The Travels of Ibn Fudayl

AcknowledgementsThe author would like to thank the wonderful assistance that scholars at the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) have provided, especially the noteworthy Oriental scholars Dr Hamza Malik and Dr Taheer Said for their wonderful discussions on the problems of translating. Dr Abdul Mu’min Hussain for his unlimited help on the difficult philosophical questions that the book offers. The assistance provided by Professor Imad Ahmad of Keble College, Oxford for his linguistic expertise and allowing the author to vent his frustrations at this most difficult text. The author is grateful to the Medieval Scholar Dr T. S. Asbridge of Queen Mary and Westfield College, who introduced him to this rich field of historiography. Professor Kevyn lenfest of John Hopkins for providing helpful suggestions to the text and political analysis. The author would also like to thank the unrelenting constructive criticism provided by Dr Caterina Pinto, Dr Vittoria Volgare and Dr Valentina Viene from The School of Oriental Studies in Naples. Finally, the author would like to thank his family and the numerous friends for their belief and support for such a trying endeavour. (Damascus, April 1, 2007)