Harmonisation of Reason and Revelation: A Comprehensive Analysis of Al-Kindī's Philosophy in Constructing Rational Islamic Theology

Abu Yusuf Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Kindī (c. 801–873 CE), nicknamed "The Philosopher of the Arabs," systematically initiated the tradition of philosophy in the Islamic world by demonstrating the inherent compatibility between Hellenistic philosophy and Islamic theology. This study analyses Al-Kindī's intellectual project through a qualitative literature review, focusing on his primary texts, especially Fi al-Falsafah al-Ula. This analysis rests on four main pillars of his thought: first, the epistemological harmonisation between reason ('aql) and revelation (wahy) as two paths to the same Truth; second, the formulation of the metaphysics of Tawhid through a framework of negative theology adapted from Neoplatonism to affirm the absolute oneness of God; third, a cosmological defence of the doctrine of creation ex nihilo as a philosophical rebuttal to Aristotelian theories of the eternity of nature; and fourth, the development of a rational psychology of the immaterial and eternal soul (an-nafs) as the foundation for philosophical eschatology. The results of the study show that Al-Kindī not only translated and adapted Greek thought, but also innovatively recontextualised it to provide a rational foundation for key doctrines of Islamic theology. In doing so, he succeeded in establishing himself as a fundamental figure who laid the groundwork for an ongoing dialogue between philosophy and religion in the intellectual history of Islam.