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Further reading: Iysa A. Bello, The Medieval Islamic
Controversy between Philosophy and Theology: Ijma and
Tawil in the Conflict between al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd
(Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1989); Oliver Leaman, Averroes
and His Philosophy (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1988); Caroline Stone, “Doctor, Philosopher, Renais-
sance Man.” Saudi Aramco World 54 (May/June 2003):
8–15.
Ibn Saud
See a
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al
-a
ziz
ibn
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.
Ibn Sina, Abu Ali al-Husayn
(Latin as
Avicenna)
(979–1037) gifted Persian philosopher
and physician whose writings were widely studied in
the Middle East and Europe
More is known about Ibn Sina’s early life than
about most other medieval Muslim scholars
because he wrote an
aUtobiography
about his
youth, supplemented with details about his adult
career contributed by later Muslim biographers.
He was born in a village near b
Ukhara
(now in
Uzbekistan) and educated under the supervision
of his father, a learned man with Ismaili affilia-
tions. Ibn Sina is thought to have had a remark-
able memory. He claims that by the age of 10 he
had memorized the q
Uran
and large amounts of
Arabic poetry. Soon thereafter, he studied several
highly complex subjects, including logic, Islamic
law (
fiqh
), and the metaphysics of Aristotle, as
explained by the Turkish philosopher
al
-F
arabi
(d. 950). He also studied Neoplatonic
philosophy
,
which was held in high esteem by Ismaili schol-
ars such as the b
rethren
oF
p
Urity
. Because he
was allowed free access to the royal library of the
Samanid dynasty (819–999), he was able to edu-
cate himself so well that he boasted of becoming a
teacher to the tutors hired by his father to educate
him. By the time he had turned 21, he had already
become famous for his medical knowledge and
healing skills and had written his first book on
philosophy.
When his father died in 1002, Ibn Sina left
Bukhara and traveled westward, finding tempo-
rary employment in the courts of several local
rulers. He continued to teach and write while
serving in government posts. Around 1020, Ibn
Sina became a court physician to the Shii ruler
Shams al-Dawla (r. 997–1021) in Hamadan in
western i
ran
. He was imprisoned in 1022 as
a result of political intrigues but managed to
escape to Isfahan in the south, where he was pro-
tected by Ala al-Dawla Muhammad (r. 1008–41),
the local ruler. Isfahan was his home for 15
years, where he continued his scholarly activi-
ties and completed writing his major works. He
died in the company of Ala al-Dawla while on a
military expedition. He was buried in Hamadan,
where a monumental tomb memorializes his
contributions to Islamic philosophy, medicine,
and
science
.
Estimates concerning the number of books
and treatises he wrote range from 100 to 250.
Most of them were written in Arabic, even though
his native language was Persian. Among the most
exhaustive of his works on philosophical and reli-
gious subjects was Kitab al-shifa (The Book of Heal-
ing). It dealt with four chief topics: logic, physics,
mathematics
, and metaphysics. The chapters on
physics included substantial discussion about
the nature of the human soul and its relation to
K 338
Ibn Saud
mind and body. He argued that all human souls
were immortal and thus not subject to a bodily
resurrection. In his discussion of metaphysics, he
attempted to show that all beings had their origin
in what he called the Necessary Existent, the first
cause, or God. Ibn Sina’s God represented the
highest beauty, lacking any defect; he was both
the essential lover and the beloved. Inspired by
Neoplatonism, Ibn Sina supported the idea that
the rest of
creation
flowed from God in waves,
or emanations. Such ideas were highly offensive
to literally minded Muslims. He developed these
ideas further in a group of writings concerned
with mysticism and “Oriental Wisdom.” Ibn Sina
also wrote an encyclopedic book on the healing
arts titled The Canon of Medicine (Al-Qanun fi
al-tibb), which drew extensively on Greek and
Arab medical literature and even some of his own
personal experience. It included his recommenda-
tions on caring for infants, raising
children
, and
edUcation
.
Ibn Sina’s genius inspired and challenged phi-
losophers, men of religion, mystics, physicians,
and scientists in the Middle East and Europe for
centuries after his death. In Islamicate lands, these
included luminaries such as
al
-g
hazali
(d. 1111),
i
bn
r
Ushd
(d. 1198), i
bn
al
-a
rabi
(d. 1240), Abu
Hafs al-Suhrawardi (d. 1294), and m
Ulla
s
adra
(d. 1640). Latin translations of The Book of Heal-
ing and The Canon of Medicine were read in Euro-
pean universities as early as the 12th century and
were studied there for centuries. The Catholic
theologian Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274), like his
counterparts in the east, also benefited from Ibn
Sina’s learning while arguing against some of his
ideas about God, the soul, and creation. Even
today Ibn Sina’s work is being read in many cen-
ters of learning around the world. In 1979–80, the
1,000-year anniversary of his birth was celebrated
in many countries. Hospitals in the Middle East
and South Asia bear his name, including one in
Baghdad. Iranians regard him as a national hero.
The United Nations Educational and Social Orga-
nization (UNESCO) established a prize for groups
and individuals in the fields of ethics and science
in his honor in 2004.
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