The Muslims who inspired Spinoza, Locke and Defoe

Written by 12th-century Arab writer Ibn Tufayl, “Hayy ibn Yaqzan”, which is about a boy alone on an island, appears to have influenced Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe". Mustafa Akyol argues that, since the way forward for Islam lies in reconciling faith and reason, it would be wise to reconsider what Ibn Tufayl’s “Hayy ibn Yaqzan” and the works of Ibn Rushd were trying to tell us.