Fakhr al-Din al-Razi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni
Personal
Born	26 January 1150 Ray, Seljuk Empire
Died	29 March 1210 (aged 61) Herat, Khwarazmian Empire
Senior posting
Title	Shaykh al-Islam, al-Fakhr al-Razi, Sultan al-Mutakallimin (Sultan of the Theologians), and Imam or Shaykh al-Mushakkikin (the Imam or Teacher of the Skeptics).
Religious career
Works	Al-Tafsir al-Kabir (Mafatih al-Ghayb), Asas al-Taqdis
Influenced	Athir al-Din al-Abhari, Nizam al-Din al-Nisapuri, Burhan al-Din al-Nasafi, Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi, Taj al-Din al-Subki, Al-Safadi, Ibn Abi Usaybi'a, Al-Suyuti, Sa'id Foudah

Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (born January 26, 1150 – died March 29, 1210) was a very smart and talented Persian scholar. People often called him the "Sultan of the Theologians." He was a polymath, which means he knew a lot about many different subjects. He wrote books on medicine, chemistry, physics, astronomy, cosmology, literature, theology, philosophy, and history.

Al-Razi was one of the first thinkers to talk about the idea of a Multiverse. This is the idea that there might be many other universes besides our own. He even connected this idea to the teachings of the Quran. He didn't believe the old idea that the Earth was the center of everything. Instead, he thought there was a huge outer space beyond what we could see.

Al-Razi was born in Ray, Iran, and passed away in Herat, Afghanistan. His writings show that he was influenced by other great thinkers like Avicenna and al-Ghazali. Two of his most important philosophical books are Eastern Studies in Metaphysics and Physics and The Higher Issues.

Biography

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's full name was Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn al-Husayn at-Taymi al-Bakri at-Tabaristani Fakhr al-Din al-Razi Tabaristani. He was born in 1150 to a family from the Quraysh tribe, who had moved to Rey in Amol of Tabaristan (which is now Mazandaran Province, Iran).

He first learned from his father, Ḍiyāʾ al-Dīn al-Makkī, who was also a respected scholar. Later, al-Razi studied in Merv and Maragheh. There, he was a student of Majd al-Din al-Jili, who had been taught by al-Ghazali. Al-Razi became a leading supporter of the Ash'ari school of Islamic thought.

Al-Razi wrote a very detailed commentary on the Quran. It included many important ideas that had been discussed before. He studied many different subjects and was known for spending a lot of money on experiments. He taught in Rey (Central Iran) and Ghazni (eastern Afghanistan). Later, he became the head of a university in Herat (western Afghanistan).

In his later years, he also became interested in Sufism, which is a mystical side of Islam. However, this was not a main part of his overall thinking.

The Idea of Multiple Universes

Al-Razi thought a lot about physics and how the physical world works. In his book Matalib al-‘Aliya, he questioned the old idea that the Earth was the center of the universe. He explored the idea of a multiverse when he commented on a verse from the Quran: "All praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds."

He wondered if the word "worlds" in this verse meant many worlds inside our own universe, or if it meant many other universes beyond the one we know.

Al-Razi said: "It is clear that there is an empty space beyond our world that has no end. And it is also clear that God has power over all possible things. So, God has the power to create millions of worlds beyond this one. Each of these worlds could be bigger and heavier than our world. They could also have things like our world has, such as a throne, a chair, heavens, an earth, a sun, and a moon. The arguments that philosophers use to say there is only one world are weak and based on shaky ideas."

Al-Razi disagreed with the ideas of Aristotle and Avicenna, who believed there was only one universe with one world at its center. He showed why their arguments were weak. His ideas came from his belief in atomism. This is the idea that everything is made of tiny particles (atoms) that move in empty space.

He talked more about this "void" – the empty spaces between stars and planets – in his book Matalib. He believed there was an endless outer space beyond our known world. He also thought that God could fill this empty space with an infinite number of universes.

List of Works

Al-Razi wrote over a hundred books on many different topics. Here are some of his most important works:

• Tafsir al-Kabir (The Great Commentary), also known as Mafatih al-Ghayb. This is his huge commentary on the Quran.
• Asas al-Taqdis (The Foundation of Declaring Allah's Transcendence). This book argued against certain beliefs about God.
• ‘Aja’ib al-Qur’an (The Mysteries of the Qur'an).
• Al-Mahsul fi ‘Ilm al-Usul.
• ‘Ilm al-Akhlaq (Science of Ethics).
• Kitab al-Firasa (Book on Firasa).
• Kitab al-Mantiq al-Kabir (Major Book on Logic).
• Mabahith al-mashriqiyya fi ‘ilm al-ilahiyyat wa-’l-tabi‘iyyat (Eastern Studies in Metaphysics and Physics).
• Al-Matālib al-‘Āliyyah min al- 'ilm al-ilahī (The Higher Issues). This was his last work, which he didn't finish.
• Muḥaṣṣal Afkār al-Mutaqaddimīn wal-Muta'akhkhirīn (The Harvest/Compendium of the Thought of the Ancients and Moderns).
• Sharh Asma' Allah al-Husna (Commentary on Asma' Allah al-Husna). This explains the beautiful names of God.

See also

In Spanish: Fakhr al-Din al-Razi para niños