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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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This thesis is an attempt to define and analyse Razi's position towards Ibn Sina's metaphysics with special reference to the problem of God's existence. The whole analysis is undertaken within the frameworK of Ghazali's presentation of the conflict between philosophy and religion in Islam.

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This thesis is a study of zandaqa, or heresy, in the early medieval period of al-Andalus. The goal of this work is to uncover subtexts between caliphal power and legal authority through an analysis of the historiography of the Andalusian Muhammad ibn `Abd Allah Ibn Masarra al-Jabali (d. 319/931). This is accomplished by applying the Foucauldian theories of limit and transgression on the scholarly reconstructions of his life. The formation of the madhahib in al-Andalus, the construction of Orthodoxy and Heresy in Islam, and the historical-legal development of zandaqa colours how scholars have approached the subject, and leads to questions concerning the relationship that marginal or subversive intellectual developments had with authoritative bodies. The resulting play of divergent and authoritative discourses that emerge from a Post-Modernist analysis of the Masarrian context have the capacity to illustrate intellectual developments within early Andalusian society and provide an alternate explanatory narrative for historical reconstruction.

This thesis seeks to sketch the outer contours of the epistemological universe in which the science of us&dotbelow;ul al-fiqh was elaborated in classical Islam. The task is accomplished by analyzing arguments both for and against qiyas and ta`lil as presented by two major jurists of the 5th century of the Hijra representing opposite ends of the Islamic theological spectrum: (1) the H&dotbelow;anafite Mu`tazilite jurist Abu l-H&dotbelow;usayn al-Bas&dotbelow;ri (d. 436/1044) and (2) the Z&dotbelow;ahirite Abu Muh&dotbelow;ammad `Ali ibn H&dotbelow;azm al-Andalusi (d. 456/1064). After detailing each author's stance regarding the justifiability of qiyas and ta`lil, the thesis analyzes the underlying theological and epistemological premises and assumptions that can be extrapolated from each author's position. This analysis focuses on three fundamental sets of questions, namely: (1) What can be inferred from each author's position regarding the nature and provenance of knowledge in general, and of the relative status of certain (qat&dotbelow;`i, yaqini) versus suppositional (z&dotbelow;anni ) knowledge in matters of Shari`a? (2) What, according to each author, was the moral-legal status of acts before the promulgation of the Shari`a, and what can be inferred from this about the nature and provenance of moral-legal norms as conceived in the Islamic world view? Finally, (3) What can we conclude, on the basis of each jurist's arguments for or against qiyas and ta`lil, about the purposefulness of Divine acts in general and of the Shari`a in particular?

In respect both of legal theory and technical legal thought, Kufians stood mid-way between ancient schools and Shâfi'i.