By Aaron Spevack
In this comprehensive study, Aaron Spevack delves into the 15th-century logic text by Shams al-Din al-Fanari (d. 1431), a foundational work in the Ottoman seminary tradition. Rather than offering a standard annotated translation alone, Spevack also provides an in-depth analysis of each chapter, enriched with references to multiple super-commentaries and practical examples. Drawing from years of study under scholars trained in the Ottoman tradition along with personal research, he highlights the text’s significance in the Islamic logic tradition and its philosophical depth. More than just a guide to logical reasoning, al-Fanari’s work embeds a number of philosophical and metaphysical inquiries that set the Islamic intellectual tradition apart from its modern counterparts. This work offers both a practical and philosophical framework, showing why a deep understanding of classical logic is vital for contemporary discourse.
 
Aaron Spevack teaches at Harvard University and is a researcher and chaplain at Brandeis University. He specializes in Islamic Intellectual History and has published a number of articles and two books, including The Archetypal Sunni Scholar: Law, Theology, and Mysticism in the Synthesis of al-Bajuri (SUNY, 2014.)