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BOOK REVIEW A History of Islamic Philosophy. By Majid Fakhry. New York: Columbia University Press, i97o. Pp. X V + 427 . $~5.oo. By the time the volume u n d e r review reached the reviewer's desk, a review should - so one hopes - have become unnecessary. Prof. Fakhry's History of Islamic Philosophy should have established itself by now as the standard textbook on its subject for all Englishreading students. Comprehensive a n d readable surveys of Islamic philosophy are not very plentiful, a n d until quite recently the student wishing to be initiated into this culturally significant a n d intellectually exciting world h a d to go to T. J. de Boer's
Geschichte der Philosophie im Islam, I9Oi (or its English translation, i9o3) or to M. M. Sharif's History of Aluslim Philosophy, I962. Prof. F a k h r y strikes a h a p p y m e a n between the more general presentation of the former a n d the m o r e detailed, technical style of the latter. His History is more philosophical a n d less theologically slanted t h a n W. M o n t gomery W a t t ' s Islamic Philosophy and Theology, I962 , a n d more objective t h a n Henri Corbin's fascinating b u t somewhat idiosyncratic Histoire de la Philosophic Islamique. i964. T h e a u t h o r sketches the outlines of the major developments b u t also presents the doctrines a n d systems of the major, a n d of some lesser, thinkers in sufficient detail to m a k e his book a reliable guide. T h e r e is no need to labour here the importance of the subject a n d the consequent usefulness of Fakhry's work. T h e study of M u s l i m philosophy is a m a t t e r not only for specialists in Islamics b u t also for students of W e s t e r n philosophy in general. Unlike Indian, Buddhist a n d Chinese philosophies whose interest resides, for the non-specialist, precisely in the fact t h a t they are "other", a n d "different", a n d even "exotic", M u s l i m philosophy draws on the same Greek sources as medieval Christian thought, quite a p a r t from also playing a significant mediating role in the transmission of the Greek heritage. Like medieval Christian thought, Islamic philosophy was the product of the impact of a philosophical m o d e of thinking on a religion based on revelation. T h e profound differences in the character and structure of the symbiosis of religion a n d philosophy in the two cases will retain, for a long time to come, the interest of students of theology, philosophy, a n d the sociology of culture. It is a pity that Prof. F a k h r y did not amplify his brief remarks on the basic problem of the n a t u r e of Islamic philosophy a n d did not really tackle the question w h y (or at least to w h a t extent) philosophy always r e m a i n e d relatively "external" to Islam. But instead of complaining we should rather be grateful that the author preferred simply to get on with his job 9 the presentation of the history of Islamic philosophy - a n d a good job he did.
256 Reviewers always find details at which to cavil. T h e bibliography is very selective a n d incomplete, b u t even the most querulous reviewer m u s t a d m i t that the a m o u n t o research a n d publications on points of detail a n d on individual thinkers is so enormous that arbitrariness is all b u t inevitable. Occasionally the a u t h o r takes for g r a n t e d theories w h i c h others would consider questionable (e.g. his adoption of Z a e h n e r ' s views regarding the extent of H i n d u influence on A b u Yazid al-Bistami). A n d the index could be m u c h improved in a future edition, e.g. for the benefit of the reader who would like to look u p t h e author's references to, a n d discussions of "misology" in Islamic thought. But all readers will be grateful to Prof. F a k h r y for a masterly a n d non-misological account of the history of Islamic philosophy. R..J. ZwI WI~RBLOWSKY
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
