Muljammad ibn 'Umar Fakhr al-Din al-Razi was born either in 1149 or 1150 in Rayy, a city in central Iran that is now incorporated into Tehran, into a family of Muslim religious scholars. His father was a well-educated theologian, known as the ‘‘preacher of Rayy’’ due to his popular sermons. Thus, Fakhr al-Din is also known as Ibn al-Khatib, ‘‘the preacher’s son.’’ After studying with his father, who may have died in 1163, Fakhr al-Dln continued his education with famous teachers at Nishapur in northeastern Iran. In Nishapur, he is said to have come into contact with the works of Ibn Slna, which set him on a path to study philosophy. Back in Rayy, he became close to Majd al-Din 'Abd al-Razzaq al-Jili, a philosophical scholar and the author of a book on logic. When al-Jili was invited to teach at the famous Mujahidiyya madrasa in Maragha in northwestern Iran, Fakhr al-Din went with him. He studied with al-Jili at the same time that another influential philosopher in Islam, Shihab al-Diin Yahtyai al-Suhrawardi (d. 587/1191), is said to have learned from him.
After completing his studies in Maragha, Fakhr al-Din taught at madrasas in Marand (Azerbaijan), Hamadan (central Iran), and in his hometown Rayy. Fakhr al-Din began to write books early in his life. One of his earliest works is The Instruction in the Science of kalam (al-Isharaft 'ilm al-kalam), a handbook of rationalist theology in Islam (kalam). Another early work is his influential The Limitations to Rationality (Nihayat al-'uqUl, MS Istanbul, Reisiilkuttap 564), a full-fledged summa of kalam that established his fame as a rationalist theologian. In January 1184, he finished The Summary in Philosophy and in Logic (al-Mulakhkhas ft l-Jtikma wa-l-mantiq, MS London, British Library, Or. 2360), a work based on his earlier Eastern Investigations (al-MabaMth al-mashriqiyya) that would revolutionize the way rationalist theology and philosophy was pursued in Islam. Later that year, at age 34, Fakhr al-Din traveled to Khwarezm and Transoxania, two regions in today’s Uzbekistan. Here, he entered into the patronage of the ruling family of the Khwarezmshahs. Complaining about opposition to his teachings from other scholars in that region, Fakhr al-Din left Khwarezm and Transoxania around 1199 and entered into the service of the (Gurid family, the most important rivals of the Khwarezmshahs, who ruled over Afghanistan and northern India. It appears that despite strong opposition from conservative and traditionalist scholars at their courts, both rival dynasties, the Khwarezmshahs and the (Gtirids, competed to attract Fakhr al-Din, a situation that greatly benefited him and made him very rich. Under the (Gtirids, Fakhr al-Din worked at various places in Afghanistan until one of their sultans, (Giyath al-Din Muljammad (d. 1203), built a madrasa for him in Herat (western Afghanistan).
Henrik Lagerlund (ed.), Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4020-9729-4, © Springer Science+Business Media B. V., 2011
In (Gurid service, Fakhr al-Din began work on his voluminous Qur’an commentary and his magnum opus in theological metaphysics The Higher Issues (al-Matalib al-aliya). Fakhr al-Din was occupied with these two works until his death, probably not finishing any of them but leaving that task to his students. In Herat, like in many places earlier, Fakhr al-Din was violently opposed by more traditionalist scholars and by the populace. He needed to rely on bodyguards for his safety.
When in 1208 Herat fell into the hands of the Khwarezmshah 'Ala l-Dln Muhiammad ibn Tekish (r. 1200-1220), who had been a student of Fakhr al-Dln, he was again honored and patronized by this dynasty. Although ailing and frail, he traveled with the Khwarezmshah to his capital Gurgan in today’s Uzbekistan and continued to work on his Qur’an commentary and the book on metaphysics. Returning to Herat, Fakhr al-Dln fell ill in 1209 and died there on March 29, 1210 among his family and his students. After a mock-funeral at a cemetery outside of Herat he was secretly buried in the courtyard of his own house to prevent his enemies from mutilating his corpse.
World History
