{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1601586,
        "msgid": "the-islamic-tarzan-when-a-human-infant-is-raised-by-a-gazelle-1773129321",
        "date": "2026-03-10 13:36:33",
        "title": "The Islamic 'Tarzan': When a Human Infant Is Raised by a Gazelle",
        "author": "A.Syalaby Ichsan",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Anthropology",
        "summary": "Islamic scholar Habib Husein Ja'far Al Hadar discusses Hay bin Yaqzan, a classical Islamic philosophical work by Ibn Thufail, which tells the story of an infant raised by a female gazelle on a remote island\u2014a narrative that scholars suggest inspired the later Western Tarzan tale. The scholar emphasises the story's deeper theological message about how humans can discover God through observation of nature and the universe's signs, rather than through religious texts alone.",
        "content": "<p>Stories of humans raised by animals are often associated with Tarzan\nin Western popular culture. However, long before this tale became widely\nknown, the Islamic world possessed a similar narrative through a\nclassical philosophical work titled Hay bin Yaqzan, written by Ibn\nThufail.<\/p>\n<p>Young Islamic scholar Husein Ja\u2019far Al Hadar, commonly known as Habib\nJa\u2019far, explained that this story is often cited as the original\ninspiration for the Tarzan narrative.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, the story of Hay bin Yaqzan tells of an infant who\nlived and was raised by a female gazelle on a remote island.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is the story of Hay bin Yaqzan by Ibn Thufail, one of the\nphilosophers, which tells of an infant cared for by a gazelle. Hay bin\nYaqzan is said to be the origin of the Tarzan story,\u201d said Habib Husein,\nciting the \u201cLogin\u201d programme that aired during Ramadan on Tuesday, 10\nMarch 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Habib Husein believed the story carries a profound message about how\nhumans can come to know God through observation of the universe. He\ncited a statement by Ali bin Abi Talib: \u201cI know my Lord through my Lord\nhimself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to him, this expression illustrates that humans can arrive\nat an awareness of God\u2019s existence through the signs of His greatness in\nnature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis means that when someone is raised by a gazelle from infancy,\nthe story is about how he discovers God without reading scripture, but\nby observing the cosmic verses in the form of the universe,\u201d said Habib\nJa\u2019far.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-islamic-tarzan-when-a-human-infant-is-raised-by-a-gazelle-1773129321",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}