The Approach of Philosophy and Children in Ibn Tufayl’s Hayy Ibn Yaqzan

It is possible to find some approaches towards philosophy and children in the works of Muslim philosophers. One of these works is that of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan which is written by Ibn Tufayl which is known as the first philosophical novel. Hayy Ibn Yaqzan is the name of a boy, who lives in an uninhabited island, in the lap of nature and among the animals where a deer has undertaken to bring him up. Apart from his physical growth his intellectual growth also proceeded ahead in the lap of nature following which he attained a kind of intellectual, philosophical and mystical maturity. At the end of this story Hayy came to be acquainted with the inhabitants of other island and found that what he earned through thinking about himself and the nature is in consistent with religious teachings. This approach is considered to be a part of Hayy’s intellectual and philosophical compartment. Some of Hayy’s intellectual approaches in the course of his intellectual process since his childhood to old age led to certain achievements in the field of technology, natural science, philosophy, and gnosis. It is possible to analyze Hayy’s way of thought with reference to the four spiritual journeys.