Atef Aliraqi interpreter of Ibn Rushd, dies at 77

Islamic Philosophy professor, Atef Aliraqi, who believed that Arabs didn't have any philosophers since the death of the Muslim Philosopher Ibn Rushd eight centuries ago, Has died on Tuesday while giving a lecture to his students in the High institution for Islamic Studies in Cairo. He was 77. Atef Aliraqi, who was born in 1935, was known for embarking on a controversial project to convert the classification of Islamic philosophy into Arabian Philosophy, which landed him into numerous troubles and saw him encounter vehement criticism. The author devoted the greater part of his life to reinterpret the works of Muslim Philosopher Ibn Rushd, which he thought were widely misread. Al-Iraqi tried to develop a rational critical philosophical methodology through reinterpreting the “Arabian philosophy” legacy represented in the works of its “Rational Philosopher”. Those were the significant marks that Ibn Rushd left along with Al-Farabi and Al-Kindi. Known for his anti-marriage tendencies, Aliraqi, who never married, used to tell his students that Ibn Rushd would have produced much more valuable work if he had not married. He was also known for his sharp and vehement criticism of the Islamic philosophy professors of his age, believing many of them misread the Islamic philosophy’s legacy and fell as “slaves” of this heritage. AlIraqi was largely a lonely figure. He used to write this quote in his books’ prefaces: “From inside my mental solitude, which I live in, away from the treachery of man and the man’s injustice towards his brothers, I present this work to who was faithful in his work.” Aliraqi, who passed away in complete silence, left more than 60 books in the Islamic Philosophy field such as: Arabian Philosophy and the way forward, Rational tendency of Ibn Rushd, Ibn Sinai’s philosophy of nature and Critical methodology of Ibn Rushd.