| Is Learning Formal Logic an Obligation? [1] |
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| Written by Ibn Taymiyyah | |
| Sunday, 03 September 2006 | |
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Those who say: learning Logic is Fard Kifayah (obligation till fulfilling necessity) are wrong. The reality shows that those who enter into debate using Logic is very weak, and often you will find his logic fails to serve his purpose.
The best among logicians, are those who knew the faults of logic with some of the legitimate logical rules. Yet, the logic could not serve them to reach the truth, and thus caused them to move from one erroneous conclusion to another. This is why, it could never be true, that Islam makes it obligation to learn Logic, and those who does that, has left the truth and found it necessary to obtain falsehood.
Those who make logic obligatory knowledge are the ignorant among the logicians. However, the brilliant among them does not imply it’s rules in their knowledge, rather they pay little attention to them, either for it’s length, or uselessness, or erratic conclusions, or it’s vagueness. Logic has lot’s of elements like filthy camel meat, over a bumpy mountain.
For this reason, the great scholars of Islam used to criticize logic and logicians. A famous incidence is related to Shaikh Aba Amro ibn as Salah, who ordered to seize a school (of logic) from abul Hasan al Aameddi, and said: “seizing this school from him is better than seizing Akka (which was captured by the crusaders)”, although Aameddi was at that time among the best in terms of knowledge of logic and philosophy, and was good in his Islam and creed.
It is well known, that very deep and intricate knowledge –be it true or false, faith or infidelity- could not be comprehended except with intelligence and brilliance. So, many of those who has this talent, may degrade those who has no such talent, although those humiliated might have greater faith and emaan than those talents. There affair is like what Allah said.. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُواْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ (29) وَإِذَا مَرُّواْ بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ (30) وَإِذَا انقَلَبُواْ إِلَى أَهْلِهِمُ انقَلَبُواْ فَكِهِينَ (31) وَإِذَا رَأَوْهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّ هَؤُلَاء لَضَالُّونَ (32) وَمَا أُرْسِلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ حَافِظِينَ (33) فَالْيَوْمَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُونَ (34) عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ (35) هَلْ ثُوِّبَ الْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ (36) Verily! (During the worldly life) those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed. And, whenever they passed by them, used to wink one to another (in mockery). And when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting; And when they saw them, they said: "Verily! These have indeed gone astray!" But they (disbelievers, sinners) had not been sent as watchers over them (the believers). But this Day (the Day of Resurrection) those who believe will laugh at the disbelievers On (high) thrones, looking (at all things). [Quran 83: 29-36]
Thus, these logicians take it as a tradition that any knowledge acquired without their tool is ignorance, and many of them (these logicians) fail to reach faith and true emaan through the tool of logic, and thus they become infidel, aggressive, hypocrite and oppressor. And he becomes among the enemies of prophets, on whom Allah says: وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا مِّنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ هَادِيًا وَنَصِيرًا (31) وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً كَذَلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلًا (32) وَلَا يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلَّا جِئْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيرًا (33) Thus have We made for every Prophet an enemy among the Mujrimûn (disbelievers, polytheists, criminals). But Sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and Helper. And those who disbelieve say: "Why is not the Qur'ân revealed to him all at once?" Thus (it is sent down in parts), that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages. (It was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in 23 years.). And no example or similitude do they bring (to oppose or to find fault in you or in this Qur'ân), but We reveal to you the truth (against that similitude or example), and the better explanation thereof. [Quran 25:31-33]
Some among them might reach the truth, either via using the tool of logic, or through other means. But at the same time he acquires hypocrisy using this tool, so this person has dual forms of faith and hypocrisy, and becomes apostate, either from the root of religion, or in it’s partial rituals, either apostasy of hypocrisy, or apostasy of infidelity. This form is very prevalent, especially in places and times when ignorance, infidelity and hypocrisy is widespread.
This is why, many of them, when realized that this negation (i.e., negating knowledge without logic) is false, they started to say that: the sacred souls –like those of Prophets and righteous- gets the wisdom flowing in them without logical tools.
Using logical measurements is an inherent quality, and does not require that someone learns it, as an Arab speaks correct Arabic syntax without learning the Arabic grammar. Also, a poet generates poems without knowing the various syntax of poets. So, acquiring logical skills without learning the formal logic is a common sense that no two would debate.
To be continued..see part 2
Source: Ibn Taymiyyah: Fatawa (vol. 9 pages: 5-10)
              
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