Al-Farabi and the liberal arts

The Medieval Islamic world was very advanced in its scholarship and studies, and in some instances surpassed the scholars of Europe. As we survey some of the greatest Islamic thinkers, we'll address the following questions:

1. When and how did the Islamic philosophical tradition begin?
2. What made the world of Medieval Islam so conducive to the study of philosophy?
3. Why is Averroes seen negatively within the Christian philosophical tradition?