What is ontology?

Dear Brother / Sister,

7-KNOWING THE CREATOR

7.1-KNOWING ALLAH’S ATTRIBUTES*

"The scientists who study the creatures of Allah understand His greatness better than anybody else." Fakhruddin ar-Razi

Ontology;

Ontology is the philosophy of existence. This philosophy focuses on the causes and basic principles of existence. Its topic is knowing what exists.

The greatest reality of the philosophy of existence is the existence of Allah, who is Wajib al-Wujud (Necessarily Existent), and knowing Him. 

The recognition of a being or a thing is possible through its definition. Definitions form the basis of all sciences. Definitions are made according to some rules. In mathematics, there are some facts that are accepted as true without questioning; they are called "axioms". The trueness of axioms is not discussed and they are accepted as they are. For example, “infinity“and “zero” are accepted things in mathematics. In mathematics, all definitions and problems are based on those assumptions. If they are questioned and not accepted as they are, it is not possible to do operations in mathematics.

The power of Allah is from His own essence. When the attribute is from the essence, the opposite cannot enter into it. Since its opposite cannot enter into it, there will be no degrees and stages. Thus, many-few, great-small do not matter in creation for the power of Allah.

The highest and the most subtle science is the science of belief, and the largest and most luminous science is Marifatullah (Knowledge of Allah). In other words, knowing Allah, who is the creator of all things and who has infinite attributes such as knowledge, will and power.

The recognition of a being or a thing is possible through its definition. As everything has a description, there must be a definition of Allah too.

As everything has a description, there must be a definition of Allah too. This definition should be exact. In other words, the definition should include all characteristics and attributes of Allah peculiar to Him in a way that should not be confused with the attributes of other beings. 

*From an article in print (Popüler BilimSerisi. Hakk’ın Dilinden Ontoloji. ÂdemTatlı, İdris Görmez. Üsküdar Üniversitesi Yayını, 2019).

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