Al-Farabi expanded on Plato's concept of an ideal city ruled by philosopher-kings to develop a political philosophy that could accommodate the religious and cultural diversity central to Islamic nations.
[1] On the other hand, both al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd vigorously opposed Neoplatonic views.
[citation needed] The characteristic of Neoplatonic thought in Islamic theology is that of emanation, linking God's transcendence with the corporeal reality of his creation.
Islamic Neoplatonism was introduced by Al-Farabi, although Avicenna proved to have the greater influence.
[citation needed] Islamic Neoplatonism was allowed to flourish in the tenth to early eleventh century, but there was a strong reaction against it in the later eleventh century, especially from Al-Ghazali, who represents Islamic theology's "most biting attack on philosophy" at the time, and the severest reaction to Neoplatonism in particular (Netton 1998).