Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198): Reason and Unreason in Prophecy
This paper explores Ibn Rushd’s (Averroes, d. 595/1198) distinctive stance on miracles as they pertain to Islamic prophetic theory, situating his arguments within the broader intellectual and theological climate of his era. Beginning with Hugo Grotius’s early modern critique contrasting Christian an...
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2026
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| _version_ | 1869519800936431616 |
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| author | Ben Ahmed, Fouad |
| author_browse | Ben Ahmed, Fouad |
| author_facet | Ben Ahmed, Fouad |
| author_sort | Ben Ahmed, Fouad |
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| description | This paper explores Ibn Rushd’s (Averroes, d. 595/1198) distinctive stance on miracles as they pertain to Islamic prophetic theory, situating his arguments within the broader intellectual and theological climate of his era. Beginning with Hugo Grotius’s early modern critique contrasting Christian and Islamic miracles, the study shows how Ibn Rushd’s own views challenge the dominant Sunni Ashʿarite position, which considered miracles unequivocal proof of prophecy. After surveying the Ashʿarite theologians – most notably Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī, al-Juwaynī, and al-Ghazālī – who vigorously defended miracles as the decisive validation of a prophet’s claim, the paper turns to Ibn Rushd’s critique. While he does not deny that miracles happen, Ibn Rushd questions their logical power to establish prophecy, underscoring the absence of a rational, necessary link between the supernatural event and a prophet’s truthfulness. Instead, he privileges the Qur’an as Islam’s singular miracle capable of providing lasting, rational credibility. The paper also highlights how Ibn Rushd draws on, yet critically reinterprets, segments of al-Ghazālī’s later works – particularly al-Qisṭās al-mustaqīm and al-Munqidh min al-ḍalāl – to shore up his argument. Though al-Ghazālī remained committed to a broader Ashʿarite framework, both he and Ibn Rushd share the view that extraordinary feats do not, by themselves, confer certain knowledge of prophecy. Ultimately, the article argues that by relegating miracles to a chiefly rhetorical function and centering ‘corresponding’ proofs such as lawgiving and unique moral insight, Ibn Rushd separates prophecy from extravagant supernatural claims. His approach thus preserves both causality and the rational integrity of religious belief, while still acknowledging the formative role that miracles, especially the Qur’an, play in the faith of ordinary believers. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-172091.2 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | E-theca OnLineOpenAccess Edizioni |
| publisherStr | E-theca OnLineOpenAccess Edizioni |
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| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-172091.22026-02-17T07:15:46Z Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198): Reason and Unreason in Prophecy Ben Ahmed, Fouad miracles prophecy Ashʿarite Ibn Rushd rationality causality al-Ghazālī Qur’an lawgiving philosophy in Muslim contexts thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QD Philosophy thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QD Philosophy::QDH Philosophical traditions and schools of thought::QDHF Medieval Western philosophy This paper explores Ibn Rushd’s (Averroes, d. 595/1198) distinctive stance on miracles as they pertain to Islamic prophetic theory, situating his arguments within the broader intellectual and theological climate of his era. Beginning with Hugo Grotius’s early modern critique contrasting Christian and Islamic miracles, the study shows how Ibn Rushd’s own views challenge the dominant Sunni Ashʿarite position, which considered miracles unequivocal proof of prophecy. After surveying the Ashʿarite theologians – most notably Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī, al-Juwaynī, and al-Ghazālī – who vigorously defended miracles as the decisive validation of a prophet’s claim, the paper turns to Ibn Rushd’s critique. While he does not deny that miracles happen, Ibn Rushd questions their logical power to establish prophecy, underscoring the absence of a rational, necessary link between the supernatural event and a prophet’s truthfulness. Instead, he privileges the Qur’an as Islam’s singular miracle capable of providing lasting, rational credibility. The paper also highlights how Ibn Rushd draws on, yet critically reinterprets, segments of al-Ghazālī’s later works – particularly al-Qisṭās al-mustaqīm and al-Munqidh min al-ḍalāl – to shore up his argument. Though al-Ghazālī remained committed to a broader Ashʿarite framework, both he and Ibn Rushd share the view that extraordinary feats do not, by themselves, confer certain knowledge of prophecy. Ultimately, the article argues that by relegating miracles to a chiefly rhetorical function and centering ‘corresponding’ proofs such as lawgiving and unique moral insight, Ibn Rushd separates prophecy from extravagant supernatural claims. His approach thus preserves both causality and the rational integrity of religious belief, while still acknowledging the formative role that miracles, especially the Qur’an, play in the faith of ordinary believers. Published 2026-02-17T07:15:43Z 2026-02-17T07:06:02Z 2026-02-17T07:15:43Z 2025-06-20 chapter 9788875903459 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/172091.2 eng Quaderni di Noctua application/octet-stream application/octet-stream Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://dx.doi.org/10.14640/QuadernidiNoctua8-2 https://dx.doi.org/10.14640/QuadernidiNoctua8-2 E-theca OnLineOpenAccess Edizioni La ragione nella storia E-theca OnLineOpenAccess Edizioni, Università degli Studi di Torino 10.14640/QuadernidiNoctua8-2 10.14640/QuadernidiNoctua8-2 9c743178-7a11-43f5-9c4d-07b93e99f80f 5ab52b89-8bd0-4d00-b096-5f7c1e3877f9 9788875903459 E-theca OnLineOpenAccess Edizioni, Università degli Studi di Torino 8 16-40 Florence, Parma, Turin open access |
| spellingShingle | miracles prophecy Ashʿarite Ibn Rushd rationality causality al-Ghazālī Qur’an lawgiving philosophy in Muslim contexts thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QD Philosophy thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QD Philosophy::QDH Philosophical traditions and schools of thought::QDHF Medieval Western philosophy Ben Ahmed, Fouad Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198): Reason and Unreason in Prophecy |
| title | Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198): Reason and Unreason in Prophecy |
| title_full | Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198): Reason and Unreason in Prophecy |
| title_fullStr | Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198): Reason and Unreason in Prophecy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198): Reason and Unreason in Prophecy |
| title_short | Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198): Reason and Unreason in Prophecy |
| title_sort | ibn rushd averroes d 1198 reason and unreason in prophecy |
| topic | miracles prophecy Ashʿarite Ibn Rushd rationality causality al-Ghazālī Qur’an lawgiving philosophy in Muslim contexts thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QD Philosophy thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QD Philosophy::QDH Philosophical traditions and schools of thought::QDHF Medieval Western philosophy |
| topic_facet | miracles prophecy Ashʿarite Ibn Rushd rationality causality al-Ghazālī Qur’an lawgiving philosophy in Muslim contexts thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QD Philosophy thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QD Philosophy::QDH Philosophical traditions and schools of thought::QDHF Medieval Western philosophy |
| url | https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/172091.2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT benahmedfouad ibnrushdaverroesd1198reasonandunreasoninprophecy |