SHAH-I- HAMADAN INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC STUDIES

Emanation Theory
Impact on Muslim Philosophy

Fiza raso ol

4 /15/2013

This paper is about the theory of emanation by Plotinus and its influence on the philosophies that were
developed by later Muslims, which consequently had its impact on the doctrines of Islam.
 INTRODUCTION
Islamic philosophy in its broadest meaning can be defined as the world view of Islam
concerning the creation of universe i.e. ontology and the will of the creator which
developed in Islamic society. In its narrowest sense it is the translation of falsafa,
meaning that particular schools of thought that most reflect the Hellenistic ideology
such as Neo-Platonism and Aristotelianism. One of the characteristic of Islamic
philosophy is that it strives to draw parallels between the philosophy and teachings of
Quran and Sunnah. With this as an objective, early Muslim philosophers tried to
develop the philosophy in concurrence with the Islamic thoughts which as a result
amalgamated the two distinct aspects giving rise to Islamic philosophy. Hellenistic
ideology and how it made its way into the Muslim world has been briefly mentioned.
Muslim philosophers like Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina are the nucleus of this paper and their
dependence on the theory of Emanation and Neo-Platonism, besides, the brief account
of theory of Emanation of Plotinus has also been provided so as to develop the idea
how it has influenced the Muslim philosophers. The main segment of theory of
Emanation that I have deliberated upon is the concept of Supreme Being the One and
its phenomenon of emanation which is the cause of existence of whole universe and
the Nous I.e., the Intellect. Towards the concluding part, the concept of contemplation
as the core of the theory of Emanation has been highlighted and has been
supplemented with short criticism of emanation and philosophical theories of Al Farabi
and Ibn Sina.
 CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Abstract
3. Theory of Emanation
4. Characteristic features of his theory
5. Concept of Cosmology and The One
6. Nous –The Intelligence
7. The Soul
8. Impact on Muslim Philosophy
9. Conclusion
 ABSTRACT
Plotinus (204-270 C.E), who is regarded as the father of Neo-Platonism, was born in
L ycopolis, Egypt and died in Campania. Being a Greek philosopher, he was influenced
by his predecessors like Plato and interpreted most of his works but he was also
influenced by Stoics and Neo-Pythagoreans. His main teacher and mentor in
philosophy was Ammonias Saccas, he studied with him until 242. In 244 he went to
Rome to establish a school of philosophy and served as a teacher there for 20 years.
He gathered many students there and one of the most famous among them was
Porphyry, who began to collect his lectures and debates in a systematic form
thereby formulated a complete treatise known as “ The Enneads.”Porphyry divided
the treatise of his master into six books of nine treatises each. In these treatises
Plotinus has made an attempt to explain the concepts like metaphysics, cosmology,
being, soul, intellect, virtues, ideas, matter, contemplation, presence, ethics, love,
happiness, sense perception. His concept about the origin of the universe and the
being gave rise to complex spiritual cosmology involving three important elements:
The One, The Intelligence and The Soul which came to be known as the “ Theory of
Emanation.”In this theory, Plotinus maintains that The One somehow emanates or
radiates the existents because of the effortless overflow and its excess begets
another than itself which is Nous –The intellect. So, The One is considered as the
source of all existents which is itself Self-sufficient and Self-existent and calls it
Eternal Emanator. The Soul is the physical form in which the cosmos takes objective
shape. In his theory, he does not specify God as being the creator rather designates
it as The One which is the ultimate source of the physical world, which according to
him comes into existence through the intermediary stages of the intellect and the
soul. Since the process of emanation starts from a perfection, rather than it
terminates there, therefore the end product is less perfect and less divine making it
a regression and not progression as is case in the process of Evolution.

This theory attempts to bridge the huge space between transcendence and
corporeal reality, which then became the substratum for debate in theology among
the Muslim philosophers. More or less affected by this complex theory of Neo-
platonic philosophy or Neo-Platonism1) the impact can be found clearly in their
writings and thus in the general development of Muslim Philosophy.

1)Neo-Platonis m developed as a school of t hought in Roman Empire during 3 r d century , however the term was coined in
mid ninet eenth century t o dis tinguish the thought of later Greek and Roman philos ophers from the ideas of Plato.
Plotinus is considered to be the first proponent of neo-Plat onism.
 Neo-Platonism in Islam may be said to have reached to its farthest limits of
development in the thought of Isma’ ili2) theologians like Hamid al-Din al-K irmani3) on
one hand and that of Shihab-al-Din Suhrawardi4) and Muhyi al-Din Ibn-al-‘ Arabi5) on
the other. This theory along with Aristotelianism6) has made its impact on Islamic
Philosophers as was the case with Al-K indi. Thus this ideology of emanation has been
blended with the doctrines of major monotheistic religions like Christianity, Judaism
and Islam being one among them, which reaches its intellectual fruition in the
complex emanationist hierarchies developed by Al-Farabi & Ibn-Sina

Theory of Emanat ion

This is a cosmological theory which asserts that all things flow from an underlying
reality. The word Emanation or Emanate has its roots from a L atin word Emanare or
Emanatus which literally means “
to come forth”or “ to flow out, from source or origin.”

2) A s hi’
ah s ect which came into existence after the death of sixth Imam Ja’ far ibn Muhammad and whos e adherents
believe that Is ma’ il s on of sixt h imam, was a rightful s event h imam or spiritual s ucces sor. The isma’
ili doctrine was
th
formulated in the late 8 and 9th centuries s tress ing the dual nature of Quranic interpretat ions, esoteric and exot eric
as pects . The object ive of this s ect was to create a bridge bet ween Hellenic philos ophy and Religion by presenting a
cos mology within an adapted Neo-platonic framework while t ry ing to creat e an alt ernative sy nthesis.
3) He was an Isma’ ili theologian and a philosopher and a contemporary of Ibn Sina during the reign of Fatimid caliph Al-
Hak im. His most import ant philosophical treat is e is Rahat al aql (Peace of Mind).
4)
Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi, a Muslim philosopher and a mystic ( 1154- 91) who lived during the period of
Seljuks, is usually referred to as Shaykh al Ishraq i.e. the Illuminationist after his philosophical theory of
cosmology and metaphysics called Hikmat al Ishraq i.e. Illuminationist philosophy. (netton. "neo platonism in
islamic philosophy." 1998. islamic philosophy online. 12 4 2014 www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H003.htm)

5)
Ibn al Arabi was a great mystic, poet and philosopher, famously known as Muhyiddin the Revivifier of the
Religion. His most important works are Al Futu’ at al-Makkiyah ( The Meccan Revelations) and Fusu al Ikam
(The Bezels of Wisdom). In Al Futu’ at al- Makkiyah he has dealt with Gnostic experiences and its stages
which led to development of the theory of Wahdat al Wujud i.e. (The unity of being). (robinson, neal. ibn al
arabi, muhyi al din (1164-1240). 1998. 12 4 2014 www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H022)

6)
Aristotelianism is the philosophy of Aristotle and later philosophical movements based on his thought.
(paluello lorenzo minio. encyclopedia britannica. 2014. 10 4 2014
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/34511/aristotelianism)
( collins. english dictionary- complete & unabridged. 2009. 11 4 2014
http://m.dictionary.com/definition/emanate?m)

The term faydh in Arabic corresponds to word emanation (overflow) implies a kind of
spontaneous outpouring, independent from any conscious activity. (leaman, oliver and
seyyed hossein nasr. "history of islamic philosophy." london & new york: routledge, 2001. 794, 795.)

Technically, emanation is the transcendent principle from which all things are
derived or all things are made to emanate effortlessly without conscious volition. The
theory of emanation revolves around the meaning of its title, as per which all things
are emanated from the first reality without any definite will, through steps of
degradation and at every step things are less pure and less perfect than the first
reality. Since the process of emanation starts from perfection, rather than
terminating there, the end product is less perfect and less divine at every step
making it a regression and not progression as is the case in the process of Evolution.
(philosopher)

It lays emphasis on the concept of Eternal Emanator: The One, who is to be

characterized –does not create ex nihilo7) but engages in eternal emanation of all the
observable and intangible reality, which Plotinus calls ex deo (out of God) individual
author. (2oo8). plotinus- life and woks. Retrieved 12 28, 2014, from the basics of philosophy:
http://www.philosophybasics.com/philosophers_plotinus.html

Char act er ist ics of Emanat ion Theor y

The curious doctrine of Emanation attempted to reconcile between the ideas of

eternity of the world with some of the creationism8) which have been much debated
in western philosophy.

In Plotinus’
s version of emanation theory, the physical world derives from the One,
the Ultimate source, through the intermediary stages of the intellect and the soul.
More generally, the soul is the cause of the world. Plotinus, like Plato and Aristotle,
accepts that the world is eternal, since it derives from eternity, The One. Matter is
thus a co-eternal principle for Plotinus, though it is not co-absolute with the One,

7) Ex nihil o is a L atin phras e which means out of nothing

8)
The idea of eternity of world holds that universe always existed and was beginning less or is coeternal
with God. Contrary to this creationism is a belief that all living beings and the universe come into existence
by the specific acts of divine being rather than through the process of evolution. This is the doctrine
accepted by major monotheistic religions wherein it is believed that Allah or God created the world from
nothing i.e. creation ex nihilo. (thijssen, J.M.M.H. eternity of the world. 1998. 10 4 2014
http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/B039)
 since the One might exist without matter, but not vice versa. Matter owes its being to
the One, since the One is the source of the process of emanation through which it
descends. So although the world derives from The One, it is the soul which is the
direct cause of the world, just as the divine intellect is the cause of the soul. (dastagir, dr
md golam. "plotinus and ibn sina on the doctrine of emanation and the generationof soul." the jehangirnagar
review ( 2001- 2002): 14)

The three outstanding components of his theory are dissertated below:-

1. The One
2. The Nous
3. The Soul

Concept of Cosmolog y and the One

Plotinus in his theory of Emanation has recognized the One as the Good which he,
demands to be supremely self-sufficient and is the ‘ begetter’of everything else.
Thereby holds a superior status due to its virtue of being the Emanator of all the
beings. Being inspired by Plato’ s concept of cosmology in Timaeus9), he holds that
what makes the one the supreme is its power of contemplation and the deep insight
it dispenses. Plotinus excuses the doctrine of beginning (arkhe) and the end (telos)10)
of the existent beings in the chain of emanation, which expresses his cosmological
theory but nurtures the conviction that every existent or cosmos somehow restrains
some part of the supreme reality and has to retire to it. Plotinus however couldn’ t
explicitly define the One but establishes the element that the generative power of
one can be understood or experienced only by way of contemplation which is

9)
Timaeus is the dialogue of a great Greek philosopher, Plato, in which he has attempted to describe the
creation of the universe and nature of the physical world and the eternal world on the basis of metaphysical
principles. According to Plato the world is created by Demiurge ( Supreme Being) following eternal pattern.
The eternal forms and Plato’ s Demiurge ( which is more like a craftsman) pre- exist the creation. The Demiurge
fashions the cosmos out of the prior matter and eternal forms. Thus the living and intelligent world created by
Demiurge is the perfect animal according to Plato but not the perfect being because it possesses the lower
souls which make the imperfection the world. There is a hierarchical pattern in cosmology of Plato arranged
from the most perfect world animal at the top to the least perfect organism at the bottom, since at each stage
imperfections are introduced. ( McDonough, Richard. plato: organicism. 12 4 2014 www.iep.utm.edu/platoorg/ )

10)
Arkhe and telos are the Greek words used in Greek cosmological philosophies, which according to
Aristotle are among the 4 causes of the formation of universe; eidos: the formal cause; hule: the material
cause; arkhe: the efficient cause and telos: thefinal cause. Arkhe is considered to be the first principle of
existing things and telos as the end goal. ( chi- fu, lee. the comparison and research of "aristotle's theory of
four cause"and mastchi- yi's "three causes of the buddha nature". 12 4 2014
www.chibs.edu.tw/ch_html/projects/L eehifu/html/essaya014.htm)
neither physical nor mental in action. The one can be considered the source to all
existent as far as every existent intelligible or sensible contemplates various aspects
of the one and not the one as an object of contemplation. Thus one is not a being but
an eternally present possibility capable of making existence possible about which the
fabric of cosmos is erected. For Plotinus the One is self sufficient and self contained
which has no need to divide itself and multiply. So, this ineffable unity is the source of
all plurality. This leads him to conceive another existent which he called Nous- the
intellect, the first highest principle capable of division yet firmly attached with the
One.

The Nous

Nous is a Greek word suggesting mind or intellect. Although there are many similar
terms corresponding to mind in Greek language but the word Nous holds the
significance in the philosophies of Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus in context to its
metaphysical activity. For Plotinus Nous is not only the first highest principle,
emanated from the One, of all existents but also a transcendent principle of cosmic
order. Nous is not self-sufficient as the One but is the ‘arkhe’ (referential foundation)
of all that exists and is capable of contemplating both the One and as well as its own
thoughts which Plotinus identifies with the Platonic Ideas. Thereafter, it holds that
the Nous has the virtue of duality, as for, Plotinus to think and to be are same. So, the
purpose and action of nous is to contemplate about One implying its existence as
being and to be the determinate source and point of reference for all existents
implying its essence of intelligence. This maintains the unity of his cosmological
theory, as the Nous which is the secondary existent of one contains both unity and
multiplicity (one and many). This capability of being divided and contemplating leads
nous to emanate the second principle i.e. the soul.

The soul

The soul like the intelligence is a unified existent in spite of its dual virtue of
contemplation and action. For Plotinus the soul is composed of two parts, one being
pure contemplative is the ‘ Higher part’and other being changeable i.e. ‘ L ower part’.
It contemplates the intelligence; it’ s prior in the chain of emanation and executes its
own thoughts by acting upon or actualizing them. It is the lower part, which actually
is active and ready to undergo division upon entering material bodies. Thus soul is
the physical form in which the cosmos takes objective shape and at this level the
phenomenon of existence unravels by coming in contact with its inferior-the matter.
The higher part of the soul remains unaffected persists in governing the cosmos.
Soul may be called as the ‘ cultivator’as its purpose is to channelize or escort the
ideas from the state of being through the mechanism of life and finally return these
ideas to the primal state –divine state within the intelligible realm.
The one, the Nous and the Soul are related to each other and affect each other
through the plan or formative principle known as the logoi. It is a Greek word
meaning reason which emanates from Nous, through which human mind can
apprehend and comprehend God.

To summarize his concept of cosmology, I may state one of his quotes;

“Here, then, we enter upon the practical philosophy. Along the same road by which it
descended, the soul must retrace its step back to the supreme Good…”(buke, richard
maurice. cosmic consciousness - a study in the evolution of th human mind. e.p. dutton and
company,inc, 1901)

Thus to summarize, Plotinus has laid much focus in maintaining the unity and divinity
of the One along with the return of the existents to the divine realm. His theory
appears to be revolving around the concept of contemplation, which he regards as
the power uniting the One, the Intelligence and the Soul, as a single productive unit
to which all existents owe their life. Thus his theory of cosmology is not casual but
contemplative. The extent to which the Plotinus identifies contemplation a vivifying
act can be comprehended in his comment:

“
Since the supreme realities devote themselves to contemplation, all other beings
must aspire to it too, because the origin of all things is their end as well.”( o'brein, s.j
elmer. the essential plotinus: representative treatise from the enneads 2nd edition. hackett publishing co,
1964.)

Impact of Emanation on Muslim Philosophy

Hellenistic philosophy came into Muslim world by way of Syriac. At Haran, in northern
Iraq, a philosophical school kept versions of the Hellenistic philosophical heritage
intact in either the original Greek or in Syriac translations. In the fertile period of
Abbasid rule, the Greek science was being translated into Arabic. The Caliph at first
was interested to see what sciences were there, and then works on civil
administration, then to ethical works, if any then it was all works. So it was no surprise
that there was a vigorous effort to translate all the works (754-833 C.E). At first, some
of the translations were not from good original copies but as the demand for the
philosophical literature was up more and better copies were found. Interestingly
however, some important works never made it into Arabic for example the politics
of Aristotle. The spread of Hellenistic philosophy in the Muslim world would be first
expounded on by the first Arabic philosopher Al kindi. He wrote many works on
Greek science and philosophy. He laid the foundation for others to follow in studying
philosophical works. His main contribution was the firm conviction that Greek
heritage contained important truths that Muslims could not afford to overlook.
Influenced by Greek philosophers, like Aristotle, Plato, Plotinus, Muslim philosophers
began expounding their ideologies so as to harmonize Islam and Greek philosophy
which often came into conflict with the doctrines of Islam.

This theory along with Aristotelianism has made its impact on early philosophers like
Al-K indi who followed the neo-platonic path, although defending the doctrine of
creation of the world by the creator (Allah) which is more than Aristotle’ s‘
unmoved
11)
mover’ Al-kindi serves as a bridge between the Neo-Platonism and Muslim
philosophers like Al-farabi and Ibn Sina12). These two philosophers were the main
proponents of Plotinus’ s theory of Emanation. It is in the theories of these two
philosophers that concepts like emanation; hierarchies and intellects are fully
developed and integrated into the metaphysics of being. Both these philosophers
developed a complex scheme of emanation with ten intellects emanating from the
Necessary being. Al-Farabi has predominantly relied on Plotinus’ s theory of
emanation, rejecting the Islamic doctrine of creation as stated in the following verse
of Quran;

“And it is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days-and his throne has
been upon water”( "al hud,ayaah 7." al Quran)

Al Farabi comes up with a contradictory doctrine to this Islamic tenet, as to him there
appears to be no will and reason in such sudden action of Allah to create the
universe. Adding to this, he further ascertains that before the creation of universe
something was already present like the throne; water and time to measure the
duration of creation. So as to remove these differences he blended Islamic doctrines
with Plotinus’ s complex scheme of emanation. This naturally appears anti-Islamic and
likely to be comprehended by human mind.

Al-Farabi’
s bases his theory on Hellenistic terms, wherein he fails to distinguish
between the knowledge and the will of God. According to him God’ s absolute
knowledge is the source of existence and thus there is no will to control it. This
speaks of his reliability on the doctrines of Plotinus. The One is a symbol of perfect

According to Aristotle God is an ‘

11)
unmoved first mover’and lays emphasis on his movement rather than
creation. (netton. "neo platonism in islamic philosophy." 1998. islamic philosophy online. 12 4 2014
www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H003.htm)

12)Ibn Sina (k nown as Avicenna in Europe) was a great Mus lim philosopher, a phys ician and a mat hemat ician too. His
famous medicinal t reatis e is Al Qanun (The Cannon). He wrote extensively on the origin of cos mos , divine interact ion
with humans. He att empted to contribute t owards the reconciliat ion of ancient Greek philos ophy and Allah as the
creator of all exis tent s.
unity and he calls it as the first being which in Plotinus’ s theory is first existent. From
this Supreme Being Al-Farabi begins his hierarchy of emanation. To Al-Farabi the
one has no form or matter but is simply an intellect in action. The overflow of the
grace of the one, results into first emanation with the second being coming into
existence i.e. first intellect. This first intellect is incorporeal in nature more like
Plotinus’ s concept of Nous, having the capability to comprehend itself and the one.
By contemplating on it’ s own existence, the first heaven (as-sama al ula) comes into
being and by contemplating on the Supreme Being; second emanation takes place
giving rise to third intellect. The phenomenon of emanation continues up to the
tenth intellect and the eleventh existent- the sphere of the moon (kurat ul Qamar)
and then the process stops. Beneath this exists the material world of air, water, fire
and matter that then combine to form anything corporeal including Human Beings.
But this description lacks the explanation to the soul. To explain this he incorporates
in his theory the tenth emanation giving rise to Active intellect, which is the final
stage of emanation. This active intellect in Farabi’ s view is potentially a material
intellect emanated from the one to become the actual human intellect.

Based on this process of emanation of tenth intellect giving rise to active intellect, al
Farabi explains divine prophecies of Muhammad (peace be upon Him), by letting the
active intellect directly contact the more imaginative faculty. Thus, through this he
seems to explain revelation which can be encompassed by the human mind, despite
of the fact that revelation is a divine process by Allah’ s will which needs to be
believed upon and not to be philosophized.
Al-Farabi also supports Plotinus in holding the idea that the one is indivisible and
perfect and existed ever since i.e. eternal and all other things flow from it. He also
posits that knowledge of God is absolute and eternal, therefore all forms and the
existents coexist eternally. This is again contradictory to the doctrine of Islam, as per
which all existents except God are transitory. As Allah says in Quran;
“Everything upon the earth will perish and there will remain the face of your Lord,
( "ar rahmaan; 26 &27." al quran)
owner of Majesty and Honor.”

Again in Al-Farabian theory, we find he tries to prove God by concept of motion,

possible and necessary beings, which are conflicting with Islamic belief upon God that
He needs not to be explained or proved through any similitude. Thereby, we may find
many anti-Islamic elements and ideas in his theory of ten intellects, as embraced by
his predecessor, Plotinus.
Influenced by Farabian theory of emanation, emerged ismaili theologians like Hamid
al Din K irmani, Shihab ud din Suhrawardi, who have developed his thoughts to a great
extent in explaining the state of ecstasy and its virtues. Al K irmani accepts the
Farabian elaboration about God and ten intellects in his Neo-platonic emanationist
hierarchy. Similarly Shihab ud Din Suhrawardi- the Master of Illumination established
an extra ordinary complex hierarchy of lights in which the divine is seen in terms of ‘
Light.’He posits that God is the L ight of Lights (nur ul anwar) from which emanates
the second light and so, all this involves a complex three-tier system of Angelic Lights
and these have the ontological precedence over the other. Ibn al Arabi the
profounder of theory of Unity of Being circulates around the classical system of
emanation following Plotinus or even Farabian lines.
Contrary to this, ibn Sina does not hold much contradiction in his theory of emanation
as the terminology he deploys seems to be less negative than Al Farabi. His concept
about one is, to some extent in accordance with Islam, though he has not specified it
by the term Allah. In ash-Shifa: Ilahiyyat, ( avicenna. ash-shifa:ilahiyyat. cairo, 1960). He
postulates that the Necessary Existent is one and is what we call Allah. In Ibn Sina’ s
hierarchical scheme, the Necessary Existent is the highest in rank and all possible or
particular beings the lowest; just as we find in Plotinus, the Absolute as the highest
and matter as the lowest in degree. ( dastagir, dr md golam. "plotinus and ibn sina on the doctrine
of emanation and the generationof soul." the jehangirnagar review (2001-2002): 14)

Ibn Sina, as opposed to Aristotle’ s concept of cause and effect agrees with Plotinus,
regarding the universe and all other possible beings as derived from the Ultimate
Being, who is the One for Plotinus, and the Necessary Existent (wajib al-wujud) for Ibn
Sina, who is conscious of itself. However, the description of one by ibn Sina differs
from Plotinus, ibn Sina’ s Necessary Existent is what we call Allah while as Plotinus calls
it as Good (or the Eternal Emanator which is self sufficient). Ibn Sina also does not
believe in creation ex nihilo just like his predecessor Al-Farabi. Although ibn Sina is
more influenced by Aristotle’ s ideology of matter being eternal but the God which Ibn
Sina considers to be the originator of the universe is different from Aristotle’ s ‘
Unmoved Mover.’According to Ibn Sina, God contemplates on its own essence of
being and leads to emanation of the created world and other existents. Things exist
because God exists and He contemplates Himself necessarily because their existence
flows directly or indirectly from this contemplation. It is this contemplation which
takes its roots from Plotinus’ s theory of emanation and makes the foundation of Ibn
Sina’s theory of emanation. The One, the Necessary Existent, by an act of pure
reflection on itself, emanates only one entity, called the first intelligence (al-’ aql al
awwal), the first cause (al-ma’ lul al-awwal), which is a pure intelligence, since it is a
form that is not in matter. The first intellect possesses both possibility and necessity,
since it relates to itself as well as to God. It is a pure intellect, but not a pure unity,
since it has dual relationship. Multiplicity arises in this situation, and the cause of this
multiplicity is the two-fold feature of the first intelligence. Through this we find that
Ibn Sina accepts the unity of the one and its immutability and indivisible nature as was
postulated by Plotinus.
He also accepts the concept of tenth intelligence which is the Agent intellect, as in
Farabi’ s theory. He holds that Active intellect is the emanating or radiating power
which illuminates the sensible forms of imagination and thereby making them
intelligible.
He further believes that the soul stems and culminates in God –the Necessary
Existent as was theorized by Plotinus. According to him the soul and the body exist
independently, one being incorporeal and other being corporeal, which means soul is
immortal and a body decays as a result of its independent cause and substance, not
because of changes in the soul. Therefore it does not follow that any change in the
body including death must determine the existence of the soul and adds to it that
destruction of soul cannot be caused by anything. (salim, kemal. Ibn Sina Abu ali al Husayn ( 980
-1037). 13 4 2014 www.muslimphilosopy.com/sina/art/ibn% 20Sina_REP.htm). This shows his
dependence upon the views of Plotinus about the relation between soul and body;

“From the soul using the body as an instrument, it does not follow that soul must
share body’ s experience: a man does not feel himself all the experiences of tools with
which he is working.”( mackenna, stephen and b.s page. "the anamate and the man." plotinus. the first
enneads. larson publications, 1992.)

His view about God’ s knowledge being particular and not the universal is contradictory
which was opposed by Al-Ghazz ali. There are however many contradictory concepts
in both Al-Farabi’s and Ibn Sina’s theory which are considered unorthodox by Muslim
scholars (ulema), like the eternity of the world, resurrection of souls etc. These were
strongly opposed by later Muslim philosophers like Al Ghazz ali13) and Ibn Tayimiyyah14).

13) Al Ghaz zali was a great t heologian, a juris t, philos opher and a mys tic too. He is famous as Hujjat al Is l am (Authority on
Islam). He s tudied philos ophy and t hen criticiz ed it in his book tahf at al f il as f ah (The Incoherence of the philosophers).
He vehement ly and success fully oppos ed Is lamic neo-Platonis m grounded on Hellenis tic philosophy.
14) Ibn Tay imiy y ah is k nown as Shayk h Al Is lam. He wrot e extens ively agains t the Hellenis tic concepts of eternity of the

world and the Muslim philos ophers who support ed it .

 CONCLUSION
On analyzing the main theme of Emanation of Plotinus and its main features, one
finds that his theory revolves around the concept of contemplation of the power of
one and its various aspects. He has focused to maintain the unity of the one by
describing it as indivisible and self sufficient. The process of emanation of the one is
the cause for existence and it is independent of conscious volition. He has regarded
soul as the cause of the existence of the world by contemplating on the one and
itself.

Plotinus along with many others asserting same ideology, have considerably been
able to influence the Muslim minds and thereby the Islamic philosophy which often
contradicts with the doctrines of Islam. The notion of Emanation and its meaning as
used in context to cosmological concept of Islamic philosophy is problematic as
there is no such concept of neo-platonic god. This theory is opposite to Islamic
doctrine of creation ex nihilo, according to which the whole universe and all existents
in it were created from nothing and willingly by Allah. In contrast to this, emanation
advocates that everything has always existed and has not been created but
emanated effortlessly from the One which is eternal.
The two major Muslim philosophers Al Farabi and Ibn Sina in their writings and
ideologies clearly dispense the impact made by Plotinus and his theory of emanation.
This has further affected the subsequent Muslim philosophers and appreciated their
theories and used them to develop different aspects of mysticism, gnostics as done
by Ibn al Arabi in his Wahdat al Wujud i.e, Unity of Being and Shihab ud din
suhrawardi as he became known, as Master of Illumination, established an
extraordinary complex Neo-platonic hierarchy of lights. Because of the doctrine of
emanation, the lights (or intellects) have an ontological or noetic precedence, the
one over the other, but not a temporal precedence. By contrast, Ibn al Arabi employs
Neo-Platonism terminology to bolster his doctrine of the wahdat al-wujud. The
circularity of his thought, however, precludes the elaboration of a classical system of
emanation following even Farabian, lines. Many of the aspects of their theories hold
Un-Islamic perspective like advocating a theory for the prophecy of Muhammad
(peace be upon Him) by Al Farabi and eternity of the world, resurrection of souls.
These views were based on ideas of emanation to which the great Imam and
philosopher Al-Ghaz zali and Imam Ibn Tayimiyyah rebutted. The reaction and
counter-reaction to the infiltration of Neo-Platonism into Islamic thought and
philosophy may usefully be studied in the writings of the great Abu Hamid al-Ghazz ali,
Sunni theologian and mystic, on the one hand and those of Islam's most notable
Aristotelian, Abu'l Walid Muhammad Ibn Rushd, also known as Averroes, on the
other. In his Tahafut al-falasifa (Incoherence of the Philosophers), al-Ghazz ali
attacked both the Neo-Platonists and Aristotle. He rebutted, for example, the idea
that the world was eternal, and tried to show mathematically that the thesis of the
Neo-Platonists was illogical. He believed that the Neo-Platonists have failed to prove
that God was One, and attacked their beliefs about a variety of other fundamental
and crucial points such as divine knowledge and the question of the immutability of
God.
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