Imagine being born and growing up on a deserted island, with no other humans to tell you what to make of life or the world. In Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān, a boy raised by a gazelle on an uninhabited island discovers life through reason and observation. Join Ṣuḥba Book Club to explore what this story can teach us about the search of meaning.
How do form our beliefs? What role do reason and the people around us play in shaping them? These questions are central to the first edition of Ṣuḥba Book Club, where we will read Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān by the twelfth-century philosopher Ibn Tufayl.
Amidst lectures and deadlines, we take a moment to reflect on life’s bigger questions. Ṣuḥba is the Arabic word for companionship. Inspired by this idea, Ṣuḥba Book Club brings students together to reflect on the search for meaning through literature inspired by Islamic spirituality. We read, share thoughts and reflect on what these stories might mean for our own lives as students.
Whether you’re curious about Islamic spirituality or simply enjoy reflecting on life with others, we’d love for you to join us. No prior religious knowledge is needed. Just an open mind and curiosity.
Ṣuḥba Book Club is an initiative by NEWConnective, the platform for life’s bigger questions at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.