Peter S. Groff. Islamic Philosophy A-Z.

• Position: BOOKS IN BRIEF, Spring 2008 - Brief article - Book review

Peter S. Groff. Islamic Philosophy A-Z. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. 224 pages. Paper $20.00.

Philosophy and religion are intertwined in the Islamic tradition. Islamic Philosophy A-Z helps explain how philosophy expresses itself within the Islamic context. Islamic philosophy is not reducible to Islam as a religion or "it has no uniquely "Islamic" essence" (x). Groff uses various sources from schools of theology (Isma'ilis, Sufis, etc), to Greek philosophers. He provides over a hundred concise entries: key figures, schools, concepts, topics, and issues.

The approach used might be simply described as philosophy that emerges within a context predominantly informed by the religious, social, political, and cultural dimensions of Islam. Groff says, "Even...