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and the followers of Plato who affirmed the Platonic Forms erred for this very reason (1), as did the followers of his companion Aristotle, who affirmed the external existence of abstract intelligible substances alongside existing sensible substances—such as matter, form, and a quiddity additional to existence in external reality (2).
When they affirm this quiddity, they are asked: Is it in the mind or in external reality? Whichever of the two they affirm it to be in, their error becomes evident. If they say, “We affirm it absolutely, without regard
(1) Plato. (N), (W), and (R) read: “Aflātun (Plato).” He was the famous Greek philosopher, born in 428 BCE and deceased in 348 BCE. On his life and thought, see *al-Milal wa-l-Nihal*, 2:94–101; *Tarīkh al-Hukamā* by al-Qiftī, pp. 17–27; *Tabaqāt al-Atibbā* by Ibn Abī Usaybia, pp. 78–84; *Aflātūn* by Dr. Abd al-Rahmān Badawī, Maktabat al-Nahda al-Misriyya, Cairo, 1954; *al-Falsafa inda al-Yūnān*, pp. 165–243; *Tarīkh al-Falsafa al-Yūnāniyya* by Yūsuf Karam, pp. 62–111; *Tarīkh al-Falsafa al-Gharbiyya* by Bertrand Russell, translated by Dr. Zakī Najīb Mahmūd, pp. 176–257; *Greek Philosophy*, pp. 58–255; and A. E. Taylor, *Plato*, London, 1963.
(2) Aristotle, known as “the First Teacher,” was the most renowned of all the Greek philosophers. He was born in 384 BCE and died in 322 BCE. On his life and thought, see *al-Milal wa-l-Nihal*, 2:128–145; *Tarīkh al-Hukamā*, pp. 27–53; *Tabaqāt al-Atibbā*, pp. 84–105; *Tarīkh al-Falsafa al-Yūnāniyya*, pp. 112–209; *Tarīkh al-Falsafa al-Gharbiyya*, pp. 258–331; *al-Falsafa inda al-Yūnān*, pp. 245–364; *Aristū* by Dr. Abd al-Rahmān Badawī, Maktabat al-Nahda al-Misriyya, Cairo, 1944; *Greek Philosophy*, pp. 257–380; and Ross, *Aristotle*, London, 1974.
وَأَصْحَابُ أَفْلَاطُونَ الَّذِينَ أَثْبَتُوا الْمُثُلَ الْأَفْلَاطُونِيَّةَ مِنْ \ هُنَا كَانَ غَلَطُهُمْ
(١)
، وَأَصْحَابُ صَاحِبِهِ أَرِسْطُو الَّذِينَ أَثْبَتُوا جَوَاهِرَ مَعْقُولَةً مُجَرَّدَةً فِي الْخَارِجِ مُقَارَنَةً لِلْجَوَاهِرِ الْمَوْجُودَةِ الْمَحْسُوسَةِ، كَالْمَادَّةِ وَالصُّورَةِ وَالْمَاهِيَّةِ الزَّائِدَةِ عَلَى الْوُجُودِ فِي الْخَارِجِ، مِنْ هُنَا كَانَ غَلَطُهُمْ
(٢)
.
وَهُمْ إِذَا أَثْبَتُوا هَذِهِ الْمَاهِيَّةَ،
قِيلَ لَهُمْ:
أَهِيَ فِي الذِّهْنِ أَمْ فِي الْخَارِجِ؟ فَفِي أَيِّهِمَا أَثْبَتُوهَا ظَهَرَ غَلَطُهُمْ،
وَإِذَا قَالُوا:
نُثْبِتُهَا مُطْلَقَةً، مَعَ قَطْعِ النَّظَرِ
(١) أَفْلَاطُونَ، وَجَاءَ فِي (ن) ، (و) ، (ر) أَفْلَاطُنَ Plato: هُوَ الْفَيْلَسُوفُ الْيُونَانِيُّ الشَّهِيرُ. وُلِدَ ٤٢٨ ق. م وَتُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ ٣٤٨ ق. م انْظُرْ عَنْهُ وَعَنْ آرَائِهِ الْمِلَلَ وَالنِّحَلَ ٢/٩٤ - ١٠١، تَارِيخَ الْحُكَمَاءِ لِلْقِفْطِيِّ ص ١٧ - ٢٧، طَبَقَاتِ الْأَطِبَّاءِ لِابْنِ أَبِي أُصَيْبِعَةَ ٧٨ - ٨٤، أَفْلَاطُونْ لِلدُّكْتُورِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بَدَوِيّ، مَكْتَبَةُ النَّهْضَةِ الْمِصْرِيَّةِ الْقَاهِرَةِ ١٩٥٤، الْفَلْسَفَةَ عِنْدَ الْيُونَانِ، ص ١٦٥ - ٢٤٣، تَارِيخَ الْفَلْسَفَةِ الْيُونَانِيَّةِ لِيُوسُفَ كَرَم ص ٦٢ - ١١١، تَارِيخَ الْفَلْسَفَةِ الْغَرْبِيَّةِ لِبِرْتِرَانْد رَسِل تَرْجَمَةُ د. زَكِي نَجِيب مَحْمُود ص ١٧٦ - ٢٥٧ Greek Philosophy pp ٥٨ - ٢٥٥ AE Taylor: Plato، London، ١٩٦٣
(٢) أَرِسْطُو الَّذِي عُرِفَ بِالْمُعَلِّمِ الْأَوَّلِ، وَهُوَ أَشْهَرُ فَلَاسِفَةِ الْيُونَانِ عَلَى الْإِطْلَاقِ، وُلِدَ سَنَةَ ٣٨٤ ق. م وَتُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ ٣٢٢ ق. م انْظُرْ عَنْهُ وَعَنْ آرَائِهِ: الْمِلَلَ وَالنِّحَلَ ٢/١٢٨ - ١٤٥ تَارِيخَ الْحُكَمَاءِ ص ٢٧ - ٥٣، طَبَقَاتِ الْأَطِبَّاءِ ص ٨٤ - ١٠٥، تَارِيخَ الْفَلْسَفَةِ الْيُونَانِيَّةِ، ص ١١٢ - ٢٠٩، تَارِيخَ الْفَلْسَفَةِ الْغَرْبِيَّةِ ص ٢٥٨ - ٣٣١، الْفَلْسَفَةَ عِنْدَ الْيُونَانِ ص ٢٤٥ - ٣٦٤، أَرِسْطُو لِلدُّكْتُورِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بَدَوِي، مَكْتَبَةُ النَّهْضَةِ الْمِصْرِيَّةِ، الْقَاهِرَةِ ١٩٤٤ Greek Philosophy pp، ٢٥٧ - ٣٨٠. Ross Aristotle London، ١٩٧٤.