Ibn Tufayl's Hayy Ibn Yaqzan: A Philosophical Tale Paperback – November 15, 2009

The medieval Arab book "Hayy ibn Yaqzan" is a long forgotten philosophical novel from the so-called "Golden Age" of Islamic Spain. It was written by the philosopher Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Tufayl (known in the West as Abubacer), who served as an adviser and physician to the Spanish Almohad sultan. The story in his short novel seeks to reconcile the mystical philosophy of Avicenna (ibn Sina) and the philosophical mysticism of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and the Sufis. It tells the tale of a child raised by animals on a remote and isolated island and his gradual recognition of philosophical and mystical truths as he passes through his life. The book is of interest not just because of its interesting philosophical and religious ideas, but because of the influence it would later have in Europe during the "Enlightenment". It has been suggested that assorted literary and philosophical figures from Daniel Defoe to John Locke were familiar with the book (which was translated into Latin, English, and other European languages) and borrowed from the ideas found in it.I would also add that Professor Goodman's introduction and footnotes are extensive and very informative. He places the book in its historical and intellectual context. The translation itself is clear and easy to read. For anyone interested in medieval Islamic philosophy or just an interesting and thought provoking read, this book is certainly worth the time.

This work is an amazingly well constructed introduction to Aristotle's Metaphysics, to Sufi mysticism, to Neoplatonic imitation, and to the Medieval Islamic tensions between the different ways of accessing truth - faith, mysticism, or philosophical inquiry. The way that these are explored and synthesized are nothing short of brilliant. What is more, the story is engaging and makes for rich discussions. The work also serves as a beautiful bridge to help show the progress of ideas from Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine to that of Aquinas. I personally feel as if I got more from this little text than I did from studying many, many hundreds of pages of Averroes, Avicenna, and Al Ghazali.

For a layperson with some interest in philosophy I stumbled across this book while going through Muslim Spain's history. An effective read requires some basic understanding of philosophy but it is beautifully written and very well referenced.

Traditionally much importance is attached to Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and his commentaries on Aristotle. And yet brilliant as Ibn Rushd was, he was not a creative writer. And yet his teacher, Ibn Tufayl, was a fine novelist, and way ahead of his time. HAYY IBN YAQDHAN is definitely one of the most interesting books to have fallen into my hands during my life span.On the other hand, the canon of Spanish literature seen in the anthologies reflects sheer ignorance, or far worse, an agenda of distortion. Spanish literature did not begin with the jarchas and the Cantar del Mio Cid as we are led to believe. It began with brilliant and sofisticated works like HAYY IBN YAQDHAN, written not in Castillian, but in Arabic.The present translation into modern English is clear and most readable. The abundant notes and commmentaries included in the volume are for the most part quite valuable. Let us shed our thick skins of ethnocentricism and literary stupidity and turn to this true gem of Medieval Spanish literature (although much of it sounds more modern than medieval).

This book is great for anyone interested in natural philosophy (the Islamic tradition is also often neglected). Its well written and has a great and detailed introduction on many philosophical themes touched in the book. Would also recommend to any science fiction lovers, because beneath the philosophy is simply a great story!

I read one more translation of "Hayy". it was written by some part-time professor of NYU names "Taneli Kukkonen".... what a garbage and biased work and a poorly drafted attack on this masterpiece.So having many philosophy books, i strongly recommend this book!!!

Great!

I really was interested in a timeless classic arabic Fairy Tale. Honestly....couldn't finish it. Wasn't that interested as I got into it. I would stick to Khalil Gilbran personally.