Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

Philosophy
The reign of Hakam II was indeed the golden age of Arabian learning in Spain. The Caliph was passionately devoted to letters. His agents were sent to all parts of the East to collect rare books. It was under him that the study of philosophy was commenced and cultivated. Among the Muslim philosophers of Spain. Ibn Bajjah and Ibn Rushd occupy the first and foremost place. Besides the honour of having Ibn Rushd for his pupil, it is said of Ibn Bajjah by some Arab

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writers that ”if we established comparison between his essays and those of Ibn Sina and al-Ghazali, the two authors who most promoted the study of philosophy in the Islamic world after alrarabi, we shall find the balance inclining rather on the side of Ibn Bajjah. \verroism
The Eastern doctrines of Absorption and Emanation were first introduced by Aristotle into Eastern Europe. Philo, the Jew, kised his philosophy on the theory of Emanation. From the \le\andrian Greeks these ideas passed into the Saracenic philosophers. In the intellectual history of the Arabs, the Jew and the Saracen are continually seen together. From them conjointly Europe derived its philosophic ideas, which in course of time culminated in Averroism. Now, Averroism is Philosophic Islamism. The work of Ibn Rushd invaded Christendom by two routes (a) from Spain, through Southern France, they reached Italy, and (b) from Sicily they passed to Naples and South Italy. The doctrine of Emanation and Absorption thus introduced into Europe affected the ranks of intelligence and fashion all over the continent. Even as early as the

10th century persons having a taste for learning found their way into Spain, a practice in subsequent years still more indulged in when it became illustrated by the brilliant success of Gilber who passed from the University of Cordova to the Papacy of Rome. Petu and many ecclesiastics and learned men even from Britain were found studying in Andalusia. Into Italy and England, Averroism had silently made its way. It found favour in the eyes of the Franciscans, and a focus in the ancient University of Paris. Michael Scott made the writings of Averroes known by his translations. We meet continually Arabian ideas in Roger Bacon, the forerunner of his great namesake, and eventually in Spinoza. The Aristotelian or Inductive Philosophy, clad in the Saracenic costume and given by Ibn Rushd, found favour with Leonardo de Vinci to whom some would attribute the Renaissance of Learning in Europe. Bertrand Russell commenting on Averroism writes, in his History of Western Philosophy, ”Averroes is more important in Christian than in Muslim philosophy. In the latter he was a dead end in the former a beginning. He was translated into Latin early in the 13th century by Michael Scott ; as his works belong to the later half of the 12th century ; this is surprising. His influence in Europe was very great, not only on the scholastics, but also on a large body of unprofessional free-thinkers, who denied

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immortality and were called Aveiroists. Among professional philosophers, his admirers were at first especially among the Franciscans and at the University of Paris. Sufism
As mention of Averroism or the doctrine or Emanation and absorption, that the soul of man has emanated or issued from God and shall finally be absorbed into God, naturally leads one to say a word or two on Sufism, which has also exercised its quota of influence on Western thoughts. Sufism owes its origin to a little Persian sect who early stuck out a path for themselves by discarding all costly robes and clothing themselves in black woolen garments These were hence forth known as Sufis, and their way as ”Tasawoof.” Abu Hashim was the first to bear the name of Sufi. AlMisri may be said to have given sufism its permanent shape. By the end of the 3rd century A.H., Quietism had changed into Pantheism and kindled a belief that the Beloved and Lover are one and identical. Two theories are advanced as to the origin of sufism :
1. Reaction of the human mind from the Transcendental to the Imminent type and
2. Neoplatonic influence.
It is highly probable that the Seven Philosophers who were forced to leave their homes through the tyranny of Justinian, who forbade the teaching of Philosophy at Athens, should have exercised a considerable influence upon a few of the more thought full Persians when these Neoplatonists paid a visit to the Persian court in the 6th century, and Neoplatonism is the doctrine of Ecstasy, and this bears directly upon Sufism. These points from a broad outline of Sufism. The later Sufis elaborated the ideas, gave them a rich and beautiful setting a built about them one of the most interesting phases of mystical poetry the world has ever known. They, however,changed the Neoplatonists purely abstract conception of God to an essentially personal one, and were strongly opposed to a distinct personality from the Beloved.
Finally, the ”Abu Brain” of the Indian Vedantists found an echo in the ”Anal Haq” (I am the truth) of the Sufi Mansur al-Hallaj (died 922 A.D.), who had to pay with his life for this utterance. His mystic theory has been clearly expressed in these verses :
”I am He whom I love, and He whom I love is I,
We are two souls dwelling in one body,

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Political and Cultural History of Islam
When thou seest me, thou seest Him, And when thou seest Him, thou seest us both.” Allama Shibli’s remark, that ”Tasawoof’ is control of the faculties and observance of breath, certainly points to the belief that the later Sufis got certain ideas from the Vedantic Philosophy. In seeking to submerge themselves in God, the Sufis arrived at the Indian conception of The All-One.’
All Pantheistic methods and utterances are curiously alike. In William James book, Varieties of Religious Experiences, we read ”This overcoming of all the usual barriers between the individual and the Absolute is the great mystic achievement. They say that in mystic states we become one with the Absolute and we become aware of our oneness. This is the everlasting and triumphant mystical tradition, hardly altered by differences of clime or creed. In Hinduism, in Neoplatonism, in Sufism, in Pantheistic Christian mysticism, in Whitmanism we find the same recurring note, so that there is about mystical utterance an eternal unanimity which ought to make a critic stop and think, and which brings about that which the mystical classics have, as has been said, neither birth-day nor native land.
Perpetually telling of the unity of man and God, their speech antedates language and they do not grow old. Every man, says the author of ”Gulshan Raz’1 whose heart is not longer shaken by doubt, knows with certainty that there is no being, save only one. In his divine majesty the me, the we, the thou, are not found, for the one there can be no distinction. Every being who is annulled and entirely separated from himself, .bears. .”I am God.”; In the vision of God, says Plotinus, what one sees is not our reason, but something prior and superior to our reason. He who thus sees does not see two things. He changes, he ceases to be himself, preserves nothing of himself. Absorbed in God, he makes but one with him, Here, writes Suso, the spirit dies, any yet is all alive in the marvels of the Godhead.