AL-ATTAS ON ACTION, THINKING FRAMEWORK AND THE HUMAN SOUL

Muhammad Zainiy Uthman

ABSTRACT

This article analyses al-Attas’s definition of thinking as “the movement of the soul towards meaning” which he developed based on comparison and synthesis of expositions on the metaphysical reality underlying the nature of man and knowledge of the philosophers (al-falyasūf), theologians (al-mutakallimūn), and metaphysicians (al-ṣūfiyyūn). Thinking, intellection, and making judgment are not independent of a framework of thought or a worldview.  According to al-Attas, in its active quest for knowledge, the soul arrives at meaning; and as thinking involves sensibles (maḥsūsat) and intelligibles (ma‘qūlat) to arrive at meanings and as they are intellectual forms, they have limits—another novel concept brought forth by al-Attas as the limit of truth for every object of knowledge. It is difficult to grasp and understand intelligibles, because they do not have the empirical sensitive counterparts. It argues that al-Attas’ emphasis on rational proof, the prerogative of the intellect (‘aql), that is not the product of conjecture or doubt is something new that al-Attas brought forth, because it has to conform to the true and real ontological and logical conditions, a finer and substantial analysis of the epistemology of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘ah in addition to sense perception and true reports. This study sheds light on the result of thinking in Islām which is to arrive at certainty (yaqīn). This article has established the importance of the heart (qalb) over the intellect in the reception of ma‘rifah in support of al-Attas’ emphasis that the qalb is the spiritual organ for cognition, higher than that of rational and logical signified knowledge.