The Story of Hayy ibn Yaqzan
by Ibn Tufayl · حي بن يقظان
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 1160-1185
- Era
- Medieval
- Form
- Romance and tale
- Language
- Arabic
- Length
- Short · 170 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendIbn Tufayl's Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, A Philosophical Tale, translated by Lenn Evan GoodmanUniversity of Chicago Press, 2009The standard English translation, with a long introduction and notes.
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A philosophical tale by the Andalusian physician and vizier Ibn Tufayl. Hayy, a child alone on an equatorial island, is suckled by a doe and, after her death, dissects her to find what has gone. Over seven-year stages he discovers fire, anatomy, the order of nature, the existence of a necessary being and finally a mystical union with God, all without language or teachers. When a religious man from a neighbouring island arrives, Hayy finds that his reason agrees with revelation but that most people cannot follow either, and he returns to his island.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Story of Hayy ibn Yaqzan are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
