primary thesis was that; since everything in the world is contingent, then we have two states. In one state, the contingent thing is itself, depending on the other contingent thing, which in turn, depends on the third thing, which also, in its turn is contingent and so on ad-finitum. Avicenna provided many arguments for the existence of god such as argument from movement, from causality.^[11] Avicenna puts the argument as follow:

Every totality formed successively of causes and effects, in which there is a cause which is not an effect, must have that cause as its outermost point; because, if it were in the middle; it would be caused. Every chain, which comprises of cause and effect, is finite or infinite. It is clear, that if it is only comprised of what is caused, it would need a cause external to it, to which it would be attached, without any doubt, by an outermost point. It is clear that if that chain contained something that was not an effect, that would be an outermost point and extremity. So every series culminates in the Being, necessary by His essence

— Avicenna, " al-Is“arat wa-t-Tanbihat ma'a “ar˙ Nasir ad-Din a†-ˇusi " (1957-1960), INTERPRETING AVICENNA:SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY IN MEDIEVAL ISLAM

See also

• Islamic philosophy
• Early Islamic philosophy

References