Journal of Codicology and Manuscript Research (In persian: Pizhūhish/hā-yi nuskhah/shināsī va taṣḥīḥ-i mutūn)

Journal of Codicology and Manuscript Research (In persian: Pizhūhish/hā-yi nuskhah/shināsī va taṣḥīḥ-i mutūn)

A New Narration of the Story of Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān: On the Manuscripts, Philosophical Approach, and Style of the Text

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Abdolrasool Forootan 1
Simin Arefi 2
1 Department of Literary Studies, Research Institute for Humanities Research and Development, Samat Organization, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Philosophy and Theology, Research Institute for Humanities and Development, SAMT Organization, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/crtc.2026.580252.1220
Abstract
This article examines and analyzes a little-known work from the late ninth century AH entitled Badīʿ al-Zamān fī Qiṣṣat Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān by Fazlallah ibn Ruzbihan Khunji. The text was composed within the tradition of the philosophical tale of Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān; however, its position among earlier versions has not been clearly determined. The principal question of the study is whether Khunji’s narrative is primarily based on the Arabic account of Avicenna or that of Ibn Tufayl, and what philosophical and stylistic approach the author adopted in his rewriting. The aim is to clarify the textual source of the narrative, to analyze the author’s intellectual orientation, and to evaluate the stylistic features of the work within the context of ninth-century Persian prose. The research employs a descriptive-analytical method with a comparative approach, based on the examination of manuscript copies, codicological description and collation, and comparison of narrative structure and philosophical concepts with earlier versions. The findings indicate that, in terms of narrative structure and sequence of events, Khunji’s account aligns more closely with Ibn Tufayl’s version, although in its theoretical framework it tends toward the Peripatetic philosophical tradition. By incorporating Qurʾānic verses, hadiths, poetry, rhymed prose, and other rhetorical devices, Khunji sought to demonstrate his mastery of ornate and technical prose. The study concludes that the work is not merely an abridgment of earlier narratives, but a conscious re-creation adapted to the intellectual horizon and literary taste of its time, representing an important link in the development of the philosophical
Keywords
Badīʿ al-Zamān fī Qiṣṣat Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān
Fazlallah ibn Ruzbihan Khunji
manuscript studies and textual criticism
philosophical analysis
stylistics
Subjects
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Journal of Codicology and Manuscript Research (In persian: Pizhūhish/hā-yi nuskhah/shināsī va taṣḥīḥ-i mutūn)

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 24 September 2026

  • Receive Date 02 May 2026
  • Revise Date 26 June 2026
  • Accept Date 09 July 2026
  • Publish Date 24 September 2026