A Critical Study of Ibn Rushd’s Political Philosophy

Ibn Rushd: A Brief Biographical Note Abu Walid Mohammad bin Ahmad Ibn Rushd was a towering icon in the field of Islamic philosophical thought. He was born in a reputed family in 520 H/1126 A.D. in Cordova, in Spain. Abdul Walid Muhammad his grandfather was chief judge of Cordova under the Almoravid who established himself as specialist in legal methodology and in the teaching of different schools of law. His father Abdul Qasim held the same position until the decay of Almoravids, which were overthrown by another dynasty and was called Almohad dynasty in 1146. Traditionally, he studied the Hadith, Linguistic, Jurisprudence and Theology. There is a little information about the claim that, he studied medicine under Abu Jafar Ibn Harun of Trujillo, Seville. He studied Law fromIbn Zuhar, on the initiation and introduction of Ibn Tufail. He studied philosophy under Ibn Bajja. As per the available historical records, Ibn Bajja and Ibn Tufail were his mentors, but the teacher-taught relationship could not continue for a long because of their deep differences on the philosophical issues and methodology. At the beginning of his career, Ibn Tufayl greatly helped him to grow up as an intellectual being. He introduced him to the court and made him known to the people. He was appointed as judge of Seville in the year of 1160. Ibn Rushd wrote on religion, metaphysics and psychology. He started writing devotedly in the year 1157 at the age of 31 and the topics of his interest covered Medicine, Mathematics, Astronomy, Islamic Philosophy, Grammar, Islamic Theology and Islamic Law. He died at the age of 72 on 10 December 1198 soon after his return from Marrakesh to Cordova. He was buried at Cordova. Ibn Rushd as Qadi, physician, scientist and philosopher wrote impressive works in such fields. Renan gives a list of seventy eight books preserved in Library of the Escorial. These books are written on Philosophy,