For a time philosophy survived in Moslem Spain by judiciously sprinklingprofessions of orthodoxy among the timid tentatives of critique; and thoughtfound a precarious freedom in the courts of rulers who enjoyed in private thespeculations that they accounted harmful to the populace. So the Almoravidgovernor of Saragossa chose as his minister and friend Abu Bekr ibn Bajja, whohad been born there about 1106. Avempace, as Europe would call him, had reachedeven in youth an extraordinary proficiency in science, medicine, philosophy,music, and poetry. Ibn Khaldun tells how the governor so admired some verses ofthe young scholar that he vowed the poet should always walk on gold whenentering his presence; whereupon ibn Bajja, lest this vow should abate his welcome,put a gold coin in each of his shoes. When Saragossa fell to the Christians thepoet-scientist-minister fled to Fez, where he found himself destitute amongMoslems who accused him of atheism. He died at the age of thirty, allegedly bypoison. His lost treatise on music was accounted the masterpiece on that subtlesubject in the literature of Western Islam. His most famous work, A Guide tothe Solitary, renewed a basic theme of Arabic philosophy. The human intellect,said Ibn Bajja, is composed of two parts: the “material intellect,” which isbound up with the body and dies with it; and the “Active Intellect,” orimpersonal cosmic mind, which enters into all men, and is alone immortal.Thought is man’s highest function; by thought, rather than by mystic ecstasy,man can attain to knowledge of, and union with, the Active Intellect, or God.But thinking is a perilous enterprise, except in silence. The wise man willlive in quiet seclusion, shunning doctors, lawyers, and the people; or perhapsa few philosophers will form a community where they may pursue knowledge intolerant companionship, far from the maddened crowd.95 Abu Bekr (Europe’sAbubacer) ibn Tufail (1107?–1185) continued the ideas of Ibn Bajja, and almostrealized his ideals. He too was scientist, poet, physician, and philosopher. Hebecame the doctor and vizier of the Caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf at Marraqesh, theAlmohad capital in Morocco; he managed to spend most of his waking hours in theroyal library, and found time to write, among more technical works, the mostremarkable philosophical romance in medieval literature. It took its title fromIbn Sina, and (through Ockley’s English translation in 1708) may have suggestedRobinson Crusoe to Defoe. Hayy ibn Yaqzan (“Alive, Son of Vigilant”), who giveshis name to the tale, was cast in infancy upon an uninhabited island. Nursed bya she-goat, he grew in intelligence and skill, made his shoes and clothes fromanimal skins, studied the stars, dissected
famous work, A Guide to the Solitary, renewed a basic theme of Arabicphilosophy. The human intellect, said Ibn Bajja, is composed of two parts: the”material intellect,” which is bound up with the body and dies with it; and the”Active Intellect,” or impersonal cosmic mind, which enters into all men, andis alone immortal. Thought is man’s highest function; by thought, rather thanby mystic ecstasy, man can attain to knowledge of, and union with, the ActiveIntellect, or God. But thinking is a perilous enterprise, except in silence.The wise man will live in quiet seclusion, shunning doctors, lawyers, and thepeople; or perhaps a few philosophers will form a community where they maypursue knowledge in tolerant companionship, far from the maddened crowd.95 AbuBekr (Europe’s Abubacer) ibn Tufail (1107?–1185) continued the ideas of IbnBajja, and almost realized his ideals. He too was scientist, poet, physician,and philosopher. He became the doctor and vizier of the Caliph Abu Yaqub Yusufat Marraqesh, the Almohad capital in Morocco; he managed to spend most of hiswaking hours in the royal library, and found time to write, among moretechnical works, the most remarkable philosophical romance in medievalliterature. It took its title from Ibn Sina, and (through Ockley’s Englishtranslation in 1708) may have suggested Robinson Crusoe to Defoe. Hayy ibnYaqzan (“Alive, Son of Vigilant”), who gives his name to the tale, was cast ininfancy upon an uninhabited island. Nursed by a she-goat, he grew inintelligence and skill, made his shoes and clothes from animal skins, studiedthe stars, dissected It was with a rare absence of jealousy that Ibn Tufail,about 1153, introduced to the favor of Abu Yakub Yusuf a young lawyer andphysician, known to Islam as Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Rushd (1126–98), and tomedieval Europe as Averroës—the most influential figure in Islamic philosophy.His grandfather and his father had in turn been chief justice of Cordova, andhad lavished on him all the education that the old capital could provide. Oneof his pupils has transmitted what purports to be Averroës’ own account of hisfirst interview with the Emir.
“When I was presented to the Prince of Believers I found him alone withIbn Tufail, who … sounded my praises to him with compliments that I did notdeserve…. The Emir opened the conversation by asking, “What opinion did thephilosophers hold about the heavens? Are they eternal, or did they have abeginning?” I was overcome with terror and confusion, and sought some pretextfor not answering … but the Emir, perceiving my trouble, turned to Ibn Tufail,and began to discourse with him on the question, recalling the opinions ofPlato and Aristotle and other philosophers, and the objections that had beenmade to them by Moslem theologians; all with such fullness of memory as I shouldnot have expected even of professional philosophers. The Emir put me at myease, and tested my knowledge. When I had retired he sent me a sum of money, ariding horse, and a costly robe of honor.”
From Will Durant’s The Age of Faith