The relationship between the religion and philosophy in al-Kindî and al-Âmirî within the context of the classification of the sciences

This study comparatively examines the views of Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb b. Isḥāq al-Kindī and Abū'l-Ḥasan Muḥammad b. Yūsuf al-Āmirī on the relationship between religion and philosophy through their classifications of the sciences. The aim is to analyze their understanding of this relationship and to reveal the role of science classification in shaping it. The study is limited to the works of Kindī and Āmirī and modern academic research on them. Their views have been analyzed through comparative methodology. Both philosophers argued that religion and philosophy are distinct yet complementary paths to the same truth and should exist in harmony rather than conflict. Āmirī highlighted the significance of reason under the guidance of religion and adopted a unifying perspective that combined revelation and intellect as sources of knowledge. His classification of sciences positioned divine sciences as the highest form of knowledge, while philosophy was regarded as their complement and as wisdom derived from divine will. For him, religion guides human beings to both worldly and eternal happiness, whereas philosophy enables a deeper understanding of this guidance. By integrating philosophy into the realm of legitimate sciences, Kindī and Āmirī sought to secure harmony between the two disciplines. Kindī and Āmirī acted as bridges between theological and philosophical traditions, assuming a key role in the development of Islamic intellectual thought. Āmirī's reinterpretation of the religion–philosophy relation through the classification of sciences not only shaped the trajectory of Islamic philosophy after Kindī but also provided a new lens for understanding the kalām–philosophy distinction. In this sense, the study offers meaningful insights into how classical heritage can be integrated into contemporary approaches to knowledge.