The Contributions of Al-Farabi to the Sociology of Religion

The Second Teacher Abu Nasr al-Farabi (872-951) conributes remarkably to the sociology of religion. In the frame of his philosophy, the high level of importance attached to the social dimensions of religion by Farabi can clearly be seen when his works is read as a whole. Farabi, a world thinker, is essentially a theoretician of society. Religious social aspects have an important place in the theory of the society of Farabi. Social acpects of religion have an important place in al-Farabi's theory of society. in al-Farabi's philosophy, human and the happiness of human comes at the beginning of everything. Human is a social being by its very nature. Therefore, the happiness of human is directly related with society. People's coming together and living in society constitutes an integral dimension of human being and happiness. If Farabi's theory of society is closely examined, it is seen that religion has a predominant place in the context of happiness-society relation. With his philosophy of relationships between the first president (Reis-i-Evvel), philosopher, prophet and God and everybody upto the lowest stratum people from the in the topmost stratum people of city, society and big society (ma'mura), Farabi makes serious contributions to the sociology of religion within his "sociology before sociology". Farabi reveals a theory of society and religion within the framework of key concepts such as human, happiness, medina (city, society, politics), civilization, community, society, ictima (coming together, meeting), ictima'at, ma'mura, need, helping one another, governance, presidency, tribe, ummah, religion, mille, etc. In this study, the researcher aims to treat, understand and make meaning the contributions that Farabi, the Islamic thinker, makes to the sociology of religion within his philosophy before Ibn Khaldun, the first founder of sociology (the Science of Umran: 'Ilmu'l-'Umran) ( in the period of sociology before sociology).