The Story of Hary Ben Yeghazar

Author: (Arabic) Ibn Tufayl
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: The protagonist in Hayy ibn Yaqzan is not a creative character by Ibn Tufayl. As early as the 10th century, when Ibn Sina used the symbolic method beloved by Persian literary figures to explain his rationalism, he wrote the symbolic story Hayy ibn Yaqzan. In this short work, Hayy is an elderly sage with white hair and a vibrant spirit. He speaks to our philosopher, explaining that modern philosophers seek to understand the heavens and earth through their internal and external senses. They have only one path—the way east, a path of eternal purity and spirituality, while the westward journey leads toward materialism and sin. Here, Hayy serves as a guide for the soul of thought, acting upon the spirit of the human last heaven with his symbolic original spirit. It illustrates how the soul ascends from the world of the four elements, the supernatural world, and the spiritual world to the throne of the Unique Beginningless One.