Editing Islamic philosophy (section)

===Essence and existence===
Theologians, particularly among the [[Mu'tazilism|Muʿtazilites]], agreed with Aristotelian metaphysics that non-existence is a thing (''s̲h̲ayʾ'') and an entity (''d̲h̲āt''). According to Aristotelian philosophy, non-existence has to be distinguished by absolute non-existence, that is absolute nothingness, and relative non-existence. The latter can refer to the absence of a quality or the potentiality of something.<ref>Bergh, S. van den, “ʿAdam”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 17 August 2023 {{doi|10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0296}} First publishedonline: 2012 First print edition: {{ISBN|9789004161214}}, 1960-2007</ref> Muʿtazilite thinkers such as [[al-Fārābī]] and [[ibn Sīnā]] hold the position that things had a relative existence prior to creation. God knew what he was going to create and God gave them the accident of existence. Contrarily, Asharites regard existence as essence.<ref>Bergh, S. van den, “ʿAdam”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 17 August 2023 {{doi|10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0296}}
First published online: 2012
First print edition: {{ISBN|9789004161214}}, 1960-2007</ref>

Islamic philosophy, imbued as it is with [[Kalam|Islamic theology]], distinguishes more clearly than [[Aristotelianism]] the difference between [[essence]] and [[existence]]. Whereas existence is the domain of the [[Contingency (philosophy)|contingent]] and the accidental, essence endures within a [[being]] beyond the accidental. This was first described by [[Avicenna]]'s works on [[metaphysics]], who was himself influenced by [[al-Farabi]].

Some orientalists (or those particularly influenced by [[Thomism|Thomist]] scholarship) argued that Avicenna was the first to view existence (''wujud'') as an accident that happens to the essence (''mahiyya''). However, this aspect of ontology is not the most central to the distinction that Avicenna established between essence and existence. One cannot therefore make the claim that Avicenna was the proponent of the concept of [[essentialism]] ''per se'', given that existence (''al-wujud'') when thought of in terms of necessity would ontologically translate into a notion of the "Necessary-Existent-due-to-Itself" (''wajib al-wujud bi-dhatihi''), which is without description or definition and, in particular, without [[quiddity]] or essence (''la mahiyya lahu''). Consequently, Avicenna's [[ontology]] is '[[Existentialism|existentialist]]' when accounting for being–''[[wikt:qua|qua]]''–existence in terms of necessity (''wujub''), while it is [[Essentialism|essentialist]] in terms of thinking about being–''qua''–existence in terms of "contingency–''qua''–possibility" (''imkan'' or ''mumkin al-wujud'', meaning "contingent being").<ref>For recent discussions of this question, see Nader El-Bizri, "Avicenna and Essentialism", ''The Review of Metaphysics'', Vol. 54 (June 2001), pp. 753–78.</ref>

Some argue that Avicenna anticipated [[Frege]] and [[Bertrand Russell]] in "holding that existence is an accident of accidents" and also anticipated [[Alexius Meinong]]'s "view about [[nonexistent object]]s."<ref>{{citation |first=Herrera Ibáñez |last=Alejandro |title=La distinción entre esencia y existencia en Avicena |journal=Revista Latinoamericana de Filosofía |volume=16 |pages=183–95 |year=1990 |url=http://www.formalontology.it/avicenna.htm |access-date=2008-01-29}}</ref> He also provided early arguments for "a "[[Necessary and sufficient conditions|necessary]] being" as [[First cause|cause of all other existents]]."<ref>{{citation |first=Hourani George |last=Fadlo |title=Ibn Sina on necessary and possible existence |journal=Philosophical Forum |volume=4 |pages=74–86 |year=1972 |url=http://www.formalontology.it/avicenna-biblio-one.htm |access-date=2008-01-29}}</ref>

The idea of "essence preced[ing] existence" is a concept which dates back to [[Avicenna]]<ref name=Irwin/> and [[Avicennism|his school]] as well as [[Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi]]<ref name="Razavi 1997 129">{{Harvp|Razavi|1997|p=129}}</ref> and his [[Illuminationist philosophy]]. "[[Existence precedes essence|Existence preced[ing] essence]]", the opposite (existentialist) notion, was developed in the works of [[Averroes]]<ref name=Irwin/> and [[Mulla Sadra]]'s [[transcendent theosophy]].
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More careful approaches are needed in terms of thinking about philosophers (and theologians) in Islam in terms of phenomenological methods of investigation in [[ontology]] (or onto-theology), or by way of comparisons that are made with [[Heidegger]]'s thought and his critique of the history of metaphysics.<ref>For recent studies that engage in this line of research with care and thoughtful deliberation, see: Nader El-Bizri, ''The Phenomenological Quest between Avicenna and Heidegger'' (Binghamton, N.Y.: Global Publications SUNY, 2000)</ref>
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