An Analytical Reading of the Influence of Islamic Philosophy on Shaping Medieval European Thought: Ibn Rushd as a Model

Abstract

The Arab-Islamic civilization had a great impact on Europe and important factor in its Renaissance. Many non-Muslim Westerners have testified to the greatness of Islamic civilization and its undeniable contributions to the advancement and progress of nations. These testimonies only came after an objective study based on a rigorous scientific methodology of the intellectual heritage of Muslims. The importance of this research lies in clarifying the impact of Islamic philosophy in general, and Ibn Rushd in particular, on European philosophy during the Middle Ages, and demonstrating his significant role in enlightening the history of European thought. This research aims to highlight the role of Islamic thinkers in the advancement of European civilization and to refute Westerners who have been unfair to Islamic thinkers and have attempted to diminish the contributions of Muslim peoples, describing them as less capable than the European race in the fields of science and technology. To achieve these and other objectives, this research employs the descriptive-analytical method and the inductive-historical method. The most important finding of the research is the confirmation that the process of influence only occurs through cultural exchange and interaction. Civilization and culture are important elements, but they are incapable of movement and transmission except through an effective and practical means of transfer. Every civilization has taken from what came before and contributed to what came after. This is because civilization, in its simplest sense, is primarily a human endeavor. Europe could not have achieved its Renaissance without adopting the principles of the Islamic Renaissance in all its aspects.