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By Martin Nick


  Ibn Rushd provoked discussion about the relationship between the Muslim faith and philosophical reasoning, stating the two are not only compatible but are in fact complimentary. He was also interested in other scientific subjects, such as medicine and astronomy. The following is a brief account of Ibn Rushd’s life and achievements

Ibn Rushd’s Early Life

  Abu Al Walid Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Rushd, widely known simply as Ibn Rushd, was born in 1126 in the town of Cordova, then part of the Muslim dynasty in Spain. The young Ibn Rashid grew up in his hometown, spending much of his early life in studies and academic pursuit. On the whole, he led a calm life, and was close to his father and grandfather; they were both accomplished judges in Cordova. His grandfather, in particular, was very involved in Fiqh (Maliki School) and was also acting Imam of the Jamia Mosque in Cordova. Ibn Rushd acquired a great deal of knowledge from his father and grandfather as the family was scholarly oriented and this gave him the proper setting to shine in education. He also had formal tutors appointed for him in the subjects of law and philosophy and was very interested in the study of medicine as well. Ibn Rushd was indeed at the right time at the right place to further his academic interests. At his disposal were around 500,000 books and manuscripts on various subjects housed at the grand library of Cordova. The extensive library collection started to build up under Al-Hakam, the eminent Umayyad Caliph of Spain who ruled two centuries earlier. This invaluable resource for information made possible the academic awakening in Muslim Spain, a trend in which Ibn Rushd took active part.

Building a Career and Venturing into Aristotelian Logic

  After reaching a certain level of academic maturity and scholarly accomplishment, Ibn Rushd continued the family tradition by becoming a chief Qadi (judge) of Cordova as his father and grandfather had. As Ibn Rushd was rising to prominence, in 1169 Ibn Tufail introduced him to Caliph Abu Yaqub who was incidentally also interested in philosophical trends. Abu Yaqub challenged Ibn Rushd by asking him whether the heavens were created or not. The Caliph provided the answer before Ibn Rushd, which took the pressure away from the latter. They proceeded to have a long amiable conversation, which impressed the caliph. He sent Ibn Rushd home as a dignitary with expensive presents. Along with the gifts, the caliph presented Ibn Rushd an appointment proposal for a thorough analysis of the philosophical works of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Ibn Rushd accepted and spent years of arduous labor working on the project and balancing it with his demanding career as a chief Qadi. After the philosopher Ibn Tufayl died, Ibn Rushd got appointed in his place as personal physician to the Caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf in 1182 and then to his son Abu Yusuf Yaqub in 1184.

  Ibn Rushd continued his work on interpreting Aristotle until 1195 and finalized it by producing a methodical set of commentaries on most of the great philosopher’s works. Most notable are the famous De anima (Of the Soul), Physica, and Metaphysica. Others include De Partibus Animalium, Rhetorica, Parva Naturalia, Nicomachean Ethics, Meteorologica, and Poetica. On Politica, Ibn Rushd wrote an indirect commentary in the sense that he retrieved it through Plato’s Republic, which can be viewed as a rewording of Politica. On most of the other works he wrote thorough analyses accompanied by summaries. Sometimes the analysis on a particular work was longer than the original text. Ibn Rushd’s commentaries and interpretations proved so effective to understanding Aristotle that they are all included into the Latin publication of Aristotle's complete works. Unfortunately, that is the most authentic representation of the commentaries in existence today. The Arabic original script has been lost.

  Without any doubt, the analysis Ibn Rushd wrote on Aristotle’s work had an enormous eye-opening effect on Muslim and Christian philosophical and intellectual thought throughout the Middle Ages.

Building the Philo-theological Bridge

  If controversy can be accounted for in the work of Ibn Rushd, it would have to be about the sensitive topic of bringing philosophical reasoning into the religious realm – a subject many theologians of the time considered inappropriate. In this respect, Ibn Rushd managed to stir quite a debate around him, which eventually erupted into a crisis. When in venturing into the topic of compatibility between the science of philosophy and the interpretation of Islamic doctrines, Ibn Rushd was again influenced by the reasoning of Ancient Greek texts. On the same subject, he wrote his 3-part magnum opus representing 3 religious philosophical books. They were written during the course of two years and completed in 1180. Ibn Rushd entitled the three treatises the Fasl, Manahij, and Tahafut al Tahafut – as his work in defense of philosophy. The Fasl and the Manahij reveal statements that were quite revolutionary for their time. Among other things, a main theme in these two works is related to the statement that only certain men can fully comprehend the doctrines in the Shariah – the religious law as revealed by the Prophet. These men had to be metaphysicians and to be basing their interpretations on syllogism – certain proof. As opposed to the metaphysician, the dialectic Muslim theologian who is basing his prophetic interpretations on dialectical argumentation is incapable of fully understanding the Shariah. Therefore, it is the philosopher ‘s highest deed to find the true and essential revelation contained in the religious law. Thus, the essential meaning should not be and cannot be communicated to the ordinary people. They must instead limit their comprehension to the Shariah’s external and direct moral found in metaphorical compositions and easy to understand stories. On such grounds, Ibn Rushd came to the conclusion that there are three types of arguments and that each should be applied in communication to the respective type of people it is meant for. The three types of people were classified as philosophers, theologians, and the masses. The three respective types of argumentation that should be applied were classified as demonstration, dialectical, and persuasive.

  In the third book, Ibn Rushd makes an extensive effort to present a well-grounded defense to philosophy. However, the work failed to bring back the reputation of philosophy. It was so because of the fact that in the Iberian Peninsular and North Africa at the time works based on assumptions, no matter whether well founded or not, were looked down on. These claims, in their revolutionary for the time statements, won quite a few enemies for Ibn Rush. Many theologians found his claims nothing more that offensive suppositions. Soon after, Ibn Rushdi found no more purpose in his life. In his mind, he was misunderstood and alienated. The Caliph, however, continued to respect and support him, believing he was only trying to arrive at the absolute truth. So, after he came back to Marakesh, the Caliph invited Ibn Rushd to his court to stay and work there. Despite this generous offer, Ibn Rushd’s depression grew and soon after he fell sick and died. A burial was held for him in Marakesh, but his remains were eventually moved to the family tomb in Cordova.

  Some historian sources claim that Ibn Rushd's works encompassed more than twenty thousand pages of manuscript. While this may be somewhat of an exaggeration, he certainly produced extensive and innovative, if not outright revolutionary, works in a number of disciplines. The one with most substance and impact were undoubtedly those on philosophy and religion, and those on jurisprudence. Ibn Rushd also wrote on medicine and is said to have written more that twenty books on the subject. On jurisprudence, he wrote what is considered to be the best 12-th century manuscript on the Maliki School of Fiqh. The book was called Bidayat al-Mujtahid wa-Nihayat-al-Muqtasid. Latin translations of Ibn Rushd’s books were widely spread but the books were also translated in other languages, including German and English. Most of the Arabic originals are now lost but many of the translations have remained, especially those on philosophy in Latin. This is indicative of the interest towards Ibn Rushd’s works in the west. Two of the preserved famous translations are the commentary on Plato's Republic, and on Al Farabi's Logic. An impressive eighty-seven of his translated manuscripts are still in existence today.

SIGNIFICANT DATES

1126 (520 AH by the Islamic Calendar) - Ibn Rushd is born in Cordova, Muslim Spain.

1169 (565 AH) - Becomes Judge in Sevilla. Translates Aristotle's famous book “de Anima,”(Of the Soul) in the same year.

1171 (567 AH) - Relocates to Cordova to act as Qaadi – Judge – for the next ten years. Writes commentaries on major works of Greek philosophers such as Aristotle’s Metaphysics and Plato's Politcia.

1182 (578 AH) – Relocates to Marrakesh as the Caliph’s physician; soon afterwards returns to Cordova to act as Great Qaadi, or Chief Judge.

1195 (591 AH) – Ibn Rushd finds himself in conflict with the Caliph when tension builds up as theologians disfavor the former. Accused of heresy. Banned to Lucena, near Cordova. His books are destroyed.

1198 (595 AH) Ibn Rushd dies in Marrakesh.

   

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