Hayy is a human man living in total isolation on a remote island. Whether spontaneously generated from clay or cast away as an infant, he relies entirely on his own observations and deductions to understand the world. Initially feeling physically inferior to the animals around him, he develops tools to survive and studies anatomy by vivisecting wildlife. He gradually shifts his focus from physical survival to profound philosophical contemplation, seeking an ecstatic connection with a divine creator.

Absāl is a spiritual man from a neighboring island where Islam is practiced. Unlike others in his community, he prefers allegorical interpretations of religious texts and seeks to discover deeper truths. He sells his material possessions and sails to what he believes is an uninhabited location to dedicate himself entirely to meditation and fasting.

The doe is a wild animal living on the equatorial island. She takes pity on the helpless infant Hayy, nursing him and raising him alongside her own kind. She provides the physical nourishment necessary for the isolated human child to survive his vulnerable early years in the wild.

Salāmān is a practitioner of Islam living on a neighboring island. He prefers to remain within human society and observe religious rituals rather than pursue isolated meditation. He interprets the words of the Prophet literally and follows established spiritual teachings without questioning their deeper, abstract meanings.

The princess lives in a nearby land under the rule of her possessive brother. She marries a man named Aware in secret. Fearful of her brother's anger upon the birth of her child, she places her newborn in a box and casts him into the ocean, trusting his survival to God.

Aware is a man who marries the princess of a neighboring land without public knowledge. His relationship with her results in the birth of a child, placing the infant in immediate danger from the royal family's internal politics.

The king is the violently controlling ruler of a neighboring territory and the brother of the princess. His aggressive temper creates a climate of fear, driving his sister to hide her marriage and ultimately cast her newborn infant into the sea.