AL-QUR’AN AND AL-SUNNAH AS THE FOUNDATIONAL SOURCES OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY: A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Islamic philosophy is a diverse, dynamic, rational, and philosophical tradition that harmonize between naqli (revelation) and aqli (reason). Throughout the history of Islam, many Muslim philosophers such as al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Avicenna, Ibn Rushd, and Al-Ghazali contributed significantly to the ideas of Islamic philosophy based on the revelation as its foundational source with integrated approach between aqli and naqli that influenced on Islamic thought. Fundamental questions such as metaphysical issues, existence of Allah, existence of life, man’s nature and purpose, cosmos’s origin and teleology, epistemology, knowledge, and ethics. As qualitative research for the descriptive analysis, the Qur'an and Sunnah are considered as the foundational sources and inspiration of Islamic philosophy that emphasizes their integral roles in shaping the intellectual, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of the Islamic worldview. The Qur'an, as the specific words of Allah, provides the core metaphysical, ethical, and epistemological principles that inspire to develop Islamic thought. The Sunnah, comprising the sayings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad, complements the Qur'an by offering practical examples and elaboration on its teachings. Given the context, the study aims to examine the meaning and the foundational sources of Islamic philosophy and analyzes these within the purview of contemporary thought which is based on the textual argumentations of the Quran and the Sunnah. This descriptive analysis offers a comprehensive exploration of how the Qur'an and Sunnah serve as the foundational sources of Islamic philosophy that provides a detailed understanding of their influence across various aspects of Islamic thought and philosophy. This paper concludes that though a few Muslim traditionalists argue to justify philosophical approach is contradictory with the Islamic Aqidah (faith), the majority of the Muslim philosophers have viewed the Qur`an and Sunnah as the foundational sources of Islamic philosophy with the process of integration between revelation and intellect.