The Concept of “Entire” (Kull) and Its Impact on the Verdict Regarding the Chain of Existence Pertaining to the Past: A Reading Based on the Texts of Ibn Taymiyya

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between Ibn Taymiyya’s (d. 728/1328) judgment on the chain of beings related to the universe and his concept of the entire (kull). The topic, which appears to have been overlooked in previous research on Ibn Taymiyya, addresses the question: “Must every whole (jumla) or aggregate (majm??) composed of individuals sharing common attributes necessarily constitute a universal (kull?) as an entire?” Ibn Taymiyya’s possible response to this question is attempted to be reached through his texts. Thus, the study, which scrutinizes the logical aspect of Ibn Taymiyya’s judgment on the eternity or finitude of the universe, first addresses the concepts of whole and universal and establishes the differences between them. It argues that a single entire can be considered both as a whole and as a universal from different perspectives, but that there can be no categorical transition or reduction between these two types of entire. Finally, it reveals that Ibn Taymiyya judged the chain of beings related to the universe as eternal from the perspective of one type of entire, while he judged it as finite from the perspective of another type. It highlights the aspect of considering purely intelligible concepts as external entities and the relationship of this aspect to his judgment concerning the universe. © 2024, Ankara University, Journal of the Faculty of Divinity. All rights reserved.