Spiritual Beings in Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī^|^apos;s Cosmology, with Special Reference to His Interpretation of the Mi‘rāj

Abstract

This paper examines the interpretation of the mi‘rāj (the Prophet Mul;tammad's ascension to Heaven) of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d.l209) on the basis of the cosmology, i.e., ontology, in his Koran exegesis (tafsīr), The Keys of the Invisible (Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb), and clarifies the mystical aspect of al-Rāzī's thought, to which few studies conducted thus far have paid attention. Further, it discusses the originality of his cosmology by analyzing his classification of beings, which introduces philosophical spiritual beings into traditional theological atomism, compares his cosmology with the mystical cosmology of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d.1111), and evaluates how al-Rāzī's position is different from traditional theologians in the history of Islamic thought. Both al-Ghazālī and al-Rāzī develop a mystical cosmology and discuss spiritual ascension through the two worlds. Al-Ghazālī presents two systems of cosmology, namely, a mystical cosmology that cautiously introduces philosophical substance and the traditional theological atomic cosmology. On the other hand, al-Rāzī integrates these two systems of al-Ghazālī's cosmology and adopts philosophical spiritual beings into traditional theological atomism. Although he does not confront the difficulty of the ontological integration of atoms and spiritual beings, al-Ghazālī and most other Islamic thinkers do not even attempt to integrate them. It is concluded that in his interpretation of the mi‘rāj, al-Rāzī establishes a unique mystical cosmology that clearly accepts the existence of immaterial spiritual beings.