Prologue post: Philosophical Achievements of Friedrich Nietzsche

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

Now that I am in the seventh decade of my life, I want to understand and master my mortality. I want to be at peace with myself now and what is likely to come in a decade or more.

In Islamic teachings, the concept of a “soul-at-peace” is referred to as Nafs Al-Mutmainnah. This term describes a state of inner tranquility and contentment achieved through unwavering faith and trust in Allah. The Quran addresses such a soul in Surah Al-Fajr (89:27-30):

“O serene soul! Return to your Lord well-pleased and well-pleasing. Enter among My servants. Enter My Paradise.”

Attaining this peaceful state involves purifying the soul from negative traits and aligning one’s actions with divine guidance. Characteristics of a soul at peace include calmness, emotional balance, and a conscience that prevails over the ego. Such individuals embody human attributes to the fullest, leading lives marked by inner harmony and spiritual fulfillment.

The journey toward achieving a soul-at-peace is central to personal development in Islam, guiding believers toward a life of purpose and serenity.

I want to define all the positive elements to define and achieve “soul-at-peace.” However, that seems to be a more challenging task. Defining the converse journey seems easier. If I can define all that “soul-at-peace,” is not, maybe I can then articulate what it is. With that in mind I want to talk about Friedrich Nietzsche today.

Nietzsche, one of the most influential philosophers of the 19th century, is remembered for his radical critiques of religion, morality, and culture. His ideas about the “Übermensch” (Overman) and the “death of God” have had a profound impact on modern thought. However, the final years of Nietzsche’s life were marked by a tragic mental and physical decline that led to his death in 1900. This article explores the events leading to his demise, shedding light on the philosopher’s mysterious breakdown and the circumstances surrounding his final days.

From an early age, Nietzsche suffered from severe health issues, including chronic migraines, digestive disorders, and worsening eyesight. These ailments would plague him throughout his life, often forcing him into periods of seclusion and affecting his ability to work. Despite these challenges, Nietzsche produced some of his most influential works, such as Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, and The Genealogy of Morals, during the 1880s.

Nietzsche’s deteriorating health was likely exacerbated by his relentless intellectual exertion, solitude, and the excessive use of medications, including opium and chloral hydrate. Additionally, it has been speculated that he may have contracted syphilis as a young man, which, if left untreated, could have contributed to his later neurological decline.

On January 3, 1889, in Turin, Italy, Nietzsche experienced a dramatic mental collapse that would mark the beginning of the end. According to an oft-repeated but possibly apocryphal story, he saw a horse being beaten in the Piazza Carlo Alberto, and in an act of emotional distress, he threw his arms around the animal, sobbing uncontrollably. After this episode, Nietzsche sent a series of increasingly erratic letters, now referred to as the “Madness Letters,” to friends and acquaintances, including Richard Wagner and Cosima Wagner, signing them as “Dionysus” or “The Crucified.” These letters displayed grandiosity, delusions of divinity, and disjointed thinking.

Shortly after this incident, Nietzsche was taken into custody by his friend Franz Overbeck and admitted to a psychiatric clinic in Basel, Switzerland. His condition was diagnosed as “progressive paralysis,” a term often associated with late-stage syphilis at the time, although modern scholars debate whether syphilis was indeed the cause of his breakdown. Some theories suggest he may have suffered from a brain tumor, manic-depressive illness, or another neurological disorder.

Following his hospitalization, Nietzsche was eventually placed in the care of his mother, Franziska Nietzsche, who looked after him in Naumburg, Germany. During these years, he was almost completely incapacitated, displaying symptoms of dementia, erratic behavior, and an inability to write or engage in coherent conversation. After his mother’s death in 1897, his sister, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, took over his care and moved him to Weimar, where she heavily influenced his posthumous reputation by editing his works to align with her own nationalist and anti-Semitic beliefs—something Nietzsche had strongly opposed in his lifetime.

Nietzsche spent his final years in a near-vegetative state, unable to communicate or recognize those around him. His once-brilliant mind had been consumed by disease, and he remained bedridden for most of his last years.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica:

Nietzsche collapsed in the streets of Turin, Italy, in January 1889, having lost control of his mental faculties completely. Bizarre but meaningful notes he sent immediately after his collapse brought his friend Franz Overbeck, a Christian theologian, to Italy to return Nietzsche to Basel. Nietzsche spent the last 11 years of his life in total mental darkness, first in a Basel asylum, then in Naumburg under his mother’s care and, after her death in 1897, in Weimar in his sister’s care. He died in 1900. His breakdown was long attributed to atypical general paralysis caused by dormant tertiary syphilis. Later diagnoses included degeneration of the cerebral blood vessels and retro-orbital meningioma, a tumour of the brain meninges behind the (right) eye .

Despite his tragic end, Nietzsche’s ideas gained significant influence in the 20th century, shaping existentialism, postmodernism, and various schools of psychology, literature, and political thought. His critique of traditional values and his call for the re-evaluation of morality continue to provoke discussion and inspire scholars and thinkers worldwide.

But how do we explain his tragic last eleven years?

One of his famous Quotes is, “If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.” What was he staring into during his lucid years? Did some of his radical ideas contribute to his choices in his life that led to tragedy?

He observed, “God is dead, God remains dead, and we have killed him.” On another occasion he said, “Is man one of God’s blunders? Or is God one of man’s blunders?” If you read his views on morality in the article: Philosophical Achievements of Friedrich Nietzsche, you will discover his rejection of absolute truths, objective morality, our accountability and Afterlife. This made him a forerunner of existentialist and postmodernist thought. His declaration that human beings must create their own meaning laid the groundwork for thinkers like:

• Jean-Paul Sartre, who developed existentialism’s idea that “existence precedes essence.”
• Michel Foucault, who explored power structures and the construction of truth in society.
• Jacques Derrida, who expanded on Nietzsche’s critique of metaphysics and language.

Nietzsche challenged the belief in an ultimate reality, arguing:

“There are no facts, only interpretations.”

We already noted his most famous and controversial quote, which appears in The Gay Science (1882):

“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.”

This statement is often misunderstood as a mere proclamation of atheism, but its meaning is far more complex. Nietzsche did not argue that a literal deity had died; rather, he meant that belief in God had lost its power over Western civilization. The rise of science, rationalism, and secularism had eroded religious faith to the point where it could no longer provide meaning to people’s lives as it once did.

Nietzsche saw this as both a moment of liberation and a crisis. Without God, traditional moral values were left without a foundation, leading to the danger of nihilism—the belief that life has no meaning.

Nietzsche saw the decline of religion as inevitable but feared that without God, people might fall into nihilism—the belief that life is meaningless. He warned:

“What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? … Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing?” (The Gay Science, 1882)

For Nietzsche, traditional religious values had provided structure and meaning for centuries. Without them, humanity faced a terrifying void. He saw nihilism as a transitional stage—a necessary crisis that people must overcome to create new values.

How many more will fall in nihilism, but it seems that he himself did.

Could his belief in God, Afterlife, moral value of chastity be it Christianity or Islam, have saved him from catching syphilis and the tragedy of the last eleven years of his life?

My answer to the question is a resounding yes banking on the best role models among the Christians or the Muslims rather than cherry picking the worst to escape the conclusion.

Nietzsche felt the need of God in our lives, and I augment it with our accountability and objective moral values that we cannot escape.