Editing Abu Bakr al-Razi (section)

=== Debate with Abu Hatim ===

The views and quotes that are often ascribed to al-Razi where he appears to be critical of religion are found in a book written by [[Abu Hatim Ahmad ibn Hamdan al-Razi|Abu Hatim al-Razi]], called ''Aʿlām al-nubuwwa'' (Signs of Prophecy), which documents a debate between Abu Hatim and al-Razi. Abu Hatim was an [[Isma'ili]] missionary who debated al-Razi, but whether he has faithfully recorded the views of al-Razi is disputed.<ref name=oxford /> Some historians claim that Abu Hatim accurately represented al-Razi's scepticism of revealed religion while others argue that Abu Hatim's work should be treated with scepticism given that he is a hostile source of al-Razi's beliefs and might have portrayed him as a heretic to discount his critique of the Ismāʿīlīs.<ref name="Seyyed Hossein Nasr 1999 p. 353">Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and Mehdi Amin Razavi, ''An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia'', vol. 1, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 353, quote: "Among the other eminent figures who attacked Rāzī are the Ismāʿīlī philosopher Abū Ḥatem Rāzī, who wrote two books to refute Rāzī's views on theodicy, prophecy, and miracles; and Nāṣir-i Khusraw. Shahrastānī, however, indicates that such accusations should be doubted since they were made by Ismāʿīlīs, who had been severely attacked by Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā Rāzī"</ref>

According to Abdul Latif al-'Abd, Islamic philosophy professor at Cairo University, Abu Hatim and his student, [[Ḥamīd al-dīn Karmānī]] (d. after 411AH/1020CE), were Isma'ili extremists who often misrepresented the views of al-Razi in their works.<ref name="al-Abd" /><ref>{{Cite book| publisher = BRILL| isbn = 9789004255371| last = Ebstein| first = Michael| title = Mysticism and Philosophy in al-Andalus: Ibn Masarra, Ibn al-ʿArabī and the Ismāʿīlī Tradition| date = 25 November 2013|page=41}}</ref> This view is also corroborated by early historians like [[al-Shahrastani]] who noted "that such accusations should be doubted since they were made by Ismāʿīlīs, who had been severely attacked by Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā Rāzī".<ref name="Seyyed Hossein Nasr 1999 p. 353"/> Al-'Abd points out that the views allegedly expressed by al-Razi contradict what is found in al-Razi's own works, like the ''Spiritual Medicine'' (''Fī al-ṭibb al-rūḥānī'').<ref name="al-Abd">{{Cite book| publisher = Maktabat al-Nahḍa al-Miṣriyya| last = Abdul Latif Muhammad al-Abd| title = Al-ṭibb al-rūḥānī li Abū Bakr al-Rāzī| location = Cairo| year = 1978| pages=4, 13, 18}}</ref> Peter Adamson concurs that Abu Hatim may have "deliberately misdescribed" al-Razi's position as a rejection of Islam and revealed religions. Instead, al-Razi was only arguing against the use of miracles to prove [[Muhammad]]'s prophecy, [[anthropomorphism]], and the uncritical acceptance of ''[[taqlīd]]'' vs ''naẓar''.<ref name=oxford /> Adamson points out to a work by [[Fakhr al-din al-Razi]] where al-Razi is quoted as citing the [[Quran]] and the prophets to support his views.<ref name=oxford />

In contrast, earlier historians such as [[Paul Kraus (Arabist)|Paul Kraus]] and Sarah Stroumsa accepted that the extracts found in Abu Hatim's book were either said by al-Razi during a debate or were quoted from a now lost work. According to the debate with Abu Hatim, al-Razi denied the validity of prophecy or other authority figures, and rejected prophetic miracles. He also directed a scathing critique on revealed religions and the miraculous quality of the Quran.<ref name=oxford /><ref>{{cite book | author=Paul E. Walker | editor=Charles E. Butterworth| title=The Political aspects of Islamic philosophy: essays in honor of Muhsin S. Mahdi | year=1992 | publisher=Harvard University Press | pages=87–89 | chapter=The Political Implications of Al-Razi's Philosophy| isbn=9780932885074|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WPc-h9TeED4C&pg=PA87}}</ref> They suggest that this lost work is either his famous ''al-ʿIlm al-Ilāhī'' or another shorter independent work called ''Makharīq al-Anbiyāʾ'' (''The Prophets' Fraudulent Tricks'').<ref name=Stroumsa>{{harvnb|Stroumsa|1999}}.</ref><ref name=Encyclopedia>{{cite book | title=Encyclopedia of Islam | chapter=Al-Razi |author1=Kraus, P  |author2=Pines, S | year=1913–1938 | page=1136}}</ref> Abu Hatim, however, did not explicitly mention al-Razi by name in his book, but referred to his interlocutor simply as the ''mulḥid'' ({{lit|heretic}}).<ref name=oxford /><ref name="al-Abd" />