““In this [turn toward mathematics Al-Kindi] was clearly influenced by Proclus’s Elements of Theology, a partial translation of which he commissioned. Proclus thus appears to be the link that connects al-Kind¯ı’s mathematical (indeed, geometrical) epistemology with philosophy. Proclus’s work, with its geometrical mode of argumentation, was living proof for al-Kind¯ı that abstract problems, such as those debated by the theologians of his time – Muslims and non-Muslims alike – could be resolved through philosophical discourse which transcends religious sectarianism and proceeds on the basis of a geometrical methodology acceptable to all, just like the rest of the sciences.””
