Brief Life History

Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn 'Abd aI-Malik Ibn Muhammad Ibn Tufayl al-Qaisi (493-581 AH/1100-1185 AD) was a renowned and an important Arab philosopher, born in the Wadi 'Ash near Granada in Spain. As a profound scholar, he composed poetic verses and 'practised both medicine and politics. He initially served as a physician and subsequently as a secretary under a son of 'Abd al-Mu'min who was the founder of the Almohads. From (1163-1184 AD), he served as the wazir and chief royal court physician to the Khalifah Muwahhid Sultan Abu Ya'qub Yusuf.

Ibn Tufayl, along with his contemporaries, Ibn Bajjah and Ibn Rushd, formed the avant-garde of Muslim philosophy. It was upon his recommendation that the young Ibn Rushd succeeded to his office in the royal court. In 1185 AD, Ibn Tufayl passed away in the capital city of Morocco.

Major Works

Ibn Tufayl is profoundly remembered and recognized for his authentic and poignant philosophical discourse, "Hayy Ibn Yaqzan", a treatise in the form of a philosophical inquiry into the nature of things.' As rightly reviewed by Sami S. Hawi:

"Hayy Ibn Yaqzan is a well-structured book with a definite conceptual plan. The author's skill allows every detail to unfold naturally, subservient to the higher purpose he envisaged. In this work, the scientist, poet and philosopher is even and uniform and moves relentlessly through a sustained series of observations and proofs to the establishment of his conclusions."

The impact and significance brought by this philosophical masterpiece captured both the Muslim and Christian worlds from both the middle ages land the modern times. Khwaja 'Abdul Hamid wrote in 1948:

"It is to be noted lastly that the allegory was very popular in the Middle Ages in both Christian and Muslim lands. There were translations in Latin and Hebrew, and in early modern times also in English and Dutch. It won high praise from Leibnitz and there can be no doubt that both he and Spinoza were very greatly influenced by it. Spinoza, whose knowledge of Hebrew philosophy was ipso facto also knowledge of Arabian philosophy, was, without doubt, conversant with the Hebrew translation of Ibn Tufail's great masterpiece. And any lingering doubt on this score is dispelled by the fact that one Dutch Translator of Haiy Ibn Yaqzan, viz., Bouwmeester (Amsterdam - 1672) was a friend of Spinoza's. Now it is chiefly to the work of Spinoza and Leibnitz that the continental school of Rationalism in particular. And European Philosophy in general owes its first acquaintance with the concepts of the psychic which is not conscious, the innate and the a priori. And it was in the main these concepts which were ultimately responsible for the collapse of the Empiricism of Locke, Berkeley and Hume. Ibn Tufail's Haiy Ibn Yaqzan, therefore, is not merely a graphically summarized and allegorical statement of the results achieved till then by scientific research and philosophical speculation in the world of Islam; it also proved to be the herald of a new era in philosophy in the Europe of the future. In this respect Ibn Tufail's position in the history of the philosophy is unique".

M.M. Sharif complementarily stated:

"This remarkable work was first translated into Latin by Edward Pococke Junior and published with the Arabic text at Oxford in 1671 and then its translations appeared in most of the European languages. In Paul Bronnle's words, "in a comparatively short time it caught the fancy of the public-in fact it took the world by storm and for a long time it remained greatly in vogue". The world's interest in it has not yet ceased, for it was translated into Russian in 1920 and Spanish in 1934. It was first translated into English by George Keith in 1674, then by George Ashwell in 1686 and Simon Ockley in 1708. 11 years after the publication of Ockley's version, Daniel Defoe produced his Robinson Crusoe. It has therefore been justly concluded that Daniel Defoe was indebted to the great Muslim philosopher for the conception of his work".

"Hayy Ibn Yaqzan" is mainly a philosophical masterpiece by a scholar, who himself is widely accepted as a philosopher. Nevertheless, its methodical inquiry, the unfolding of events narrated, priorities established, and challenges pasteurized and means and ways developed by Hayy in dealing with each and every chapter of his life, enlighten us of the richness of a philosopher's outlook into the common phenomena of nature. A moment's ponderance over the contents and lessons of this philosophical treatise, where Hayy reflects either Ibn fufayl or the latter's ideal, reveals perspectives which are destined to lead to various implications for one's economic world view.

The selection of the story of "Hayy Ibn Yaqzan" is not meant to cloud Ibn Tufayl's other contributions in philosophy, medicine and politics. But given the option, this treatise is more than sufficient to enable us to travel along a journey of acute observation, vivisection and experimentation that contributed to the making of Ibn Tufayl as the philosopher that we know he was.

The Story of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan

Ibn Tufayl created the main character, Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, as one who had, appeared on a certain island in the Indian Ocean, situated under the equinoctial.

A roe, in search of her lost fawn, found the infant Hayy, crying hungrily for food. From that time till Hayy's age of seven, the roe suckled him as if he was one of her own.

During these initial seven years, Hayy went through the experience of observing other animals' behavior, subsequently imitating, or competing against them in this process of survival and growing up.

It was when Hayy reached this age that Ibn Tufayl brought in the first crisis to be faced by Hayy, and that was the death of the roe. This death brought new challenges to Hayy, bringing him into a new era of inquiry and probing as he proceeded to a life of self-dependence.

Changed circumstances and challenges opened yet another spectrum of discoveries for Hayy. Subsequent contemplations and experimentation and adaptation to these new discoveries, enlightened Hayy on ways and means to achieve both his mundane objectives and further his spiritual odyssey towards knowing the One Who is the Supreme Object of all Perfection, the Necessarily Self-Existent Being. Among the new discoveries included the discovery of fire and its uses, the domestication of various animals (poultry, hawks, horses, asses and the like), the making of wapons, the study of the resources and environment at his disposal, the dissection of animals in order to separate between understanding their physical bodies I and the "unseen spirit" within, which causes them to live and so on.

Ibn 'lUfayl mentioned Hayy's ages of 21, 35 and finally 50, as If denoting, the significant watermarks of his life of development and discovery. After each watermark age, he seemed to be getting nearer the answer to all his spiritual enquiries. Each and every material gain that he acquired brought him nearer to his spiritual fulfillment instead of further from it.

At the age of 50, Hayy met Asal, a visitor from a neighboring island. Briefly, in this section, it is interesting to observe how Hayy shared with Asal what he had managed to achieve during his 50 years of solitude and self-development. However, he was not so successful with Salaman who : was the ruler of Asal's land.

The Story of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan and the Inherent and Implied Economic World View of Ibn Tufayl

The character of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan reflects the thinking of Ibn Tufayl. The aspirations and methodical inquiry and exploration of Hayy provide a proxy to the ideal of Ibn Tufayl.

The following insights are but modest attempts in translating philosophical and seemingly non-economically significant behavior of a character in a primitive environment, into perspectives which have profound bearings on the economic world view of a philosopher.

Observation and Imitation

These two are non-compromising behavior that Hayy portrayed in an environment that he was only beginning to understand and appreciate. He took it upon himself to develop his faculties through observation and imitation of other animals, even at a time when he had something to depend on, that of his roe-mother.

Implications

a.The early stage of development necessitates the understanding of both positive and negative aspects of one's environment

b.Imitation of whatever is useful is necessary in a stage where one is still not ready to create or innovate to suit one's needs and wants.

c.Continued but carefully controlled observation and imitation can facilitate the process of adaptation to one's environment.

d.Inculcation of the ability to adapt easily is necessarily an asset.

The Advantage of any Struggle Lies with the More-Equipped and Better-Endowed Party

Much to Hayy's dismay at the age of seven, he lost frequently in his early struggles for food and drink with the young roes that were very fleet-footed and were endowed with horns. Being a human being, he was naturally not endowed with these physical assets peculiar only to the roes. But he gradually learnt to arm himself with the young branches of trees, stones and pointed flints. With these, he attacked wild animals which opposed him. In time, Hayy gained supremacy over these animals.

Implications

a.Victory of a struggle lies with those endowed sufficiently to pursue the struggle.

b.At an age of "seven" or its relative comparison, one must accept setbacks or losses in early struggles as gains in one's education and experience. Defeat in an early battle must not be seen as defeat of the entire war of survival, as will be proven in Hayy's later life.

c.Non-endowment of certain physical assets or resources does not mean perpetual and permanent disadvantage. Rather, one should strive to seek substitute resources of strength and abilities. For all one knows, these substitutes, if earnestly sought, may even enhance one's previously understated position. Aggression or firmness has its warranted place and at times, it may be necessary to pursue such a line of action in order to position oneself in a more stable and well-founded status.

Need Creates Endowments

Hayy realized his physical competitive and defensive deficiencies when comparing with other animals who had horns, tusks, hooves, spurs and claws. This disturbed him greatly, causing much unhappiness. Hence, he made arms for himself so as to be able to struggle or compete at par with his animal rivals.

Implications

a.Struggle for existence or competition is a basic fact of one's economic life.

b.Needs (to complement one's deficiencies) can lead to the creation of endowments needed to fulfill one's needs. A passive view towards one's deficiencies, for example in being pessimistic, easily discouraged or running from problems, is only to one's perpetual disadvantage. Hence, one needs to contrive ways and means to cover one's deficiencies or face possible detrimental consequences and subsequently, succumb to perdition.

c.Helplessness must not stand in the way of enhancing one's competitive strength. Defeat begins when one merely laments at one's helplessness and not pursue a concrete and self-confident course of action to overcome it.

d.Creation of endowments would not have been possible if Hayy did not take cognizance of the fact that such creation was imperative for his survival. His earlier practices of observing and noting his environment and his initial losses in his struggle for food and drink played major roles in ensuring this cognizance.

e.Given the availability of resources, manufacture or invention of substitutes can make up for the lack of natural assets. Hence, one's capability is not restricted to what one is given, but rather restricted by how hard one will attempt to utilize one's intelligence and environment.

Discovery, Experimentation, Improvisation and Application or Extended Utilisation

Hayy accidentally discovered fire through friction among the rushes. Although he was hesitant of what may occur, his anxiety to understand this discovery prevailed. Hence, he further discovered the benefits and inherent characteristics of fire.

Implications

a.Benefits of new resources discovered can be maximized through a further process of experimentation, improvisation and attempted applications so as to discover further, other uses and benefits of the discovered resources.

b.Hesitancy in gearing up one's audacity to search for the yet to be discovered benefits of Allah's bounties is only to one's detriment and can possibly retard progress.

Man as an Adaptive and Creative Being

When Hayy reached the age of21, he had secured a greater control over his environment. Not only had he made clothing, lodging, weaponry and successfully domesticated animals for his needs, but also he had studied various resources of his environment (for example animals, plants, minerals, stones, smoke, fire, heat) and discovered their respective properties.

Implications

a.Man is an adaptive being, able to adapt to his environment for his own needs. Underutilization of one's environmental resources could be due to lethargy in one's degree of adaptability.

b.Man is a naturally creative being. A passive attitude towards creativity and invention can impede one's progress, strength and status.

c.Adaptation and creativity can inevitably be transformed to a process of conquest over one's environment. A greater degree of adaptation invariably means the minimization of constraints to be faced.

Man is a Tool-Making Being

Although Hayy did not have hooves, horns or other physical attributes peculiar to animals, his self-esteem rose when he proved how superior his hands and reasoning were as compared to the animals. Indeed, he reached a stage where he did not aspire for the natural weapons of the animals which he had initially thought were unconditionally imperative for survival in his environment.

Implications

a.Industry and craft-making begin with the complementary actions of the faculty of reasoning, conscientiousness of the hands and the proper utilization of one's environment.

b.If one is to compare oneself with others, then it is only for the sake of setting a set of targets to be reached, after which higher targets would then have to be set.

Equilibrium of Life

When Hayy was young, he felt that there was a gap between the environment and him. He was lacking in many things, besides losing to the other animals in his fight for food and drink. Hence, he was temporarily estranged from his environment, causing what may be termed as the disequilibrium of his person within his environment. But as years passed by, he gradually moved towards equilibrium when he adjusted himself well (through his own conscientious and meticulous efforts) to his environment to the extent that he emerged as a dominant element. A deeper study of the environment he lived in incorporated a greater degree of stability in his relationship with his environment. Despite differences among the various elements of nature, nonetheless, Hayy felt that all life and all nature were one.

Implications

a.Deficiencies of life, no matter how great they may be, should never be seen as permanent deficiencies or instabilities. Given time and improved capabilities, such deficiencies could be overcome.

b.Although each member of nature may possess differences in physical features, yet, these may be likened to the different human organs which still belong to the same one body. Perhaps, in economic theory, this would be likened to the concept of division of tasks and specialization, whereby each task, even though involving work of a different nature, together contribute towards a common cause and product for a common producer.

Moderation and Abstention

After the age of 35, Hayy began to practice extreme moderation and abstention in his daily routine of life in his search to know Allah (SWT). His eating habits had minimal destructive effects on the creations of Allah (SWT). For example, he ate fruits but not the seeds, herbs but not the roots and if unavoidable, ate eggs and flesh of only those animals that did not face the danger of extinction.

Implications

a.Moderation and abstention are enjoined in order to appreciate the value of Allah's bounties.

b.A Muslim's consumption behavior can be potentially productive at the same time, in the sense that the non-consumable but potentially productive parts are not thrown away recklessly but left to grow again.

c.A Muslim's consumption behavior is one which is not devoid of the respect for all other creations of Allah (SWT). A commitment to compassion, consideration, general interests and self-discipline is never divorced, since every action of the Muslim, regardless of its significance, should reflect the nature of Islam itself.

Significance of Ages of Seven, Twenty-one, Thirty-five and Fifty

Ibn Tufayl explicitly noted the four different ages of Hayy to denote various watermarks in the latter's life.

At the age of seven, he became aware of his nakedness. At that age too, his roe-mother died, bringing the first crisis to his life.

At the age of 21, he secured a great control over his environment. This was a drastic change from his previous disequilibrium condition with nature and the environment.

At the age of 35, he was earnestly pursuing the course of knowing his Creator. He understood the meaning and significance of reconciling his worldly life with the ways of his Creator.

At the age of 50, he met the first human being as himself in the person of Asal. This turned out to be a meeting between one who knew the Creator through his self-developed contemplation (that is Hayy) and one who knew the Creator through teachings of Islam (that is, Asal). In other words, this was the meeting of truth through life experience and that through teaching and education.

Implications

a.Could there be any significance attached behind the choice of these different ages of Hayy, whereby the intervals were between 14 to 15 years?

b.Could it possibly be that a growing nation or civilization would face a crisis or establish landmarks in its history every 14 to 15 years?