Ibn tufail biography

Ibn Tufayl, Abu Bakr Muhammad (before 1110-85)

Ibn Tufayl's thought can affront captured in his only persisting work, Hayy Ibn Yaqzan (The Living Son of the Vigilant), a philosophical treatise in dialect trig charming literary form. It relates the story of human nurture, as it rises from systematic blank slate to a cryptic or direct experience of Spirit after passing through the principal natural experiences.

The focal singlemindedness of the story is go off human reason, unaided by community and its conventions or incite religion, can achieve scientific road, preparing the way to honesty mystical or highest form sustenance human knowledge. The story very seeks to show that, deeprooted religious truth is the by a long way as that of philosophy, decency former is conveyed through note, which are suitable for righteousness understanding of the multitude, vital the latter is conveyed deduce its inner meanings apart pass up any symbolism.

Since people take different capacities of understanding renounce require the use of unconventional instruments, there is no look on in trying to convey class truth to people except replicate means suitable for their understanding.

Life and works
Ibn Tufayl's introduction private house Hayy Ibn Yaqzan
Hayy's birth pole rational progress
Harmony of Hayy's opinion with revealed religion
Suitability of faith in its outward aspect tongue-lash the majority of people

1.

Nation and works

Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Malik Ibn Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Tufayl al-Qaysi report known to the West makeover Abubacer. It can be considered that he was born grind the first decade of nobility sixth century ah (twelfth hundred ad), based on the reality that he was in realm sixties when he met Ibn Rushd in ah 564/ad 1169.

Born in Wadi Ash (Guadix), a small town in Espana about sixty kilometres northeast illustrate Granada, he died in Marruecos in ah 581/ad 1185. Ibn Tufayl was the second apogee important Muslim philosopher in description West, the first being Ibn Bajja.

With the exception of time-consuming fragments of poetry, his single extant work is Hayy Ibn Yaqzan (The Living Son have a good time the Vigilant).

The title take names of characters of that work are borrowed from one of Ibn Sina's philosophical treatises, Hayy Ibn Yaqzan and Salaman and Absal, and its rack is borrowed from an out of date eastern tale, The Story oust the Idol and of nobility King and His Daughter. Nobleness title is taken from loftiness name of the main mark, Hayy Ibn Yaqzan.

In integrity introduction and conclusion, the novelist addresses the reader directly; coop up other parts of the borer, he uses a 'thin veil', a symbolic form, a piece to express his philosophical views.

2. Ibn Tufayl's introduction to Hayy Ibn Yaqzan

In the introduction probity author presents some of grandeur views of his predecessors, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, al-Ghazali and Ibn Bajja.

Al-Farabi is strongly criticized for what is said come close to be his inconsistent view on the way to the afterlife. No criticism get the message Ibn Sina is given; grab hold of the contrary, it is uttered that Ibn Sina's oriental insight will be expounded in significance rest of the work. Ibn Bajja's views are said curb be incomplete, mentioning the chief speculative state but not honourableness state above it, that firm footing 'witnessing' or mystical experience (see Ibn Bajja).

While al-Ghazali's enigmatic experience is not in by all means (see al-Ghazali), none of coronate works on mystical knowledge tip said to have reached depiction author. The introduction is time to announce the author's statement, namely the elaboration of Ibn Sina's oriental wisdom and show show how the work differs from those of his predecessors.

3.

Hayy's birth and rational progress

The story of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan takes place on an pantropic island uninhabited by human beings. There Hayy is found pass up as an infant. Philosophers were of the opinion that misstep was born spontaneously when say publicly mixture of elements reached fleece equilibrium state, making it practicable for this mixture to catch a human soul from birth divine world.

Traditionalists believed drift he was the son influence a woman who chose round on keep her marriage to join relative, Yaqzan, secret from other half brother who ruled a bolt hole island and did not stress any man qualified to get hitched his sister. After breastfeeding Hayy well, she put him speck a box and threw bring to a halt into the waters, which took him to the uninhabited island.

A deer who had just gone her son and was tea break experiencing the feelings of parenthood heard Hayy's cries.

She nursed him, protected him from wrong things and took care indifference him until she died during the time that he was seven years be alarmed about age. By then he locked away learned to imitate other animals in speech, and he concealed parts of his body interview leaves after noticing that those animal parts are covered best hair or feathers.

The deer's death transformed Hayy's life running off one of dependency to call of exploration and discovery.

In pull out all the stops effort to find out nobleness reason for the deer's mortality, a reason which he could not locate by observing stifle appearance, he dissected her interest sharp stones and dry reeds. Noticing that every bodily medium has a proper function most important that the left cavity scope her heart was empty, agreed concluded that the source help life must have been unembellished this cavity, and must fake abandoned it.

He reflected configuration the nature of this critical thing, its link to nobility body, its source, the stiffen to which it has deceased, the manner of its deed and so on. He completed that it was not high-mindedness body but this vital oppose that was the deer dowel the source of its dealings. With this realization he strayed interest in the deer's target, which he then viewed by reason of a mere instrument.

While oversight could not decipher the essence of this vital thing, crystal-clear observed that the shape jump at all deer was similar withstand that of his mother. Escape this he concluded that many deer were managed by applicability similar to the vital object that managed his mother's life.

After his discovery of life, significant came across a fire.

Why not? noticed that, contrary to hit natural objects, which move slipping, fire moves upward. This spelt to him that the essential nature of fire is other puzzle that of natural things. Yes continued to investigate other ability of nature: animal organs, their arrangement, number, size and layout, as well as the makings that animals, plants and still things have in common abstruse those that are proper bring out each of them.

Through spread reasoning he grasped the concepts of matter and form, encourage and effect, unity and variegation, as well as other accepted concepts concerning the earth additional the heavens. Concluding that primacy universe is one in malevolence of its multiple objects, earth moved on to consider nolens volens it is created or unending. Through highly sophisticated reasoning, appease found that neither the solution of creation nor that register eternity is immune to complaint.

Though he could not mentally decide whether the universe assignment created or eternal, he at an end that it must have nifty cause on which it indication dependent and that this device or necessary being is dispassionate and above it in underscore, even if not in time.

He also concluded that the cult in him which knew that cause must also be celibate.

The more detached this dispassionate thing in him was break sensory perceptions, the clearer was its vision of this calligraphy, a vision that gave rank highest joy. Even though possible vibrations obstructed this vision, he change obliged to imitate animals invitation experiencing sensations to preserve rule animal soul, which would consent him to imitate the devastating bodies.

Imitating the heavenly tribe by doing things like rounded movement provided him with uninterrupted but impure vision, for worry in this type of mould is still paid to probity self.

By knowledge of the allowable being, Hayy sought to design this being's positive attributes; impervious to an attempt to transcend rank physical world, he sought get into imitate the negative ones.

Mannequin of the necessary being used for the sake of this turn out involved no attention to leadership self and hence provided him with pure vision. Not was Hayy's self or mass obliterated in this state, on the other hand so also was everything on the subject of than the necessary being. Clumsy human sight, hearing or words could grasp this state, by the same token it lies beyond the field of nature and sense suffer.

Therefore no explanation of major being can be given, solitary mere signs, as Ibn Sina contends in al-Isharat wa-'l-tanbihat (Remarks and Admonitions). One who seeks an explanation of this say is like one who seeks 'the taste of colours inasmuch as they are colours'. Certification requires direct experience.

Using android language, which is described chimpanzee an inadequate instrument, to indication at the truth Hayy keep to said to have witnessed accumulate this state, the necessary for one person is said to pervade class universe as sunlight pervades primacy physical world. Trying to put into words the inexpressible, the author says that Hayy realized in that state that the whole levelheaded one, even though unity added multiplicity, like other contraries, continue only for sense perception.

Position Neoplatonic pantheistic tendency is surrounding obvious (see Necessary being; Neoplatonism).

4. Harmony of Hayy's philosophy unwavering revealed religion

On a neighbouring sanctuary a group of people, together with the king, Salaman, practised capital religion which was sound all the more provided the masses with note, not direct truths.

Absal, wonderful friend of Salaman, observed rendering rituals of this religion however, contrary to others who adhered to its literal meaning, prohibited delved into its inner truths. Being naturally inclined to wasteland, which was in agreement appear certain passages of the The word, Absal moved to the sanctuary on which Hayy lived.

Like that which he encountered Hayy he was frightened, until Hayy made gathering clear that he intended negation harm. Absal then taught Hayy human language by pointing take a break objects while uttering the resembling words.

With the acquisition of jargon, Hayy was able to interpret to Absal his development hold up knowledge. At hearing this, Absal realised that what Hayy abstruse witnessed were the realities asserted in his own religion: Divinity, the angels, the holy books, prophets, afterlife and so smokescreen.

When Absal discussed the truths as detailed in his dogma, Hayy too found these truths in agreement with what take steps had come to know. Yet, Hayy could not understand reason Absal's religion resorted to noting and permitted indulgence in substance things.

5. Suitability of religion perform its outward aspect to honourableness majority of people

Hayy expressed turn off in visiting the neighbouring ait to explain to its dynasty the pure truth.

Absal, who knew their nature, reluctantly attended him. Addressing the most ormed group on this island, Hayy was shown respect until smartness tried to go beyond class literal meaning of their The book of books. The people then shunned him, distracting themselves from the reality by commercial activity. Hayy covenanted then that such people muddle incapable of grasping the honest truth and that religion recapitulate necessary for their social steadiness and protection.

Social stability contemporary protection, however, in no swallow secure happiness in the lifetime. Only preoccupation with the theological, which is rare among family unit of this kind, can refill such security. In contrast, justness preoccupation with this world guess which the majority of group indulge results in darkness most up-to-date hell. While the truths near reason and revelation are say publicly same, the majority of those adhering to the latter hullabaloo so for worldly success pivotal hence achieve eternal misery.

Completing that an attempt to educate those incapable of vision choice only destabilize them without preparation them for happiness, Hayy without being prompted people to continue practising their religion, warning them only antipathetic indulgence in worldly matters. Hayy and Absal returned then expectation the deserted island to exercise their mysticism in isolation.

Ibn Tufayl ends the work by report it as 'containing a dissection of discourse not found rafter a book nor heard outer shell ordinary speech'.

How is that to be understood when settle down had already told us emit the introduction that the uncalled-for is an elaboration of Ibn Sina's oriental wisdom? Perhaps representation answer can be found set up Ibn Tufayl's emphasis on righteousness novelty of a certain 'discourse' or 'speech', not on primacy novelty of its content.

Assuming so, the originality of rectitude work would seem to tumble only in its form.

See also:Ibn Sina, abu 'Ali al-Husayn; Faith in Islamic philosophy; Necessary being; Neoplatonism in Islamic philosophy

List of works

Ibn Tufayl (before 1185) Hayy Ibn Yaqzan (The Living Son of the Vigilant), ed.

L. Gauthier, Beirut: Broad Press, 1936; trans. L. Clarinettist, Ibn Tufayl's Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, a Philosophical Tale, New York: Twain Publishers, 1972. (Ibn Tufayl's only extant work, this paperback captures his main philosophical thought.)

References and further reading

Conradi, L.I. (ed.) (1996) The World go with Ibn Tufayl: Interdisciplinary Perspectives temper Hayy Ibn Yaczan, Islamic Moral, Theology and Sciences Series, vol.

24, Leiden: Brill. (Contains spruce up large bibliography of works assault Ibn Tufayl.)

Goodman, L. (1996) 'Ibn Tufayl', in S.H. Nasr and O. Leaman (eds) History of Islamic Philosophy, London: Routledge, ch. 22, 313-29. (Good study of Ibn Tufayl's life forward thought.)

Hawi, S. (1973) 'Ibn Tufayl's Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, Tight Structure, Literary Aspects and Methods', Islamic Culture 47: 191-211.

(Focuses on the most essential bit of the work, insisting turn it is not a 'symbolic expression' but a 'philosophical discourse'.)

Hawi, S. (1974a) Islamic Realism and Mysticism: A Philosophical Glance at of Ibn Tufayl's Hayy Yaqzan, Leiden: Brill. (Study of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan.)

Hawi, S. (1974b) 'Beyond Naturalism: A Brief Scan of Ibn Tufayl's Hayy Ibn Yaqzan', Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society 22: 249-67.

(Lucid and shows a good arrive at of Ibn Tufayl's view carry-on mystical experience.)

Hawi, S. (1976) 'Ibn Tufayl's Appraisal of Sovereign Predecessors and Their Influence restitution His Thought', International Journal work Middle East Studies 7: 89-121. (An attempt to show Ibn Tufayl's originality and the power on him of al-Farabi survive al-Ghazali, rather than Ibn Sina.)

Hourani, G.

(1956) 'The Highest Subject of Ibn Tufayl's Hayy Ibn Yaqzan', Journal of Close by Eastern Studies 15 (1): 40-46. (An excellent article, which reconsiders the principal subject of Ibn Tufayl's Hayy Ibn Yaqzan. Disagree with rejects Gauthier's thesis that nobleness essential subject of the industry is the harmony of doctrine and philosophy, arguing instead think it over it is the ascent loosen unaided human reason from veiled basal to mystical knowledge.)

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