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Omar Khayyám on theodicy

Omar Khayyám on theodicy. Irreconcilability of the transcendental and the imminent. Mehdi Aminrazavi
In: Journal of Islamic Philosophy, 11 (2019), p. 33-44.

Abstract

The philosophical and theological thoughts of Omar Khayyām, the Persian mathematician, astronomer, and the likely author of the Rubāʿiyyāt (Quatrains), has remained a neglected area of scholarship. Much of the scholarship on Khayyām in the last few centuries has primarily been focused on his Quatrains, and to a lesser extent, on his views on mathematics and geometry. Despite Khayyām’s significance, his six philosophical treatises were not even edited nor published until recently, which is perhaps why they have remained relatively obscure. In this article, Khayyām’s dual views on theodicy are presented notwithstanding that he is the only figure we know of in the annals of Islamic intellectual history who adopted two opposite positions—simultaneously— with regard to the problem of evil. This article postulates that Khayyām’s dual positions on theodicy can only be understood if they are placed in their proper contexts; philosophically, theodicy is explainable, while on a more experiential level it is not. Conclusions may vary, depending on whether we are looking at the presence of evil from a transcendental or an imminent perspective.

 

Khayyam studies in Russia

Khayyam studies in Russia. Sultanova Zulkhumor Sabatullaevna.
In: Anglisticum. Journal of the Association-Institute for English Language and American Studies, 11 (2022) 12, p. 34-40

Summary

The article discusses in detail the stages of formation and evolution of Khayyam studies in Russia and its important approaches. On the basis of real and concrete acts, it is proved that V. Jukovsky laid the foundations in the Russian-Khayyam oriental science by writing “Omar Khayyam and the “wandering”, rubaiyat”, raising the question of the method of selecting and highlighting the original Khayyam rubaiyat. Starting from the twenties of the last century, Khayyam studies gradually formed and developed, and the study of the issues of time, life and work of Khayyam was in the center of attention of Russian Howarists. His connection with the literary and cultural environment, his connection with politicians and writers has always been the subject of close attention of scientists. Features of the life time, literary environment and Khayyam’s connection with political figures, including Nizamulmulk, Hasan Sabbah and some poets and historians, with an analysis of the works of A.Bolotnikov, A.E. Krumsky, S.B. Morochnik, B.A. Rosenfeld, R.M. Aliev M.N. Usmonov and others. With a comparative analysis in the article, the contribution of such scientists as B.A. Rosenfeld and A.P. Yushkevich is especially appreciated in the knowledge and evaluation of Khayyam’s scientific activities, his role in the development of the science of philosophy and the revival of the Galilean calendar.

Obligation Versus Free Will in Khayyam’s Poetry. A Linguistic and Verbal Art Theoretic Account

Obligation Versus Free Will in Khayyam’s Poetry. A Linguistic and Verbal Art Theoretic Account. Maryam Bordbar; Ferdows Aghagolzadeh.
Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 7 (2016) 6, pp. 216–220.

Although Khayyam is one of the Persian poets whose school of thought and poems are studied the most, there is hardly a research in which his intellectual system is explained and made clear via a linguistic framework. In this paper one of the most debatable matters which is “Obligation” versus “Free Will” is dealt with by using Hasan’s (1989) linguistics and verbal art model. This model provides touchstones for clarifying the concepts which are foregrounded by the poet. In this study other than qualitative analysis of 33 Khayyam’s quatrains which are selected based on their contents they convey, quantitative analysis method of frequency calculation is used as well. The results approve this hypothesis that the notion of “obligation” is foregrounded by linguistic tools against “Free will” as background.

Martin Heidegger and Omar Khayyam on the Question of “Thereness” (Dasein)

Martin Heidegger and Omar Khayyam on the Question of “Thereness” (Dasein). M. Aminrazavi.
In: Islamic philosophy and occidental phenomenology on the perennial microcosm and macrocosm. Dordrecht, Springer, 2006. Vol. 2, pp. 277-287.

In comparing two philosophers who belong to two distinct philosophical traditions, one often runs the risk of superficiality. That is, by finding similarities, either conceptual or linguistic, one may conclude that the thinkers in question are advocating the same concepts. One may go further and ask, “So what if the two figures belonging to two different schools of thought agree with respect to one or a set of ideas?”

Méditation sur les mystères de la création. Paul Valéry et Omar al Khayyâm

Méditation sur les mystères de la création. Paul Valéry et Omar al Khayyâm. Mohammad Reza Mohseni.
Revue Annales du patrimoine, (2012) Nr. 12, pp. 57-71.

La méditation sur la mort, l’ordre de l’existence ainsi que les mystères de la Genèse constitue l’objet principal des études philosophiques dont s’inspirent, de temps à autre, la poésie et la littérature. Cette recherche se fixe comme objectif de démontrer si l’attitude des poètes Paul Valéry et Omar al Khayyâm à l’encontre des notions telles que la mort et l’existence tire son origine de leur affres de la mort, ou bien elle prend ses sources dans leurs préoccupations philosophiques. Nous allons étudier les attributs narcissiques des poèmes de Valéry, en pleine contra diction avec des vers cosmopolites et regorgés de sagesse de Khayyâm.

Attempts at locating the Rubaiyat in Indian philosophical thought

Attempts at locating the Rubaiyat in Indian philosophical thought. A. Rangarajan.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 233–243.

In this article Rangarajan gives a metaphysical reading of Khayyám’s quatrains by comparing Khayyám’s description of human existence with the supernatural order of Hinduism. Moreover, the author concentrates on other religions such as Buddhism, Jainism and Ajivika, showing how Khayyám’s philosophy matches the tenets of these religions.

Bitter certainty: J.H. Leopold on ‘Umar Khayyám

Bitter certainty: J.H. Leopold on ‘Umar Khayyám. J.D.F. van Halsema.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 129-134.

In this contribution Van Halsema discusses how the poet J.H. Leopold (1865-1925) focused on philosophy between 1900 and 1906, seeking to solve the problem of human loneliness. He studied Stoa, Epicurus, Spinoza, Descartes, Hume, and Kant closely, and then, in 1904, he found ‘Umar Khayyám.

Khayyám’s universal appeal: man, wine, and the hereafter in the quatrains

Khayyám’s universal appeal: man, wine, and the hereafter in the quatrains. A.A. Seyed-Gohrab.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 11-38.

Introductory essay, in which the author discusses a number of aspects in respect to the study of Omar Khayyám and his rubáiyát: the contents of the quatrains; man, the world and the hereafter; doubt versus certainty; the knot of death; flora and fauna; the pot and the pot-maker; who is the beloved; people with discernment; in vino veritas; activities in the world.

Vernacularizing Rubaiyat: the politics of Madhushala in the context of the Indian nationalism

Vernacularizing Rubaiyat: the politics of Madhushala in the context of the Indian nationalism. A. Castaing.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 215–232.

Anne Castaing shows the influence of Khayyám on the young Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bacchan (1907-2003), who translated the quatrains into Hindi under the title of Umar khayyám kī Madhuśálá (“Omar Khayyám’s House of Wine”). Bacchan wrote his own collection of quatrains entitled Madhuśálá (“The house of wine,” 1935) that deals with the same motifs and symbolism and are interpreted as an “allegory of poetic creation, homeland, universe, love etc., with wine and intoxication symbolising the duality of existence, both sweet and bitter.” By using themes and motifs from Khayyám’s poetry, Bacchan readdresses the questions of orthodoxy versus free thinking, hierarchy of being and man’s place in the universe.

Between tavern and madrassa: ‘Umar Khayyám the scientist

Between tavern and madrassa: ‘Umar Khayyám the scientist. Bagheri, Mohammad.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 67-72.

This contribution focuses on Khayyám as a scientist and how his scientific merits are combined with his literary genius. Bagheri’s study includes Khayyám’s classification of cubic equations, his commentary on Euclid’s Elements, and Khayyám’s scientific achievements.