Ibn Bābawayh, follower of Ḥadīṯ or follower of Philosophy?

Abstract

The scholarly consensus regarding Ibn Bābawayh is that he was a traditionalist, a follower of the text ḥašawī who did not go beyond the Šīʿah traditions. However, this thesis will explore the original hypothesis that his work has been characterised by Muslim Aristotelian and Platonic thought. This would have come about through his reading of Muslim thinkers such as al-Nubaḵtī, al-Rāzī, and al-Fārābī. No researcher to date has sought to thoroughly research possible links between Ibn Bābawayh and Greek philosophy. In pursuit of the exploratory aim of this hypothesis, I will provide relevant information about the thought of abū Bakr al-Rāzī, as far as is currently available. I will also show why Ibn Bābawayh’s doctrine cannot be fully explained by the Imāmī tradition, but instead indicates that we should understand that he drew upon external sources, in particular, the logician and metaphysic Muslim schools. I will pursue twelve key arguments for the link between Ibn Bābawayh, and al-Rāzī.