Al Farabi

1. Discuss pluto's influence of alfarabi concept of ideal state

2. Compare and contrast the concept of executive of presented by muslim thinkers AlFarabi
Almarwadi and Shah Walliullah (Done)

3. Discuss in detail the concept of “Raisul Awwal” by Al-Farabi. (Done)

4. Al-farabi theory of state (Done)

5. Ideal State of Al Farabi (Done)

6. “Al – Farabi must be placed among the proponents of the Theory of Social Contract.” In the
light of this statement

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1. Discuss in detail the concept of “Raisul Awwal” by Al-Farabi.

Introduction

The great Turkish-Islamic thinker Farabi says that the main purpose of human is to reach
happiness and virtue. According to him, human beings are civilized by nature and are socially
inclined to live together. People cannot survive on their own because people have countless
needs and limitations. Only as a society can people overcome these problems. Farabi states
that the main purpose of people should be to create a happy and virtuous city.

Farabi gave great importance to the person who would rule the state. According to him, the
qualifications that a head of state should have are quite detailed. The quality and character of
the person who will rule the state also determines the fate of the people. If the head of state is
a virtuous and good person, he is good in the state. If the head of state is bad, the state is bad. A
good head of state is the one who embodies all the good qualities of a prophet and a
philosopher. While stating this, Farabi is aware of the difficulty of finding such a candidate and,
if not found, recommends that several people be brought to the presidency to complement
each other.

While Farabi defines the perfect city; he tried to explain all the organs by analogy to a human
body helping to keep it alive and perfect. According to him, the virtuous city is like a full and
healthy human body. When all organs perform their duties together and in cooperation, the
body will be able to become perfect. He states that the first organ to be formed is the heart,
therefore it undertakes the most important task.

According to Farabi, all people agreed to come under the rule of a chief, that is, a state, as a
result of a natural need, that is, to come together within the framework of common needs. The
will of the single individual who is the chief also represents the will of the state. If the chief is
bad, ignorant, mistaken or immoral the state is also bad. On the other hand, the state in which
the philosophers dominate is the good state.

Head Of State According To Farabi

Farabi states that people are born in different natures and that their innate characteristics
differentiate them in terms of a will. Of course, as a natural consequence of this imagination,
the roles that people assume will be different from each other. In this case; He emphasizes that
in terms of the heart being the first organ to form in a newborn human, it is necessary for
someone with the skills and qualifications to be a master for the establishment of a virtuous
city.

Two Types of Presidency

Farabi classifies societies according to the status of their leaders, whether they are virtuous or
not. According to Farabi, the presidency consists of two parts. The first of these is the type of
presidency that carries out the practices aimed at achieving real happiness, the activities carried
out with prudence and a strong will, and the type that should be is this presidency. Because the
cities and nations that accept this real presidency are also virtuous cities and nations. Another
type of presidency is; it is the administration established to achieve what is thought to be happy
even though there is no happiness, and it is called the ignorant presidency

Qualifications of the First Head of State (ar-ra'is al-avval)

In his imagination, Farabi; draws an image of a perfect state like Plato and places the head of
state at the base of this design. All powers should be in the hands of the head of state. As long
as the head of state is just and merciful, the state will survive and people will continue to live in
prosperity. But if the head of state is an oppressor, immoral and unable to resist himself, the
structure that emerges; becomes a state in which the state is not well-administered and the
people are devastated by difficulties and sorrow. For the people not to be persecuted and for
justice to be provided, the person who will preside over the virtuous city should not be an
ordinary person.
Farabi; unites the president, the philosopher, and the prophet.

• The head of state cannot comprehend what happiness is without philosophy,

• Without imagination, it cannot enact the laws necessary for the realization of happiness, that
is, create the political framework,

• Without politics, happiness cannot be transferred to others.

Qualities of Head of State

According to Farabi, the person who will lead is the first head of state of the virtuous city. He is
the ruler of the virtuous nation and only a person who can combine the twelve traits that he
has innate in his personality can reach this rank. According to Farabi, the qualities that the ideal
head of state should have are as follows

1. Physically healthy and every limb must be complete. There should be no restrictive body
barriers when the person moves.

2. It is very important that he understands and comprehends everything that is told or said to
him. For whatever purpose a subject has been told to him, he must truly understand the
subject.

3. He must have a strong memory, he must not forget almost anything, and he must have a
mind that can keep in mind everything he sees and needs.

4. He should have high awareness, be alert, and intelligent to all the evidence and events he
sees around him.

5. He should have the ability to speak well and should be able to express everything he/she
wants to tell easily to the other party in case of need.

6. He should not be bored with gaining knowledge, teaching and learning. He should not avoid
the difficulties that may arise while learning. Although it is thought that Farabi was influenced
by Plato and Aristotle; the recommendations of the president that he should not avoid teaching
what he knows in terms of his qualifications point to a divergence. This separation is a clear
indication of the value Farabi attaches to education and the dissemination of knowledge.
7. By nature, he should love both truth and truthful people, and should not take pleasure in lies
and liars.

8. He should not show weakness for eating, drinking, pleasure and women. He should refrain
from gambling and avoid such requests.

9. He should be an honorable person, should care about greatness and honor.

10. He should not incline towards worldly goods. He should not care about precious metals and
valuables that are worldly.

11. He should be just in line with his nature and love what is just, be fair and merciful to those
he governs, without oppression, and should encourage the people in this direction. It should
support and protect good, truth and justice. He must stand strong against injustice and resist
when something bad or wrong is asked of him.

12. He should not show fear and weakness while acting on issues he deems appropriate. When
necessary, it should maintain its decisive and determined structure.

Exception

It is very difficult to collect all these features in just one person. If a person with these
characteristics, which can only be seen once, is found in an era, and if that person fulfills six of
the twelve above features or can fulfill five other than foresight, that person will be head of
state. If such a person cannot be found or impossible to be found, in line with of old the laws,
rules and traditions before now set by the person or people who previously ruled the city with
these qualifications are preserved

Qualifications of the Vice President (Meliku's- Sun-ne')

To the person who will replace him after the first head of state; He used the expression
Meliku's- Sun-na. Meliku's- Sun-ne is the person who manages the state with the written laws
that have been going on since the previous head of state and continues the tradition left to him.
According to Farabi, the person who will deputize instead of the first ruler should have the
twelve characteristics in question both from birth and throughout his childhood and that person
should be superior and distinguished in terms of six characteristics even after he grows up.
Farabi expresses these six features as follows

a) First of all, the person who will rule the city must be a philosopher.
b) The second head of state should learn very well the laws, rules, and traditions set by the
person or people who previously ruled the city and protect them. He must follow the path of
the rulers before him in everything he will do.

c) If he has to decide on a matter that the previous administrators have not clarified by law, he
should evaluate the previous decisions and jurisprudence very well and guide him in the
decisions he will take.

d) If the existing laws are not sufficient in line with the new needs and demands of the society,
they should act in enacting new laws.

e) Both the laws of the old president and the new laws that he enacted with their inheritance
and by following the path they followed; should have the ability to verbally explain to the
society, to have a strong addressing ability and to guide them.

f) The person who will be the president must not have a physical problem that will prevent him
from serving the society, managing society and acting in case of possible war.

Exception

Farabi realistically accepts the difficulty of having all these features he envisions in only one
person. In this regard, if the wanted manager cannot be found; he says that only someone who
is a philosopher and someone who can meet the other conditions can rule the state together.
Even further, If philosophy is in one person, the second trait is in another person, the third trait
is in another person, the fourth trait is in another, the fifth trait is in another, and the sixth trait
is in another person... In this case, provided that all these people if can agree with each other,
all can be supreme rulers together. Thus, the rule of a single person becomes an aristocratic
republic

Conclusion

Farabi states that people are born in different natures and that their innate characteristics
differentiate them in terms of a will. As a natural consequence of this, the roles that people
assume should be different from each other. In this case; Based on the fact that the heart is the
first organ to form in a newborn human, he emphasizes that the "Melik" who will replace the
heart must be someone with the necessary skills and qualifications for the establishment of a
virtuous city

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2. Ideal State of AlFarabi

Al- Farabi and his ideal society/city

In categorizing rulership, Farabi explained that rulership is of two kinds : (i) a rulership that builds the
voluntary actions, ways of life, and positive dispositions, with which to achieve what is true happiness.
This rulership of true happiness is the virtuous rulership, in which the cities and nations that submit to
this rulership are the virtuous cities and nations; (ii) a rulership that sets up in the cities, the actions and
the states of character with which to attain the things that are presumed to be happiness although they
are not. This kind of rulership, according to al- Farabi, is the ignorant rulership that mainly pursues
wealth, which is known as the ―vile rulership‖.

Types of Human Societies

Al- Farabi discussed three types of perfect human societies. The largest societies, according to al- Farabi,
consist of many nations that associate and cooperate with one another; the medium ones consist of a
nation; and the smallest perfect political associations/societies consist of a city. However, associations in
villages, quarters, streets and households have been described by al- Farabi as imperfect
associations/societies. lFarabi also mentions that the political or civic society is a part of a nation, and
the nation is divided into cities.

Twelve Charateristiccs of Virtous Ruler

Al- Farabi‘s virtuous city is, to some extent, similar to the ideal state of Plato. However, his theory of
virtuous city is based on the Islamic philosophy. In his Virtuous City-State, al- Farabi discussed twelve
principles that a virtuous ruler might possess. However, since al- Farabi was aware that the twelve
qualifications are impossible to be found in a perfect ruler except the Imam in his ideal state, he was
satisfied if the ruler had six or even five of these qualifications.

Second Ruler

Al- Farabi mentioned that the Prophet would be succeeded by the second ruler who must fulfill six
conditions. This ruler according to al- Farabi must be a philosopher, and must know and keep the laws
and ordinances of the first ruler. The ruler then would observe all the laws and ordinances of the first
ruler in his own actions and as an obligation on himself as well as an example to others. This ruler must
have capability to settle the points of laws, which had not existed before in the rule of the first Imam
(leader). He must have the insights and vision of knowledge in grasping new problems that was
unforeseen by the first ruler, and able to find out the solutions for the atmost benefits of the state.
Moreover, the ruler must be capable of making deductions from the laws established by the first imams
and guide and direct his subjects in their application. Furthermore, the second ruler must master the
major and subordinate arts of war. In fact, al- Farabi described ideal state as the state that is ruled by the
Prophet, who is at the same time philosopher-king, lawgiver and imam, from the points of view of
human end and supreme happiness.
Virtous City

According to al- Farabi, men governed by the virtuous ruler are also virtuous, good, and happy men. If
under the virtuous ruler, a nation is formed it would be a virtuous nation, and if the people are
associated in a single dwelling-place, then the dwelling place under the rule of the virtuous ruler would
be a virtuous city. If the virtuous men are not associated together in a single dwelling place, but live in
separate dwelling places whose inhabitants are ruled by rulership other than the virtuous ruler, then
these people would be the virtuous men who were strangers in those dwelling places.

Different Kind of Cities

Al- Farabi also identified different kinds of cities that are opposite to the virtuous cities. These different
types of cities include (1) the ignorant city, (2) the immoral city, (3) the erring city, and (4) the weeds in
virtuous cities.

Ignorant City

Al- Farabi viewed the citizens of the ignorant city as political beings. There are varietiesof cities and
political associations formed by the ignorant people, such as (i) indispensable associations, (ii) the
association of the vile men in the vile cities, (iii) the association of base men in the base cities, (iv)
timocratic association in the timocratic city, (v) despotic association in the despotic cities, (vi) free
association in the democratic city and the city of the free.

Indespensable Associations

The indispensable city is the societal association in which the inhabitants cooperate with each other in
acquiring the bare necessities for the subsistence and safeguarding of life, such as food, drink, clothing,
living place and other physiological gratifications.liv However, the different ways of acquiring these
necessities include husbandry, grazing, hunting, robbery and the like. Both hunting and robbery in this
indispensable city are practiced either secretly or openly. The inhabitants of this city select the best man
who has outstanding skills in management and performance of achieving the bare necessities.

Vile Cities

Vile cities are those whose citizens cooperate with each other in gaining wealth and prosperity, and
excessive possession of indispensable things and/or money.lvi The accumulation of money and wealth
and avoidance of spending money except for the bodily purpose is another characteristic inherent in
those vile citizens. The citizens of the vile city are wealthiest persons. The ruler of this city is skillful in
employing and managing the wealthy people in order to acquire more money. Wealth is obtained in this
city through the methods of obtaining bare necessities, such as husbandry, grazing, hunting, robbery,
and also through voluntary transactions.

The Base City

Timocratic City

The Timocratic city, people respect those persons who gain honor, glory and fame. For instance, if honor
is based on ancestry, then the ruler will be that person who ought to have a more distinguished ancestry
than others.lxi However, the basis of honor may be ancestry, wealth or both or any criterion as regarded
by the citizens of the city honorable.

Despotic Cities

The despotic city is such kind of ignorant city whose inhabitants love to achieve domination over others.
The ruler of the despotic city is the person who shows greater strength in governing and managing the
mightier people who dominate others.lxii The rivalry and contentions are the inherent traits of the
inhabitants of the despotic city. Despotic cities, according to al- Farabi, are more often tyrannical than
timocratic.

Democratic Cities

The democratic city is the one in which the citizens do whatever they want to do. All the characteristics
of ignorant cities are prevalent in this city in the most perfect manner. This city is the most admirable
and happy city to them. Everybody loves to live in this city because it fulfills all kinds of human wish or
desires.lxv In this type of city both virtuous/philosophers and ignorant people can reside.

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