Al-Farabi

   Definition: al-Farabi was the founder of philosophy in the Islamic world. He known as “the second teacher” (the first teacher is Aristotle). Much of his personal life remains unknown, but he most likely lived in the late 800s in Baghdad. His most notable works are concerned with logic, physics, metaphysics, music, and politics. He also had an interest in Aristotle and Plato, so many commentaries about these two famous Western philosophers exist in his name. He argues that studying Aristotle and Plato are more fulfilling activities than being concerned with politics.

Importance: Although it may be hard to believe now, during the Dark Ages, the teachings and writings of Classical philosophers like Aristotle and Plato were relatively lost in Europe. As this was happening, the Islamic world was experiencing a Golden Age centered in Baghdad. Muslim philosophers like al-Farabi were playing around with the ideas of these philosophers and applying them to the teachings of the Qur’an in Arabic (Pasnau). This is extremely important to comprehend because what we know as Classical philosophy today is actually the translation of the Arabic translation of the teachings of Aristotle and his contemporaries.

Source: http://thegreatthinkers.org/al-farabi/introduction