The Makeover of Hayy Transformations of the Sage's Image from Avicenna to Ibn Tufayl

This paper focuses on the literary relationship between Ibn Tufayl's Ilayy and Avicenna's (the latter being ostensibly the immediate source of inspiration of the former), and on the philosophical implications of this literary relationship. While Ibn Tufayl borrowed Avicenna's protagonists and framework, he eliminated the figure of the guiding sage, thus breaking sharply not only from Avicenna but also from the conventions of the literary genre that served as his model, the initiation story. This paper is primarily dedicated to presenting this dramatic, yet hitherto under-estimated, change, and to examining possible explanations for Ibn Tufayl's revolutionary move.