God as the Highest Perfection in al-Farabi’s Theology

Abstract

This article discusses the idea of God as the highest perfection and the most perfect knowledge in the theological doctrine of al-Farabi. Al-Farabi considers his doctrine of the perfection of God in the famous work “On the Perfect state”. Most of this treatise is about proof of the existence and perfection of God. Al-Farabi describes the qualities of God not only directly, but also through the attributes of life, knowledge, wisdom, reality, and truth. Al-Farabi calls God the First Cause, or simply the First. The idea of ​​perfection, according to al-Farabi, is manifested not only in the laws of the universe, but also in the process of ruling the city and the state. So, if a ruler and inhabitants are guided by faith and the idea of ​​God, then their life will be reasonable since the reason and perfection of God are identical in the theology of al-Farabi. Thus, the metaphysics of al-Farabi is closely connected with the idea of ​​ perfection of Reason, which manifests itself in a detailed theologo-philosophical doctrine.

Keywords: The First Being, metaphysics, theology, the idea of ​​God, perfection