Revision of thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Leiden, 1992.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

1. Al-Farabi's concern with Aristotelian logic and the role of the Prior Analytics. 2. The primacy of the assertoric syllogism. 3. This study: its relevance, structure, and objectives -- I. The Sources. 2. The Prior Analytics I: translations. 3. The Prior Analytics II: commentaries & paraphrases. 4. The Prior Analytics III: related works. 5. Consulting the Prior Analytics-complex: methodology. 6. Other primary sources -- II. The Syllogism and its Kinds. 2. The syllogism: simple and compound deductions. 3. Simple deductions: predicative and conditional. 4. Predicative deductions: hamli or jazmi? 5. Predicative deductions: direct deductions, and those 'involving a contradiction'. 6. Direct deductions: hyparctic, necessary, and possible. 7. Compound deductions -- III. Technical Terms and Expressions. 2. Aristotelian syllogistics: technical terms and expressions. 3. Technical terms in al-Farabi's syllogistics. 4. Predication in the Arabic Prior Analytics. 5. Predication in al-Farabi's syllogistics.

6. Quality and quantity of propositions in Aristotle and al-Farabi -- IV. The Assertoric Syllogism. 2. The conversion of propositions. 3. The proofs of the imperfect moods. 4. Al-Farabi and the fourth figure. 5. The foundation of syllogistic theory -- V. Induction. 2. Induction in Aristotle. 3. Induction in al-Farabi: general remarks. 4. The Topics. 5. The Prior Analytics II.23. 6. Al-Farabi's interpretation of Prior Analytics II.23 and the Arabic version of II.25. 7. The Posterior Analytics -- VI. The Paradigm. 2. The paradigm in Aristotle. 3. The paradigm in al-Farabi I: the Kitab al-Qiyas al-saghir. 4. The paradigm in al-Farabi II: the Kitab al-Mudkhal ila l-qiyas. 5. The paradigm in al-Farabi III: the Sharh al-Qiyas -- VII. The Istidlal bi-l-Shahid ala l-Ghaib. 2. The mechanism of the argument: al-Farabi's account. 3. The verification of the proposition containing the illa. 4. The logical structure of the istidlal bi-l-shahid ala l-ghaib -- VIII. The Qiyas Fiqhi.

2. The qiyas fiqhi and the Prior Analytics II.23. 3. The qiyas fiqhi and assertoric syllogistics. 4. The qiyas fiqhi: al-Farabi's fourfold classification -- IX. Religion, Philosophy, and Logic. 2. The Perfect State. 3. The Political Regime. 4. The Attainment of Happiness. 5. The Book of Letters -- Index of Primary Sources -- Index of Arabic Manuscripts.

Al-Farabi and Aristotelian Syllogistics deals with an important chapter in the history of Aristotelian logic in early medieval Islam and offers a unique and comprehensive analysis of the writings of the outstanding Muslim philosopher Abu Nasr al-Farabi (d. 950/51).

The first part focuses on a wide range of subjects relating to syllogistic theory proper; the second part deals with its application in the context of Islamic law and theology, and concludes with an in-depth analysis of the way in which Aristotelian logic came to be integrated into Muslim political thought.

The sections on syllogistic theory proper are especially important for those interested in the theory of Arabic logic; the remaining sections are required reading for historians of Islamic law, theology, and Islamic political philosophy.