Hayy Bin Yaqzan is a famous Arabic narrative written by the Muslim philosopher Abu Bakr Ibn Tufail in the twelfth century and translated first into Latin by Edward Pocock, the son, in 1671, then into English by George Keith in 1674, by George Ashwell in 1686, and by Simon Ockley in 1708. Ibn Tufail's work is mentioned in connection with Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, which appeared in 1719, by many critics who either accentuate or repudiate its significance as a possible source. This study goes beyond the off-hand question of derivation to compare these two analogous books, not to take part in the long-standing dispute but to inquire into the premises it stands upon and investigate its motivating grounds. After pointing out the identical settings of two men each stranded on a desert island, this study proceeds to analyze the approach of each book to the relationship between man and Nature. In the process of mastering their environments, Hayy and Crusoe awaken to the providential presence behind natural forces and learn to regulate themselves within the divine scheme and to form strong relations with God. The narratives of Ibn Tufail and Defoe share a concern not only with their heroes' solitude but also with their attitudes toward society, which threatens their sense of individuality. Whereas Hayy prefers his solitary state to immersion in human society and remains on his island accompanied only by one faithful apostle, Crusoe eagerly sails back to the world of men, although he too adjusts poorly to the spirit of society and spends the rest of his life roaming the globe. Examining the technical aspects of Robinson Crusoe and Hayy Bin Yaqzan, their narrative methods, their chronological order, their structure, style, and delineation of character, the study concludes that although the two books belong to different genres, they are still more similar than ordinarily assumed. It also finds that the question of indebtedness, which may never be resolved, is less significant than the broader similarities in cultural, political, and religious circumstances which may be at work.

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In this thesis we study Sobolev gradient flows for Perona-Malik style energy functionals and generalizations thereof. We begin with first order isotropic flows which are shown to be regularizations of the heat equation. We show that these flows are well-posed in the forward and reverse directions which yields an effective linear sharpening algorithm. We furthermore establish a number of maximum principles for the forward flow and show that edges are preserved for a finite period of time. We then go on to study isotropic Sobolev gradient flows with respect to higher order Sobolev metrics. As the Sobolev order is increased, we observe an increasing reluctance to destroy fine details and texture. We then consider Sobolev gradient flows for non-linear anisotropic diffusion functionals of arbitrary order. We establish existence, uniqueness and continuous dependence on initial data for a broad class of such equations. The well-posedness of these new anisotropic gradient flows opens the door to a wide variety of sharpening and diffusion techniques which were previously impossible under L2 gradient descent. We show how one can easily use this framework to design an anisotropic sharpening algorithm which can sharpen image features while suppressing noise. We compare our sharpening algorithm to the well-known shock filter and show that Sobolev sharpening produces natural looking images without the "staircasing" artifacts that plague the shock filter. / Thesis (Master, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2010-08-25 10:44:12.23

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Thesis (doctoral)--Université de la Sorbonne nouvelle, Paris III, 1997-1998. / Includes bibliographical references (v. 2, p. 727-744) and index.

Thesis (doctoral)--Université de la Sorbonne nouvelle, Paris III, 1997-1998. / Includes bibliographical references (v. 2, p. 727-744) and index.

This study is concerned with the biography of Atabeg Zangi and the conditions prevailing during his reign; it contains a survey of relevant sources and notes on modern works which render information reflecting the subject. It is in six chapters together with an appendix concerning his titles. The first of the chapters endeavours to portray the background to his life by a biographical survey of his childhood, training and youthful development, the changing circumstances of which finally produced the great and even ruthless Atabeg who ruled Mosul. In the second chapter his service to the Seliuqs in the East and West are discussed. The struggles for power between the Maliks and Zangi's involvement with them is its theme, together with the role played by the 'Abbasid Caliphate. Chapter three deals with Zangi's conflicts with the Latin States in the East. His wars against the Crusaders are discussed here as also are their dealings with the Atabegs of Damascus, followed by Zangi's endeavours to rule that city. An expedition led by the Byzantine Emperor, John II Comnenus, is described in chapter four. In this, his project for the capture of the Muslim towns In Syria is the chief topic as is also Zangi's reaction against the Byzantines. In chapter five, the Turcomans and Zangi's operations against them in Shahrazur, the Artuqids in Hisn Kayfa and Mardin and the Kurds in the north of Mosul are the main theme. The final and sixth chapter which deals with the revolt of Malik Farrukh-Shah, for whom Zangi acted as Atabeg, and the siege of Qal'at Ja'bar, ends with the murder of Zangi during this, his last operation.

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The aim of this thesis is to expound and compare the theological aspect of the thought of al-Juwaynī and al-G̲h̲azālī; we shall seek to discover similarities and differences between them in their methods and in their opinions on identical problems. There are indeed several aspects from which the thought of these two men may be studied - the philosophical, the juristic, and the theological aspects. And their contribution to theology is an extremely important page in the history of the As̲h̲ʻarīyah school.

Magister Artium - MA / Imam Malik b. Anas (d. 179 A.H.) is an important intellectual figure in Islam. He is the author of the first hadith collection, the Muwatta, and is the founder of one of the four major Sunni schools of law. His contribution towards formulating a distinct legal school allows millions of Muslims daily to perform their daily rituals of worship. Previous research, however, has not given enough attention to a systematic study of his beliefs. This study intends to address this shortcoming. My thesis examines the belief of imam Malik, particularly his concept of faith and the external expression thereof. It examines the first two eras of Islam, that of the Companions and Followers, which preceded him and their influence on his methodology of formulating his theological and legal views. It further looks at his approach to the textual evidences and his attitude towards speculative reasoning (kalam) regarding theological issues. This study further aims to verify the statements attributed to imam Malik regarding what constitutes correct faith and whether it increases or decreases. It also looks at the conflicting statements attributed to him regarding the increase and decrease of faith and tries to resolve them. Furthermore, it sources reliable biographical information on imam Malik to determine his attitude towards the diverse theological trends such as the Qadarites and Murji’ites prevalent during his time. In addition, the study compares the views of imam Malik with that of the other three founders of the Sunni Sunni legal schools.