Editing Al-Farabi (section)

== Influences and transmission ==
[[File:Bodlein Library MS. Arab.d.84 roll332 frame1.jpg|thumb|Pages from a 17th-century manuscript of al-Farabi's commentary on [[Aristotle]]'s metaphysics]]
The main influence on al-Farabi's philosophy was the [[Aristotelianism|Aristotelian]] tradition of Alexandria. A prolific writer, he is credited with over one hundred works.{{sfn|Black|1996|p=178}} Amongst these are a number of prolegomena to philosophy, commentaries on important Aristotelian works (such as the ''[[Nicomachean Ethics]]'') as well as his own works. His ideas are marked by their coherency, despite drawing together of many different philosophical disciplines and traditions. Some other significant influences on his work were the planetary model of [[Ptolemy]] and elements of [[Neo-Platonism]],<ref>[[Morteza Motahhari|Ayatollah Motahhari]], Becoming familiar with Islamic knowledge, V1, p:162</ref> particularly metaphysics and practical (or political) philosophy—which bears more resemblance to Plato's ''Republic'' than Aristotle's ''Politics''.{{sfn|Reisman|2005|p=52}}

Al-Farabi played an essential part in the handing down of Aristotle's thought to the Christian West during the Middle Ages, as appears in the translation of al-Farabi's ''Commentary and Short Treatise on Aristotle's de Interpretatione'' that F. W. Zimmermann published in 1981. Al-Farabi had a great influence on [[Maimonides]], the most important Jewish thinker of the Middle Ages. Maimonides wrote the celebrated ''[[Maimonides#Treatise on logic|Treatise on Logic]]'' in Arabic. The work treats of the essentials of Aristotelian logic in the light of comments made by [[Avicenna]] and al-Farabi; [[Rémi Brague]] emphasises the fact that al-Farabi is the only philosopher mentioned by name within the text.

Al-Farabi, as well as Avicenna and [[Averroes]], have been recognized as [[Peripatetics]] (''al-Mashsha’iyun'') or [[Rationalism|rationalists]] (''Estedlaliun'') among Muslims.<ref>[[Morteza Motahhari|Ayatollah Motahhari]], Becoming familiar with Islamic knowledge, V1, p.166
اگر بخواهيم كلمه ای را به
كار بريم كه مفيد مفهوم روش فلسفی مشائين باشد بايد كلمه (استدلالی) را
به كار بريم  .</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/pd/d-22.htm |title=Dictionary of Islamic Philosophical Terms |publisher=Muslimphilosophy.com |access-date=2012-09-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H002 |title=Aristotelianism in Islamic philosophy |publisher=Muslimphilosophy.com |access-date=2012-09-19}}</ref> However, he tried to gather together the ideas of [[Plato]] and [[Aristotle]] in his book ''Harmonization of the Opinion of the Two Sage''.<ref>[[Morteza Motahhari|Ayatollah Motahhari]], Becoming familiar with Islamic knowledge, V1, p.167
فارابی كتاب كوچك معروفی دارد به نام (الجمع بين رأيی الحكيمين) در
اين كتاب مسائل اختلافی اين دو فيلسوف طرح شده و كوشش شده كه به نحوی
اختلافات ميان اين دو حكيم از بين برود .</ref>{{efn-ua|name=Harmonization}}

According to Reisman, his work was singularly directed towards the goal of simultaneously reviving and reinventing the Alexandrian philosophical tradition, to which his Christian teacher, Yuhanna ibn Haylan belonged.{{sfn|Reisman|2005|p=55-56}} His success should be measured by the honorific title of the "Second Master" of philosophy,{{efn-ua|name=Title}} Aristotle being the first, by which he was known.{{sfnm|1a1=Corbin|1y=1993|1p=158|2a1=López-Farjeat|2y=2020|2loc=Intro}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mahdi|first1=Muhsin|title=Alfarabi: Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle|date=1962|publisher=Cornell University Press|location=Ithaca, NY|isbn=0801487161|page=4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-SaXczxPo40C&q=al-farabi+the+second+master&pg=PA4|access-date=17 August 2015}}</ref> Reisman also says that he does not make any reference to the ideas of either [[al-Kindi]] or his contemporary, [[Abu Bakr al-Razi|Rhazes]], which clearly indicates that he did not consider their approach to philosophy as a correct or viable one.{{sfn|Reisman|2005|p=55-56}}