Between Jadal and Burhān: Reading Post-Classical Islamic Intellectual History through Ibn Ṭufayl’s Novel Ḥayy b. Yaqẓān

This article opens a new discussion in the field of post-classical islamic intellectual history by showing how literature and intellectual history are two inseparable and interdependent fields through an analysis of ibn ṭufayl’s novel, ḥayy b. yaqẓān. to this end, the article first examines the tension between the two concepts of jadal and burhān, which have affected much of the currents in classical islamic intellectual history, and does so by assessing the three main figures in ibn ṭufayl’s novel: ḥayy, absāl and salāmān. our references to that tension are affirmed by two highly regarded scholars in post-classical islamic intellectual history, shams al-dīn al-samarqandī and sājaqlīzāda, particularly in their clear distinction between jadal, baḥth and munāẓara. this article will show how the evidence in post-classical text analyses shows that the battle between the two concepts of jadal and burhān was won in favor of burhān in post-classical period.