All the studies linking Ibn Masarra with Empedocles are based on what Al-Qifti mentioned in his book The History of the Wise. In this book we find the first
indication linking the two men. It is worth noting that Ibn Masarrah’s influence by the philosophical vision of Empedocles was not an isolated incident, but rather a fixed position in the history of the mystical philosophers, who considered Empedocles, along with Pythagoras, Hermes, and Plato, among the virtuous and deified sages who were able to reach the wisdom of taste .Moreover, Ibn Masarra seems to have been influenced not only by the philosophy of Empedocles, but also
154
by his reclusive and discreet way of living, his way of concealing meanings, and his founding of a closed association of carefully selected and confined members.
We proceeded from the hypothesis that Ibn Masarrah was influenced by both
Empedocles’ versions: the Pseudo and the Real. We also observed the deep structural similarities between the two men and discussed the most important views taken by historians of thought regarding them. Together, they represented the
greatness of ideas at the moment of their inception, the beginning of Greek philosophy and the beginning of Islamic philosophy in Andalusia.