The Druze Trilogy: Philosophy

Book excerpt: This is the first volume of the Druze Trilogy, which sets the background, the influencing factors, and the development of Muslim philosophy. The Arab tribes, and their migrations, are reviewed, followed by the advent of Islam. The spread of Islam brought it into contact with an assortment of cultures and beliefs. This contact ignited the fire of philosophy in Islam, which glowed for many centuries. The Shi'a Muslims, who branched into many schools of thought, carried the torch of philosophy and developed their own falsafa and kalam. The study of philosophy became an essential part for the understanding and practice of religion. The book explores the key influencing factor in detail, which is the Greek philosophy, from both Athens and Alexandria. The works and beliefs of the major ancient philosophers are discussed, followed by that of the Muslim ones. Thus, this work is the stepping stone to the understanding of the Druze faith.