First published in 1993

Published here for the first time in English, this highly important work by Henry Corbin, the Islamic scholar, philosopher and historian of religion, is a definitive interpretation of traditional Islamic philosophy from the beginning to the present day.

In this authoritative volume, Corbin makes clear the great themes of the doctrinal and mystical vision of Islamic philosophy through a wealth of comparative parallels and in relation to the most profound currents of Western philosophy.

Part One

From the Beginning Down to the Death of Averroes, Corbin considers the Sources of Philosophical Meditation in Islam; Shiism and Prophetic Philosophy; the Sunni Kalam; Philosophy and the Natural Sciences; the Hellenizing Philosophers; Sufism; Al-Suhrawardi and the Philosophy of Light, and the Andalusian Tradition.

Part Two

From the Death of Averroes to the Present Day, he examines Sunni Thought, the Metaphysics of Sufism, and Shiite Thought.

Corbin's History of Islamic Philosophy is both an inspirational book and an essential work of reference, enabling readers to discover themselves the richness of this body of thought.