Abstract:
This work analyses the symbols and utopian thought in the book of Ibn Bājja as well as his philosophy about the purpose of the human being to reach perfection and the essence of life. Through reading closely his work Tadbīr al-mutawaḥḥid and with some other sources about the work, I formulated some questions which I will then answer in this essay. From Ibn Bājja’s, what are the ways to achieve perfection ? How do solitary people achieve a utopian life? What is the meaning of al-mutawaḥḥid (solitary)? Tadbīr al-mutawaḥḥid was used for analysis to answer these questions. By reading this book, I can directly understand Ibn Bajja's philosophy on utopia and the idea of solitude from the corrupt society and upgrading the soul with virtuous morals. Also there are secondary sources, between articles and books that analyse Ibn Bājja’s book, as well as discuss the idea of isolation from society. In order to be able at the end of this work to conclude whether the Ibn Bājja’s work leads a utopian life or not, it was necessary to define the concept of utopianism. There are some general sources that give a brief overview of what Utopia is, as well as compar it with the utopianism of Ibn Bājja in his book Tadbīr al-mutawaḥḥid. It'll be interesting at the start of this essay to introduc the author of the book Tadbīr al-mutawaḥḥid. This summary introductory of the aspects and circumstances of his life may be of some help in understanding the idea of his book, especially the idea of isolation and loneliness.
Comments:
We conclude from the work that the ultimate goal of the isolated person (al-mutawaḥḥid) is to manage the sum total of human actions aimed at a specific goal, which requires thought as its principle, that the al-mutawaḥḥid is the owner of an honest opinion that contradicts the opinions prevailing in the corrupt city. As well as he does not reach those actions except by contemplation and study, and these actions in themselves confirm their existence. In other words they are thoughts of ideas and are elevated by the acquired mind emanating from the active intellect, through which the person reaches to understand Itself as a mental being. Ibn Bājja emphasised that intellect is the decisive element in a person's options and choices also the main source upon which human happiness depends. The reader sees from the foregoing that Ibn Bājja clearly explains the way in which this movement takes place in a smooth step, but it is still not clear how the connection between the human mind and the active general mind is established, perhaps this is according to what Ibn Tufail mentioned that Ibn Bājja died before completing the writing of this work, even Ibn Rushd found this book ambiguous.72 It seems that Ibn Bājja’s philosophy included many trends and was based on the individual within society, and his indication of the importance of the utopia, its foundation and the purpose of the individual, through his project of the Regimen of the Solitary (Tadbīr al-mutawaḥḥid), whose purpose is morality, justice, and the achievement of parity between individuals. I suggest, may in the future, that there be a more detailed study of the writer’s life of the utopian literature. Because I feel the life aspects of a writer play an important role in his work's idea. Or in other words, is the book about Ibn Bājja's experience of isolation and alienation? Or was Ibn Bājja's intention really to present a utopian work ? It would be interesting if the researchers dealt more with this classification in particular the Arabic literary as well as perhaps we may find a later scientific answer as a result of continuous research in this field.
