Ibn Tufail

Ibn Tufail (Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Tufail, c. 1105–1185) was an Andalusian Muslim polymath — physician, philosopher, and vizier — born near Guadix in the province of Granada. He served as court physician and adviser to the Almohad caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf in Marrakesh, and later recommended the philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes) as his successor before his death in 1185.

He is best known for his philosophical novel Hayy ibn Yaqzan, a foundational work of Arabic literature depicting a child's self-taught discovery of philosophical and religious truth while living in complete isolation, which went on to influence later European works such as Robinson Crusoe.