Averroes

Averroes, the Latinized name of Ibn Rushd, was born in Córdoba on April 14, 1126, and died on December 11, 1198. An Andalusian polymath and jurist, his expertise spanned philosophy, theology, medicine, astronomy, physics, psychology, mathematics, neurology, Islamic jurisprudence, law, and linguistics. He wrote over 100 books and treatises, but his philosophical fame in the West rests on his many commentaries on Aristotle, earning him the titles "The Commentator" and "Father of Rationalism."

His full Arabic name was Abū l-Walīd Muḥammad ibn ʾAḥmad Ibn Rushd, sometimes distinguished from his grandfather—a famous judge—by the nickname al-Hafid ("The Grandson"). The Medieval Latin "Averroes" came from the Spanish pronunciation of "Ibn Rushd," and other European variants included "Ibin-Ros-din," "Filius Rosadis," and "Averroysta."

Averroes championed Aristotelianism, aiming to restore what he saw as Aristotle's original teachings while opposing the Neoplatonist leanings of earlier Muslim thinkers like al-Farabi and Avicenna. He defended philosophy against criticism from Ash'ari theologians such as Al-Ghazali, arguing that philosophy was not only permissible in Islam but compulsory for certain elites. When scripture seemed to contradict reason, he insisted it should be interpreted allegorically. In Islamic jurisprudence, he wrote *Bidāyat al-Mujtahid*, analyzing differences between Islamic legal schools and their underlying principles. In medicine, he proposed a new theory of stroke, first described the signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and may have been the first to identify the retina as the light-sensing part of the eye. His medical book *Al-Kulliyat fi al-Tibb*, known in Latin as the *Colliget*, was a European textbook for centuries.

His legacy in the Islamic world was modest due to geographical and intellectual factors. In the West, his extensive commentaries on Aristotle—translated into Latin and Hebrew—revived interest in Aristotle and Greek thought, which had largely faded after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. His ideas sparked controversy in Latin Christendom and gave rise to a philosophical movement called Averroism. His unity of the intellect thesis, which held that all humans share a single intellect, became a famous and contentious Averroist doctrine. The Catholic Church condemned his works in 1270 and 1277. Despite this, and sustained criticism from Thomas Aquinas, Latin Averroism continued to attract followers into the sixteenth century.

Little is known of his early life. He was born into a family known for public service in Córdoba. His grandfather, Abu al-Walid Muhammad, was chief judge and imam of the Great Mosque under the Almoravids. His father, Abu al-Qasim Ahmad, also served as chief judge until the Almohads replaced the Almoravids in 1146. Averroes's education was "excellent," starting with hadith, fiqh, medicine, and theology. He studied Maliki jurisprudence under al-Hafiz Abu Muhammad ibn Rizq and hadith with Ibn Bashkuwal, a student of his grandfather. His father taught him jurisprudence, including Malik's *Muwatta*, which he memorized. He studied medicine under Abu Jafar Jarim al-Tajail, who likely also taught him philosophy. He knew the works of Ibn Bajjah (Avempace) and may have known him personally. In Seville, he joined a circle of philosophers, physicians, and poets that included Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Zuhr, and the future caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub. He later criticized the Ash'ari kalam theology he had studied. Biographer Ibn al-Abbar noted his greater interest in law and its principles than in hadith, and his skill in jurisprudential disputes.

By 1153, Averroes was in Marrakesh, the Almohad capital, conducting astronomical observations and supporting the building of new colleges. He sought physical laws for astronomical movements, not just mathematical ones, but this research failed. There he likely met Ibn Tufayl, the court physician and philosopher, and they became friends despite philosophical differences. In 1169, Ibn Tufayl introduced him to Caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf. According to historian 'Abd al-Wahid al-Marrakushi, the caliph asked Averroes whether the heavens had existed from eternity.