Ibn Tufayl's epistemological theory based on Hayy ibn Yaqzan and its implications on Muslim education

Abstract

This study examines the epistemological theory of Ibn Tufayl Al-Qaysi Al-Andalusi, in science and education and its implications for Muslim education curriculum. Ibn Tufayl was born in the beginning of twelfth century in Guadix (Wadi Ash) and he died in 1185 AD in Morocco. He was an encyclopedic scientist; a philosopher, a judge, a physician and an astronomer. His novel, Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, is the only remaining work that reached us from his whole collection. It is also known as al-Hikmah al-Israqiyyah aw al-Mashriqiyyah (The Secrets of the Flourishing Wisdom). This novel talked about an infant named Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, who lived and grew up alone on an island. In this novel, Ibn Tufayl attempted to reconcile philosophical and empirical knowledge with the religious knowledge through the understanding and application of scientific and educational theories and methods. The researcher used the historical, analytical and comparative methods in this study. All the texts were examined and analysed critically. The primary source of literature was Ibn Tufayl’s novel, Hayy Ibn Yaqzan. The secondary sources included articles or studies written to explain and clarify the novel and also the books or articles talking about modern scientific discoveries and modern educational theories; Rousseau’s novel in education, Emile and Piaget’s work, The Psychology of Intelligence for natural theory and theory of intellectual or cognitive development and the notion of evolution through the ages respectively. The study found that firstly, there were many scientific aspects in the novel like the inductive or deductive methods, many scientific facts and theories particularly related to space physics which provides evidence that Ibn Tufayl saw the universe the way Einstein saw it in the twentieth century, except he saw it much earlier in the 12th century. Furthermore, the analysis shows that Ibn Tufayl had seemingly sowed the seeds of two famous educational theories – the Natural theory which is attributed to Rousseau and the theory of constructivism established by Piaget in the 19th and 20th century respectively. But the most important finding was his arguments on the relevance of both the philosophical and empirical sciences and revealed sciences in finding the ultimate Truth. Finally, the study shows Ibn Tufayl’s educational thoughts can be applied in reforming educational systems in the Muslim world that are steeped in educational dichotomy between acquired knowledge and revealed knowledge. Thus, the researcher recommends the novel be studied in both disciplines of acquired and revealed knowledge in the university in the Muslim world.