[gothic-l] Re: Averroes - who has nothing to do with the Goths!

Wed Aug 11 13:19:40 UTC 2004

Quoted out of the Encyclopaedia Islamica:

IBN RUSHD, Abû l-Walîd Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Rushd, al-Hafîd (the
grandson), the "Commentator of Aristotle", famous in the Mediaeval West
under the name of Averroes, scholar of the Quranic sciences and the natural
sciences (physics, medicine, biology, astronomy), theologian and philosopher

Life.

He was born at Cordova in 520/1126 and died at Marrâkush (Marrakech) in
595/1198..Ibn Rushd belonged to an important Spanish family. His grandfather
(d. 520/1126), a Mâlikî jurisconsult, had been qâdî and imâm of the Great
Mosque of Cordova. His father was also a qâdî. The biographers stress the
excellent juridical education of the future Commentator; his teacher was
al-Hâfiz Abû Muhammad ibn Rizq and he became very competent in the science
of khilâf (controversies and contradictions in the legal sciences). He
learned by heart the Muwatta'. Ibn al-Abbâr mentions that he studied "a
little" with Ibn Bashkuwâl, which implies that he touched on the science of
the traditions of the Prophet; but the same author says that the science of
law and of the principles, dirâya, interested him more than the science of
traditions, riwâya. He worked also on Ash'arî kalâm which he was later to
criticize. In medicine, he was the pupil of Abû Ja'far Hârûn at-Tajâlî (of
Trujillo), who was in addition a teacher of hadîth. Ibn al-Abbâr mentions
another of his teachers, Abû Marwân ibn Jurrayûl, who (he says) was one of
the foremost practitioners of his art. The biographers do not mention
philosophic studies. Ibn Abî Usaybi'a limits himself to reporting, following
al-Bâjî, that Averroes studied "philosophical sciences" (al-'ulûm
al-hikmiyya) with the physician Abû Ja'far. Ibn al-Abbâr mentions in passing
that he "inclined towards the sciences of the Ancients ('ulûm al-awâ'il)",
probably an allusion to his knowledge of Greek thought.

In 548/1153, Averroes was at Marrâkush. Renan supposes that he was occupied
there in carrying out the intentions of the Almohad 'Abd al-Mu'min "in the
building of colleges which he was founding at this time". It is known,
through the Commentary of the De Caelo, that he was engaged there in
astronomical observations. It is perhaps to this period of his life that he
is referring in the Commentary of book L of the Metaphysics, when he speaks
of the researches which must be done on the movements of the planets in
order to found an astronomy which would be physical and not only
mathematical: "I hoped in my youth that it would be possible for me to carry
out this research successfully; but now that I am old, I have lost this hope
... ". It is possible that he met at this time Ibn Tufayl, who was to play
an important part in his career as a philosopher by presenting him to Abû Ya
'qûb Yûsuf, the successor of 'Abd al-Mu'min. Al-Marrâkushî obtained the
account of this interview from a pupil of Ibn Rushd, who reported the actual
words of his teacher. The prince questioned Averroes on the sky: is it a
substance which has existed from all eternity, or did it have a beginning?
(It is known that, ever since Plato's Timaeus and the De Caelo and the
Metaphysics of Aristotle down to Proclus and Johannes Philoponus [Yahyâ
an-Nahwî], this problem had been fiercely debated). Ibn Rushd was worried by
this dangerous question, but Yûsuf understood this and began a discussion
with Ibn Tufayl, displaying a wide knowledge of the ancient philosophers and
of the theologians. Put thus at ease, Ibn Rushd in his turn began to speak
and was able to show the extent of his learning. He received rewards and
thenceforth enjoyed the prince's favour. This event may be dated to 1169 or
slightly earlier. Al-Marrâkushî also tells us that the Commander of the
Faithful complained to Ibn Tufayl of the obscurity of the texts of Aristotle
and of their translations. He wished them to be clearly explained. It is
said that Ibn Tufayl, considering himself to be too old and too busy, asked
Averroes to undertake the work.

Averroes remained in favour throughout the reign of Abû Ya'qûb Yûsuf
(558-80/1163-84). In 565/1169, he was qâdî of Seville. In a passage in the
fourth book of the De partibus animalium, completed in that year, he points
out the duties of his post, and the fact that he was separated from his
books which remained in Cordova, all things which made difficult the writing
of his paraphrase. In 567/1171, he was back at Cordova, still as qâdî.
During this period he increased his rate of production of commentaries in
spite of his numerous obligations: he travelled to various towns of the
Almohad empire, in particular to Seville, from which he dates several of his
works between 1169 and 1179.

In 578/1182, at Marrâkush, he succeeded Ibn Tufayl as chief physician to Abû
Ya'qûb Yûsuf. Then he received the office of chief qâdî of Cordova.

During the reign of Ya'qûb al-Mansûr (580-95/1184-99), Ibn Rushd still
enjoyed the prince's favour. It was only during the last years (from 1195)
that he fell into disgrace. Several stories exist on this matter. It seems
that the caliph, at that time engaged in Spain in a war against the
Christians, thought it advisable to gain the support of the fuqahâ', who had
long imposed on the people their rigorous orthodoxy. Indeed, not only was
Averroes banished to Lucena, near Cordova, and his doctrine pronounced
anathema following his appearance before a tribunal consisting of the chief
men of Cordova, but edicts were issued ordering that philosophical works be
burned and forbidding these studies, which were considered dangerous to
religion. Those who were jealous of Ibn Rushd or doctrinally opposed to him
took advantage of the occasion to criticize him in vulgar epigrams, which
have been published and translated by Munk.

But once he had returned to Marrâkush, to a Berber milieu which was less
sensitive on matters of doctrine, the caliph repealed all these edicts and
summoned the philosopher again to his court. Ibn Rushd did not have long to
enjoy this return to favour, since he died in Marrâkush on 9 Safar 595/11
December 1198. He was buried there outside the gate of Taghzût. Later his
body was taken to Cordova, where the mystic Ibn al-'Arabî, still a young
man, was present at his funeral.

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