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THE RELEVANCE OF ABU BAKR MUHAMMAD ZAKARIYA AL-RAZI’S
PHILOSOPHICAL AND ETHICAL VIEWS FOR TODAY
Akhmedov Rifat Pirmatovich
Researcher of Bukhara State University
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13340329
Annotation:
This article explores how the ideas of Abu Bakr Muhammad
Zakariya al-Razi, a renowned philosopher and physician from the medieval
period, still resonate today. Al-Razi was well-known for his thoughts on ethics,
rationality, and science. The piece looks at how his insights into reason, morality,
and knowledge can shed light on today’s ethical and philosophical debates. By
delving into his teachings, the article shows how al-Razi’s wisdom remains
relevant and can help us address the complex issues we face in our modern
world.
Keywords:
society, philosopher, human, ethics, development, values
Since the attainment of independence, democratic changes in all areas of
our society have been understood and noted for a long time as aspirations in the
minds of many philosopher-scholars, political scientists, historians, and leaders
of various levels.
Today, despite many achievements in science, economics, and culture,
certain moral deficiencies persist: corruption, injustice, localism, and others.
Among the youth, the level of morality is particularly low. Immoral behavior is
also observed among high-ranking officials. All these shortcomings can lead to
the society falling behind.
The system of ethical views of Abu Bakr Zakariya al-Razi presents
significant positive aspects that remain highly relevant to contemporary Uzbek
society. Although the philosopher’s moral worldview was influenced by the
political practices of his time, his principles can still be applied in modern life.
When discussing the shortcomings in human behavior and ways to correct
them, al-Razi provided numerous examples in his ethical legacy that could be
applied to modern life. For instance, arrogance is one of the most negative traits
of people, especially officials. Al-Razi emphasized this significantly in his work
“Spiritual Medicine” and stated the following: “In reality, vanity arises from a
person’s admiration of themselves, if they overestimate their own good qualities
beyond what is fitting. If a person assigns the task of evaluating their own vices
and virtues to another person, they can rid themselves of vanity”. Elements of
corruption, such as greed and miserliness, are present in all social relations.
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In his works, al-Razi paid special attention to such negative phenomena
and categorized greedy people into two groups:
1. Those who protect their wealth when the need arises in the future;
2. Those who accumulate wealth by the command of their heart.
He said the following about this: “...we also encounter other people who are
satisfied with their own miserliness and nothing else. Such characteristics of the
soul need to be corrected, and one must not allow passions to dominate, because
greed and desire are not only qualities that humiliate the soul in the present but
also weaken it in the future. If a person hoards wealth without reason, they are
destined to face misfortune and conflict later on”.
Another important moral category discussed in the thinker’s works is envy.
He described it as follows: “Envy is one of the most disgusting manifestations of
nature, arising from the combination of greed and avarice in the heart”.
Addressing the harm of envy, Razi stated, “If envy and deceit are added to it, it
will lead to enmity and hatred”. Regarding the pursuit of a position, the thinker
observed that envy can cause enmity between relatives, friends, and loved ones,
although such envy is rare. According to Razi, this stems from people’s self-love,
as each person desires to occupy the position themselves.
Another negative behavior observed universally is the ambition for status.
Abu Bakr al-Razi critically addressed such individuals in his works, explaining
the causes and consequences of this ambition. He emphasized that “in worldly
affairs, those who achieve a certain rank are initially happy, but gradually this
joy diminishes and turns into a worse state, leading them to sorrow. They
become obsessed with high positions with all their heart and continuously”.
Anger is also considered one of the negative traits in al-Razi’s ethics.
According to al-Razi, anger is a psychological phenomenon and one of the
negative aspects of courage. The philosopher said about it: “Anger is given to
animals for the purpose of seeking revenge. It is unnatural for humans and
drives them to madness, turning them into fools”.
Alongside the aforementioned positive aspects, it should be noted that al-
Razi’s ethics tend to overemphasize the role of moral development in
individuals and the transformation of social ethics. Believing in the moral and
purifying power of reason might be seen as somewhat naive. It is also incorrect
to assume that people only engage in bad deeds and do not know how to do
good. Nevertheless, many of his ideas can still serve as a source of moral
inspiration for individuals today. In contemporary reality, it is challenging to
provide a definitive assessment of the scholar’s ethical theory. On one hand, it
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contains a strong social-critical element, on the other hand, analyzing his ethical
ideas encourages us to strive for higher levels of moral culture.
In the current phase, the development of a democratic society is
fundamentally different from previous eras, especially from the medieval period
in which our ethicists lived. Nevertheless, a nation-state like the Republic of
Uzbekistan can fully realize its potential by drawing on the most vibrant
elements of its past.
One of the elements from the past we have chosen is the invaluable spiritual
experience of historical lessons, which helps us understand the level of freedom
in developing the complex laws and moral phenomena of society. In this context,
the advanced ethical thinking of the Uzbek people, including al-Razi’s ethical
values, along with their deviations and forecasts, represents this historical layer.
Their continuity offers an opportunity to uncover their content, origins, paths,
and future development tendencies for modern consciousness, ethical theory,
and moral practice.
References:
1.
Turdiyev, B. S. (2019). The role of national harmony in the strategy of
spiritual renewal. Scientific Bulletin of Namangan State University, 1(6), 229-
233.
2.
Sobirovich, T. B. (2023). Basic Criteria for Building the Third Renaissance
in Uzbekistan. Asian Journal of Applied Science and Technology (AJAST), 7(1),
149-157.
3.
Sobirovich, T. B. Evolution of ideas and views on the development of
democratic society and spiritual renewals. Scientific Bulletin of Namangan State
University, 10, 243-250.
4.
Turdiyev, B. S. (2021). Cultural and educational development of society in
the scientific heritage of world philosophers. Academic research in educational
sciences, 2(4), 443-451.
