Hayy ibn Yaqdhan
Born in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to a Presbyterian family, he received an M.A. from the University of Aberdeen. Keith joined the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the 1660s, accompanying George Fox, William Penn, and Robert Barclay on a mission to the Netherlands and Germany in 1677. In the meanwhile, he produced in 1674 the first English translation of Ibn Tufail's "Hayy ibn Yaqdhan" based on Edward Pococke's Latin version. He also participated in the 1676 Aberdeen disputes over Barclay's "Theses Theologicae", authoring with Barclay a defense of the "Theses" titled "Quakerism Confirmed".