Ibn Rusyd (Arabic: ابن رشد; Arabic full name: أبو الوليد محمد ابن احمد ابن رشد, translit. Abu Al-Walid Muhammad ibn
Ahmad ibn Rusyd; 1126 - 11 December 1198), often portrayed as Averroes, was a
philosopher and thinkers from Al-Andalus who wrote in the fields of science,
including philosophy, aqeedah or Islamic theology, medicine, astronomy,
physics, fiqh or Islamic law, and linguistics. His philosophical works included
many interpretations, paraphrases, and summaries of Aristotle's works, which
made him dubbed by the western world as "The Interpreter" (English:
The Commentator). Ibn Rushd also served as a judge and court doctor during his
lifetime for the Muwahhidun Caliphate.
Ibn Rusyd was born in Cordova from a family that gave birth to famous judges; his grandfather was qadhi al-qudhat (chief judge) and famous legal expert in the city. In 1169 he met the caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf, who was impressed with Ibn Rushd's knowledge. The caliph then supported Ibn Rushd and much of Ibn Rushd's work was his assigned project. Ibn Rushd also served as a judge several times in Seville and Cordova. In 1182, he was appointed as court doctor and chief judge in Cordoba. After the death of Abu Yusuf in 1184, he still had good relations with the palace, until 1195 when he was charged with various charges with political motives. The court then decided that his teachings were heretical and Ibn Rusyd was exiled to Lucena. After several years in exile, the palace called him back to duty, but it did not last long because Ibn Rusyd died.
Ibn Rusyd was born in Cordova from a family that gave birth to famous judges; his grandfather was qadhi al-qudhat (chief judge) and famous legal expert in the city. In 1169 he met the caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf, who was impressed with Ibn Rushd's knowledge. The caliph then supported Ibn Rushd and much of Ibn Rushd's work was his assigned project. Ibn Rushd also served as a judge several times in Seville and Cordova. In 1182, he was appointed as court doctor and chief judge in Cordoba. After the death of Abu Yusuf in 1184, he still had good relations with the palace, until 1195 when he was charged with various charges with political motives. The court then decided that his teachings were heretical and Ibn Rusyd was exiled to Lucena. After several years in exile, the palace called him back to duty, but it did not last long because Ibn Rusyd died.
Ibn Rushd was a supporter of the philosophy of Aristotle (Aristotelianism). He tried to restore the philosophy of the Islamic world to the original teachings of Aristotle. He criticized the style of Neoplatonism found in the philosophy of previous Islamic thinkers such as Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina, which he considered deviating from Aristotelian philosophy. He defended the activity of philosophizing from criticism launched by the Ash'ariyah clerics such as Al-Ghazali. Ibn Rushd argues that in Islam the philosophy of law is permissible, it can even be mandatory for certain circles. He also argues that the text of the Quran and Hadith can be interpreted implicitly or figuratively if the text seems to contradict the conclusions found through reason and philosophy.
Ibn Rushd's influence on the Western world was far greater than the Islamic world. Ibn Rushd wrote many interpretations of Aristotle's works, which were later translated into Hebrew and Latin and circulated in Europe. The translation of Ibn Rushd's works triggered Western European thinkers to re-examine the works of Aristotle and other Greek thinkers, having long been ignored since the fall of the Roman empire. Ibn Rushd's opinions also caused controversy in the Latin Christian world, and inspired a philosophical movement called Averroisme. One of his controversial doctrines in the Western world is a theory called "unity of reason" (unitas intellectus in Latin), which states that all humans together have one mind or "intellect". His works were declared heretical by the Roman Catholic Church in 1270 and 1277, and Christian thinker Thomas Aquinas wrote sharp criticisms of Ibn Rushd's doctrine. Even so, Averroism continued to have followers in the Western world until the 16th century.
