 The natural philosophy of Averroes goes far beyond paraphrasing Aristotle’s texts; it echoes the discussions of the Greek commentators, and the Arab philosophers on key issues. Furthermore, Averroes faced in his lifetime the challenge of Islamic jurists and Ashʻarite theologians. First of all, Averroes had to legitimate the study of philosophy and the consistency of its doctrines. His prologue should be understood not only as an outline of his doctrine of natural science but also as a defense of philosophy: Philosophy grants man his intellectual perfection, and true happiness.