10. Al-Ma’mun and the Devils’ Banquets

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. A Note on Transliteration ix
4. Introduction xi
5. 1. The Arabian Desert 1
6. 2. The Daunting Idea of God 10
7. 3. Free Will and Determinism 17
8. 4. The Qur’an: Created or Eternal? 28
9. 5. From Wasil to Ibn Hanbal 41
10. 6. Early Islam: Literacy, Conflict, and Expansion 49
11. 7. Speculative Discourse: A Style 56
12. 8. Discourse: In Pursuit of the Ultimate Answers 62
13. 9. Law and Morality 79
14. 10. Al-Ma’mun and the Devils’ Banquets 92
15. 11. The Language-Logic Debate 99
16. 12. Back to the Human Will and Language 106
17. 13. Expanding the View 113
18. 14. An Interlude: Caliph, Imam, and Philosopher-King 120
19. 15. Philosophy and Politics 124
20. 16. The Philosophers’ “Frenzy” 132
21. 17. Back to Wine and Logic 142
22. 18. Motion and Light 155
23. 19. The Nature of Truth 167
24. 20. Fardajan and Beyond 181
25. 21. The Cosmos 185
26. 22. Cosmic Lights 199
27. 23. Fast Forward 211
28. 24. Language and Reason: The Dilemma 223
29. Notes 235
30. Further Readings 253
31. Name Index 257
32. Cultural Memory in the Present 261