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Ibn Rushd (Averroes): Website

  • ️Thu Dec 06 2007

ABU’L WALID MUHAMMAD IBN RUSHD AL-QURTUBI (Averroes)

Ibn Rushd (Averroes) is regarded by many as the foremost Islamic philosopher. 

Abu'l-Walid Ibn Rushd, better known as Averroes (1126-1198), stands out as a towering figure in the history of Arab-Islamic thought, as well as that of West-European philosophy and theology. In the Islamic world, he played a decisive role in the defense of Greek philosophy against the onslaughts of the Ash'arite theologians (Mutakallimun), led by al-Ghazali (d. 1111), and the rehabilitation of Aristotle. 

A common theme throughout his writings is that there is no incompatibility between religion and philosophy when both are properly understood. His contributions to philosophy took many forms, ranging from his detailed commentaries on Aristotle, his defense of philosophy against the attacks of those who condemned it as contrary to Islam and his construction of a form of Aristotelianism which cleansed it, as far as was possible at the time, of Neoplatonic influences.

In the Western world, he was recognized, as early as the thirteenth century, as the Commentator of Aristotle, contributing thereby to the rediscovery of the Master, after centuries of near-total oblivion in Western Europe. That discovery was instrumental in launching Latin Scholasticism and, in due course, the European Renaissance of the fifteenth century. Notwithstanding, there has been very little attention to Averroes' work in English, although greater interest has been shown in French, since the publication of Ernest Renan's Averroes et l'averroisme in 1852.

Conference:

  • In the Age of Averroes: Arabic Thought at the End of the Classical Period. An international conference to be held at the Warburg Institute, Woburn Square, London February 14 (Thursday)-16 (Saturday), 2008. Announcement

Works:

In Arabic:

  • Tahfut al-Tahafut the complete work Arabic :
    • Volume 1&2 (Arabic pdf) edited by S. Dunya in one file
    • A Critical Edition under the supervision of M. A. al-Jabari, Beirut 1997 (PDF)
    • the definative and critical edition is edited by M. Bouyges, Beirut.
  • Commentaries on many of Aristotle's works. Listing of works in print to come. Note that his commentaries come in three forms: summaries, middle commentaries, and grand commentaries. He also commented on Plato's republic. Aristotle's Politics was not available in Arabic. Also some of his works were lost and no longer available in Arabic but are available in Hebrew translation and transliteration.
  • Talkhis Kitab al-Jadal (Middle Commentary on Aristotle's Topics) available from GEBO (General Egyptian Book Organization) in Arabic, edited by Charles Butterworth.
  • Fasl al-Maqal (Faith & Reason)  
    • Edited Arabic Version (PDF)
    • Critical Edition under the supervision of M. A. al-Jabari, Beirut 1997 (PDF)
  • al-Kashf 'an manahij al-'adla fi 'aqaid al-mila (Clarifying the systems of proof in the beliefs of the nation [of Muslims]): Critical Edition under the supervision of M. A. al-Jabari (PDF) Beirut 1998.
  • al-Da'ruri fi Isul al-Fiqh (Summary of al-Ghazali's Mustasfa) Arabic (PDF). Also in word file. Courtesy of the Poloz family, Morocco.
  • Bidyat al-Mujtahid (Compartive Fiqh book): Arabic E-text (unedited) Source: Muhadith.org  (Zipped) There are many editions of this book in print.

In English & other languages:

Works about him:

In Arabic:

In English & other languages:

Articles:

  1. The Philosophy of Ibn Rushd. Jamal d. al-'Alawi. 
  2. Translation and Philosophy: The Case of Averroes' Commentaries. C. E. Butterworth. (PDF)
  3. Averroistic Trends in Jewish-Christian Polemics in the Late Middle Ages. D. J. Lasker (PDF)
  4. The Twice-Revealed Averroes. H. A. Wolfson. (PDF)
  5. Infinite and Privative Judgments in Aristotle, Averroes, and Kant. H. A. Wolfson (PDF)
  6. Revised Plan for the Publication of a Corpus Commentariorum Averrios in Aristotelem. H. A. Wolfson (PDF) Also Corrigendum.
  7. Averroes on the Metaphysics of Aristotle. I. Husik (PDF)
  8. Remarks on Averroes' Decisive Treatise. M. Madhi (PDF)
  9. Averroes' Doctrine of the Mind. S. C. Tornay (PDF)

New Research published:

  • The relationship between Averroes and al-Ghazali: As it presents itself in Averroes' Early writings, especially in his commentary on al-Ghazali's al-Mustasfa. By Prof. Frank Griffel, in Medieval Philosophy and the Classical Tradition In Islam, Judaism and Christianity Edited by John Inglis, Curzon Press Richmond, Surrey UK (ISBN: 0-7007-1469-3) Pp 51-63. http://www.curzonpress.co.uk This paper presents new research based on newly found manuscript (al-Da'ruri fi Isul al-Fiqh) by Averroes. An anlysis of which presents quite a different picture then is traditionally thought of (namely the hostility towards al-Ghazali by Ibn Rushd).

Thesis:

  • B.A. Thesis by Maksood Aftab. Uses some of Ibn Rushd's Arguments.
  • IBN RUSHD'S (AVERROES') DOCTRINE OF THE AGENT INTELLECT. EL-HAR, AHMED M., Ph.D, 8223663.
  • THE CONFLICT OVER THE WORLD'S PRE-ETERNITY IN THE 'TAHAFUTS' OF AL-GHAZALI AND IBN RUSHD. MARMURA, MICHAEL ELIAS, Ph.D, 5904955.
     

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City of his birth and work:

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Video:

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