The Innate Journey of Knowing God and His Graces in Hayy Ibn Yaqzan’s Novel

Abstract

The innate journey of knowing God is through the mind itself, without the help of any other human being. This study examines the innate journey of knowing God and His graces through an analysis of the novel Hayy Ibn Yaqzan by Ibn Tufail. This fact can be seen in how the novel’s character, Ibn Yaqzan, is able to distinguish himself from the natural animal existence surrounding him, whereby his levels of awareness rise from sensory perception through contacting and dealing with things to mental awareness through mental consideration. According to this concept, in this case, we find a person who is not connected to society and does not grow up in a social environment. The development and improvement of Ibn Yaqzan’s mind and his senses, the improvement of his methods in dealing with others, and his acquiring civilised and cultural characteristics show that he is a primitive person who has not reached a stage of complete humanity. The main hypothesis of this research paper is that anyone can discover God by himself/herself and that the human soul has the ability to realise its value and develop an awareness of its difference and distinction. It demonstrates that solitude is required for the exercise of this awareness. Moreover, it shows that man is capable of acquiring all human virtues without necessarily being a part of society.