The Cognitive Role of Metaphysics: A Comparative Study of the Qur’an and Peripatetic Philosophy

الدور المعرفي للميتافيزيقا دراسة مقارنة بين القرآن والفلسفة المشائية

Abstract

This study examines, through comparative analysis, the cognitive role of metaphysics from two principal perspectives: the Qur’anic perspective, which regards revelation (waḥy) as a certain source of knowledge concerning the unseen (ghayb), and the Peripatetic (Mashshāʾī) philosophical perspective, which relies on demonstrative reason and Aristotelian logic to investigate the first principles of existence. The significance of this study lies in addressing the relationship between reason and revelation in the apprehension of metaphysical realities and in defining the scope of each in shaping a worldview of existence.

The study traces the development of metaphysical thought from Aristotelian philosophy to its reception within Islamic philosophy through al-Kindī, al-Fārābī, and Ibn Sīnā, while also examining the critiques advanced by later Muslim theologians and philosophers, including al-Ghazālī, Ibn Rushd, and Ṣadr al-Mutaʾallihīn. The analysis demonstrates that the Qur’an presents not merely a theoretical metaphysics but a comprehensive epistemological framework that harmonizes reason and revelation. It maintains that the realm of the unseen cannot be grasped through reason alone but requires submission to revelation, while reason functions as an instrument for reflecting upon the cosmic signs (āyāt).

In contrast, Peripatetic philosophy conceives metaphysics as the science of the First Cause and of being qua being, regarding rational demonstration as the highest degree of epistemic certainty. Nevertheless, this rational approach encounters challenges related to the limits of human cognition and the tension between certain philosophical conclusions and revealed texts. The study concludes that Qur’anic metaphysics is characterized by comprehensive faith-based certainty, whereas Peripatetic metaphysics offers a form of demonstrative yet relative certainty. Both approaches, however, contribute to enriching the Islamic understanding of existence and knowledge.