Avicenna biography and his students. Persian scientist Avicenna: biography, poetry, works on medicine

Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdallah ibn Sina was an ancient thinker and physician, as well as a representative of Aristotelianism in the East. The ancient Iranian philosopher Ibn Sina was born on August 16, 980 in the city of Afshan. His father, a Bukharian official, ensured that his son received a home education, which made the young Ibn Sina feel a thirst for knowledge.

Very soon he surpassed all his mentors and began to independently study physics, metaphysics and medicine. He turned to the works of such geniuses as Aristotle, Ptolemy and Euclid, and adopted their knowledge. Moreover, if the works of the last two did not cause any complications for the young Abu Ali, then with the metaphysics of Aristotle he had to spend a lot of effort. The young philosopher began to read, but did not comprehend the depth of the book’s content.

This continued until, at the age of forty, he bought al-Farabi’s work “On the Purposes of Metaphysics,” which contained commentaries on Aristotle’s works. It was thanks to this book that all the true goals of Aristotle’s teachings were revealed to Ibn Sina. After this he created his first treatises. In 1002-1005 he came to Khorezm to join the Mamun Academy, which was actually a community of great scientists. But already in 1008 he became a wanderer, whose life depended on the whims or mercy of the sultans and emirs. In 1030, Ibn Sina was robbed and lost many of his works and works. Due to his too stressful life, he fell ill and died on June 18, 1037. He was buried in Hamadan (Northern Iran).

Medicine

Thanks to his work “The Canon of Medical Science,” Ibn Sina gained worldwide fame; he was even nicknamed “the prince of doctors.” The book includes a collection of medical knowledge and experience of a doctor during antiquity and the Middle Ages. The book also contains observations and discoveries of Ibn Sina himself. His creation consists of 5 books: the first includes knowledge about anatomy, as well as the causes and signs of diseases; the second describes medicines from the world of flora and fauna; the third book reveals information about individual diseases, their treatment and recognition; the fourth book tells what methods can be used to treat diseases; the fifth describes the most complex poisons, antidotes and medicines.

Ibn Sina called the causes of the disease “harmful”, meaning the influence on a person of climate, terrain, season, nutrition, labor, living conditions. He was the first to describe the differences between plague, leprosy and smallpox, and provided evidence that such diseases can be contracted through soil, air, water, and contact with an infected person. Ibn Sina became the first physician to describe in detail tuberculosis, gastric ulcers, and diabetes.

Ibn Sina also created his theory of music, based on the works of Greek scientists. The book “Musical Aesthetics of Eastern Countries” describes information about sounds, intervals, types of tetrachords and placement in the complete system of rhythm and technique of compositions. It is in this book that the educational and healing effects of music on humans are pointed out.

Philosophy about theology and being

Ibn Sina called metaphysics the doctrine of God as the beginning of all things, combining Islamic monotheism and ancient philosophy. In proving the existence of God, the philosopher resorted to proof that all things existing in the world are “possible.” To paraphrase, their existence differs from their essence, things in the world appear thanks to the beginning, which everything so needs, and its essence and existence complemented each other. This understanding of God was accepted during Jewish and Muslim theology.

Ibn Sina imagined the world as an outcome from God outside of time. In this hierarchy there were cosmic intelligences that were compared to angels. They rule the celestial spheres. And the main mind is the beginning of the entire existing world. Thanks to this, matter was represented as pure potentiality, from which things with form and matter arise. If human thinking reaches the highest degree of perfection, then it will be able to reunite with the higher mind, which will present its truths in the form of images and speculations accessible to the world. The prophet's ability to perform miracles was explained by Ibn Sina by the fact that his mind is supported by an incredibly developed power of imagination, capable of influencing both his body and the bodies of other people.

The philosopher Ibn Sina believed that the soul is independent of the body, which allows it to exist forever. As evidence, he gave the example of a “floating man” who realizes that “I am me, even if I do not know if I have any organ.” At the same time, Ibn Sina did not accept the teachings of Plato, which spoke of the existence of the soul, and also rejected the Muslim belief in the resurrection of the body. Ibn Sina believed that the Day of Judgment occurs for every person immediately after his death.

The philosopher argued that every human ability is a function of the soul, which has an immaterial nature. Ibn Sina said that after death and decay of the body, the soul becomes free, and wisdom, goodness, knowledge return to it, allowing it to return to the divine light.

According to the thoughts of Ibn Sina, every person strives for good, but he has to adapt to environment, and it changes depending on your knowledge. This is how any moral quality is acquired and a person is able to preserve his qualities before his character is formed. When the soul encounters negative qualities, it will be able to resist them by exercising its willpower.

In the world of Muslim faith, Ibn Sina was called the “prince of philosophers.” Most of his ideas were adopted in the later Kalam. The philosopher had a great influence on medieval thoughts and ideas, as well as on Jewish philosophy.

Global significance

The philosophical as well as scientific heritage of the ancient Iranian thinker remains a very important link in all human culture. Ibn Sina was able to bring new knowledge to many scientific fields. His teachings remain popular in the East and West.

Many of his works were lost without a trace, burned in fires. Only rumors about them have survived to this day. His other books were buried in book depositories and lie undisassembled. The day will come when humanity will be able to find and read them.

In legends, fairy tales, and songs you can meet the hero Ibn Sina. And Carl Linnaeus named a special type of plant Avicennia, in honor of the great scientist. The Tajikistan Medical University and the mountain peak bear his name. In the city where Ibn Sina was born, there is a museum in his honor. In 1990, it was opened in the city of Bukhara medical school, which was named after the philosopher.

In the poetry of the Minnesingers and troubadours one can find the ideas of Ibn Sina, who spoke about selfless service Beautiful Lady. At the end of the Middle Ages, this gave rise to Dante Alighieri's image of love. The writer mentioned Ibn Sina very often, describing him as the greatest thinker with whom no one can compare.

Ibn Sina was a scientist. Who greedily reached out for research, wanting to cover every branch of knowledge. It is not surprising that among intellectuals he was known as a renowned polymath. You can still meet him today popular expression: “Whoever does not value happiness is approaching unhappiness.”

Several Muslim countries are fighting for its glory. Iran considers it its own because the grave of Ibn Sina is located here. The Arabs are proud of him because he wrote in their language. Tajiks have no doubt that he was from their tribe, since he was born on the territory of their ancient state. Even the Uzbeks are rightfully proud of him as a subject of the Bukhara emir, whose domain is part of modern Uzbekistan. For Europeans, Avicenna is a product of Hellenism and a herald of the Renaissance. He read the Koran and the works of Aristotle with equal rapture, and his life was full of amazing events. He was not married and had no children, but every person on earth could call him their father and teacher, and he himself was the son of ancient culture.

Bukhara

Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn Aliibn Sina was born in the village of Afshana, located 30 km northeast of Bukhara, on August 16, 980. From a young age, fate was favorable to him. Firstly, he got a wonderful father who noticed the boy’s natural gifts and tried to develop them as much as possible. Hussein was sent to the school of Muslim jurisprudence, at the age of 10 he knew the Koran by heart, and at 12 he was a well-known sage in the area, to whom adults came to consult. When the famous scientist Abu Abdallah Natili came to Bukhara, his father did everything to make him stay in his house.

Comprehension of music, astronomy and geometry is given to him without difficulty, but Aristotle’s Metaphysics caused misunderstanding until Hussein picked up the comments to Al-Farabi’s Metaphysics. It is known that the great Greek philosopher not only talked about the categories of existence, but also treated people, being himself the son of a doctor. Muslim culture flourished, gratefully absorbing everything that Hellenistic wisdom could give. In Islamic countries, Aristotle was highly revered, translated and commented on him. It is through Arabic translations the great Greek came to medieval Europe to become a teacher of the West.

Tradition gives Ibn Sina different ages when he was invited to treat the Emir of Bukhara - from 16 to 18 years. The young man healed the ruler, and as a reward asked to be allowed into his library. Here he absorbed knowledge in a variety of areas of science, and medicine was for him one of the forms of knowledge of man and the world. He did not enjoy the wisdom of the ancients for long, as the library was burned by Muslim fanatics as a source of heresy. Ibn Sina himself was known as a heretic and all his life he experienced discomfort from contact with religious ignoramuses.

Tiny demons of disease

The year 1002 is a very significant year in the life of a scientist. Captured by Turkic nomads, Bukhara ceases to exist, and the torch of high eastern culture will never burn here with such brightness. The emir was killed, the library was burned, the houses of civilians were looted. Ibn Sina's father dies, and he himself comes under attack for apostasy from Islam. Together with his brother Mahmud, he fled, which meant certain death, since between the cities lay a waterless desert. Mahmud dies of thirst, and Hussein himself is picked up by a caravan, which takes him to the city of Urgench, the capital of the rulers of Khorezm. According to legend, one of the saviors was his future student Giurjani, who accompanied the teacher until the end of his days.

In Urgench, Ibn Sina manages to stop the raging plague. He recommends to the ruler to prohibit people from gathering in the bazaar and in the mosque, and to reinforce his case, he uses a solar eclipse. He advises transferring money by dipping it in vinegar, and including garlic in the diet. Ibn Sina speculates that the cause of diseases may be tiny demons that adhere to the body, clothes and hair. Thus, he already anticipated the discovery of bacteria in the 11th century. He never took money from patients who interested him from the point of view of practical experience. To supplement the missing knowledge, he dissected corpses.

Years of wandering

In 1008, Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznavi invited the scientist to his court. He was an arrogant and uneducated ruler who rose to the top of power from the very bottom. Ibn Sina understands that he is being invited to become a court lackey, so he refuses the Sultan’s gracious offer. From that time on, he is doomed to years of wandering, fleeing the wrath of a vengeful despot.

In Hamadan, he not only treats Emir Shams ad-Dawla, but also tries to give political advice. The grateful ruler appoints him vizier. Ibn Sina is trying to organize government according to the teachings of Aristotle, according to which all power should be concentrated in the hands of noble philosophers. The emir's courtiers do not like this. They force him to leave his high post and leave the state. But soon the emir’s illness makes itself felt, and the scientist is asked to return, reinstating him as a minister.

Ibn Sina had to be imprisoned for trying to go into the service of the ruler of Isfahan. Four months later, he finally ends up in Isfahan, where he spends the most fruitful years of his life. In the service of the Isfahan ruler Ala ad-Dawla, he ends his days at the age of 56. The ashes of the great thinker of the East rest in the mausoleum of the emir in Isfahan on the territory of modern Iran.

Treasury of knowledge

Medicine was not Ibn Sina’s only hobby, although he dedicated his encyclopedic work “The Canon of Medical Science” to it. Here he not only predicted the discovery of bacteria and viruses, but also described the features and differences of diseases such as smallpox, cholera, plague and leprosy. In the “Canon,” the scientist gives many recipes for the production of medicinal potions, which were successfully used in medieval Europe.

Based on practical experience, describes the treatment of dislocations and fractures. He was the first to perform craniotomy. In the third volume of the “Canon,” the scientist examines the issues of pathology and therapy of diseases that cause fever, tumors and purulent inflammation. Descriptions of diseases are accompanied by anatomical explanations. With amazing accuracy and depth, he explains the structure of the muscles of the human eye.

Without a theoretical basis and tools, he guessed about the bactericidal properties of garlic and wormwood. Ibn Sina knew about beneficial properties bee honey, which was included in many of his recipes. He pays attention to the rules of collecting medicinal herbs and breathing exercises. It was Avicenna who gave a detailed description of the symptoms and signs diabetes mellitus, and also analyzed diseases such as meningitis and stomach ulcers.

Another major work, “The Book of Healing,” oddly enough, is devoted rather to philosophical issues. Here the author shares his thoughts about music, astronomy, logic, arithmetic, geometry, psychology, biology and physics. The fundamental questions of existence, which he sets out in the “Book of Knowledge,” did not escape his inquisitive mind.

Ibn Sina became the discoverer of the distillation of essential oils and knew about the process of extracting nitric, sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, sodium and potassium hydroxides. Following Aristotle, he argued that the Earth is round. Avicenna was aware of the latest developments in the field of astronomy and even wrote the Almagest Compendium on the work of Ptolemy. He determined the longitude of the city of Gurgan using the rules of spherical trigonometry, and developed the theory of motion proposed by Aristotle.

The world after Avicenna

He lived on earth for fifty-six years. Saving many from death, he refused to treat himself when he realized that his hour of death had come. He was considered a magician and sorcerer by those who had only heard about this man. But Avicenna’s works wandered from library to library, were translated and provided food for thought. Muslim and Christian thinkers were inspired by his ideas and discoveries. The great poet of the East Omar Khayyam read the poetry of Ibn Sina, and Michelangelo admired his anatomical knowledge.

He was an intellectual marvel of the Islamic world. This was a time when Muslim countries were more educated and more cultured than the European West. Now everything has changed. But Avicenna benefited both Muslims and Christians equally. More precisely, both of them took from him as much as they could carry.

Ibn Sina absorbed all the best from ancient culture and philosophy. He helped bring antiquity back into Christian civilization. In our difficult times, his life path can serve as another argument for the reconciliation of two religions that came out of one book - the Bible.

Medieval scholars and writers from the Muslim East were known in Europe by short names or nicknames. The Persian Avicenna is no exception. His real name can be abbreviated as Ibn Sina.

Childhood

The future scientist was born in 980, near Bukhara, in Central Asia. From early childhood, the child was distinguished by his intelligence and intelligence. By the age of ten he knew the Koran perfectly. At the Bukhara school, he first studied legislation, and later philosophy, logic and geometry. This was the heyday of Muslim science. Eastern scientists turned out to be several steps ahead compared to European medieval monks. One of them, Abu Abdallah Natili, took on the task of teaching the promising teenager.

Avicenna, whose biography was later marked by numerous independent discoveries, quickly left the tutelage of mentors and began to study alone. Aristotle's book Metaphysics had a great influence on the 16-year-old boy.

Philosophical views

Many principles laid down by the ancient Greek philosopher in his works became guidelines for the Persian follower. He was not alone in his research. Similar views were shared by Al-Kindi, Ibn Rushd and Al-Farabi. This school was called “Eastern Aristotelianism.” Avicenna, whose biography is full of various discoveries, became its key supporter.

His works display a strict style of presentation, subordinate to logic. In Muslim theology it is called “akl”. According to Avicenna's views, Allah was a perpetual motion machine of ideas and forms. He also criticized anthropomorphism. An important principle of Eastern Aristotelianism was peace. According to her, the Earth was the heart of the Universe, and all other celestial bodies revolved around it.

In Bukhara

Young Ibn Sina became the doctor of the Bukhara emir thanks to his deep knowledge of medicine. In addition, he received access to all then known literary works on this topic. The young scientist communicated a lot with local Turkic residents, thanks to which he mastered this language. However, his service ended after the Turkic tribes captured Bukhara and overthrew the then ruling Samanid dynasty. This happened in 1002.

In Khorezm

After this, Avicenna, whose biography as a scientist had just begun, went to the city of Urgench. It was the center of Khorezm, a rich and important region. Here the philosopher and doctor continued to hone his education. He received an important task - to compile a set of laws for single state Khorezm. He managed to cope with his task. The vizier, as well as the shah, closely watched the young courtier.

Avicenna had to deal with the inertia and servility of the local readers from state council. They lived according to the Koran and sharply resisted any innovations in the life of Khorezm. The young scientist had to conduct long disputes and disputes with the elders, who did not want to hear about any reforms. Only thanks to the pressure of youth and the help of the Shah, Ibn Sina was able to push through his project, achieving wide recognition not only in Khorezm, but also beyond its borders.

However, when Mahmud of Ghazni came to power in 1008, Avicenna refused to serve at his court. This led to his exile and long wanderings.

Last years

Eventually the scientist arrived in the Persian city of Hamadan, where he lived for about 10 years. He managed to cure the local emir, for which he received the title of vizier. Because of this, the philosopher often conflicted with various parties at the ruler’s court and the military. It was in Hamadan that he entered politics and began working in the civil service.

The most fruitful years in terms of scientific pursuits occurred during the life of Ibn Sina in Isfaan. The local emir provided him with all the conditions for productive activities. It was here that Avicenna, whose biography is known for his numerous wanderings and travels, found peace and began writing his main books. Some of them died during the invasion of enemy troops. Nevertheless, the legacy of the Persian writer has reached our times in large quantities. It consists of many treatises on medicine, chemistry, astronomy, and mechanics.

Avicenna died in 1037 after suffering from a stomach illness. His ashes were placed in the Isfahan mausoleum, where local emirs also found their final rest.

Medical work

Avicenna's biography is best known for his encyclopedic reference book, The Canon of Medicine. Arab and Persian doctors studied according to it until the 17th century. The work was divided by the author into five books.

The first of them is devoted to the theory of medicine. The writer examined the concepts of diseases, as well as the causes of their occurrence. He identified the symptoms of such terrible diseases as cholera, plague, smallpox and leprosy. Subsequent books talk about various simple medicines, including plants.

Medical research, which fills Avicenna’s biography, also allowed him to write and publish various treatises on a wide range of issues. They touched healthy image life, heart disease, pulse, blood vessels, proper nutrition etc. The doctor promoted various physical exercises, which, in his opinion, should prolong a person’s life.

Ibn Sina's research covered not only the physical, but also the psychological state of a person. The doctor in his works described four types of character - hot, cold, wet and dry. This classification largely corresponds to the European one, where the temperament of choleric, phlegmatic, etc. is present.

Avicenna also described complex human natures. According to his theory, the character depended on which fluid predominated in the body - blood, mucus or bile.

The versatile activities of the scientist have always attracted researchers to such a figure as Avicenna. His biography, photos of his written works and vivid adventures often appear in a variety of textbooks.

Philologist and music theorist

The Persian scientist Avicenna, whose biography is known to every compatriot, often wrote his scientific works and publications in the form of poems. This style was popular in the Muslim East. Interestingly, the scientist was also interested in music. He is the author of several works on the theory of composition. He classified music as a mathematical science and spoke in his works about the laws governing the construction of musical works.

The instruments known at that time were described and classified in one of the books, the author of which was Avicenna. The scientist (the Persian’s biography allowed him to attend many official events where concerts were held) laid the foundations of musical science. It did not become widespread in its homeland, but in Europe in modern times the numerous researches of the medieval researcher were rethought. Various theorists were then interested in the biography of Avicenna. In short, his works became the foundation for modern music theory.

Avicenna or Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (980-1037) - physician, scientist, philosopher, court physician of the emirs and sultans of the Persian states, vizier of Hamadan, author of more than 450 works in various fields of science.

Childhood of a future scientist.

Avicenna was born in the village of Avshana, which was located near Bukhara. His father was a wealthy official. WITH early years the future doctor had a very inquisitive mind. The boy did not limit himself to any one area and was interested in everything that surrounded him. His father hired him a learned elder to teach him various sciences. While still a young man, Ibn Sina met the then famous Bukhara doctor Abu Sahl Masihi. In many ways, it was this man who most influenced the boy’s future, getting him interested in medicine.

Avicenna began his career as a doctor at the age of 17. At that time, the Emir of Bukhara fell seriously ill, and no one could cure him. Having tried all means, the young Ibn Sina was invited to the palace, who, after examining the emir, prescribed him treatment, which helped the patient recover. As payment for his services, Avicenna received unlimited access to the Bukhara library.

By the age of 18, Ibn Sina was in active correspondence with many prominent scientists of the East. Already at this time, the young doctor had his own students. By the age of 20, Avicenna was already the author of several books on ethics, philosophy, medicine and other natural sciences. At this time, 2 difficult things happen young man events - first his father dies, and then Bukhara, in which he grew up, is attacked by Turkic tribes of nomads, who capture the city and set it on fire.

To save himself, Avicenna was forced to leave his hometown and go with a trade caravan to Khorezm. The ruler of the city, Khorezmshah, patronized scientists, and he hoped to find a new home there. The Shah favorably received the scientist and invited him to work together with the scientists Masihi and Biruni.

Soon Ibn Sina was forced to leave Khorezm, which sheltered him. He traveled to different cities and made money by treating the sick at the inns he came across. During this period of his life, Avicenna often served as court physician in various small states of the East. But he did not stay anywhere for long; he often moved from place to place.

“The Canon of Medical Science” and the service of viziers.

In 1016, Ibn Sina finally stops in the city of Hamadan. There he becomes first a court physician, and then a minister and vizier. It was in this city that he completed the first volume of the main work of his life - the treatise “The Canon of Medical Science”. This work will become one of the main medical treatises for many centuries. In total, he wrote 5 volumes and each was an invaluable storehouse of information for any doctor. Only by the 19th century, with the development of medicine and the beginning of the rapid development of natural sciences, works began to appear that were comparable in importance to this work of the medieval author.

The book is unique in that it contains many completely new hypotheses, reflections that simply never occurred to anyone before Avicenna. For example, it was he who suggested that “febrile” diseases are caused by tiny organisms. This hypothesis will be confirmed only 800 years later, after research conducted by Louis Pasteur. In addition, Ibn Sina was the first to describe in detail the plague and cholera, and also described methods of treating meningitis and stomach ulcers.

Begun in Hamadan, the book was completed 10 years later in Isfahan. In this city, Ibn Sina served as vizier to the Shah, but after some time a riot broke out at court, as a result of which the doctor was imprisoned. Despite the imprisonment, Avicenna continued his research and at this time he wrote many works on mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, chemistry and even several art books and poems.

Avicenna paid great attention to health-improving exercises. In particular, he argued that physical exercise are the key to a healthy body if you choose their strength and duration correctly, in accordance with age and general development. Ibn Sina believed that a person engaged in physical exercise on an ongoing basis and will not require treatment or medications. In addition, such loads strengthen the body, muscles, ligaments and nerves. He also drew attention to the benefits of massage, hardening, both hot and cold water. Many eastern feudal lords of that time used Avicenna’s recommendations.

Other sciences.

Avicenna's activities were not limited exclusively to medicine. The scientist spent a lot of time on other natural sciences. He discovered the process of distilling essential oils; in his writings he described in detail how hydrochloric nitric and sulfuric acids can be prepared. As an astronomer, based on his observations, he came to the conclusion that Venus is closer to the earth than to the sun. He also dealt with the issues of determining coordinates by stars, in particular, based on the laws of trigonometry, he determined the position of Gurgan relative to Baghdad.

As a philosopher, Avicenna largely followed Aristotle. The scientist’s philosophical works include such treatises as “The Book of Love”, “The Book of Eliminating the Fear of Death”, “The Book of Predestination”.

Ibn Sina was also interested in psychology. In particular, he proposed dividing all characters into 4 types - hot, cold, wet and dry, which, as you might guess, corresponds to the modern 4 types of temperament identified by psychology.

In addition to scientific activities, Avicenna devoted himself to the arts - there are several famous works of art. He wrote some of his works in the form of quatrains. In addition, Ibn Sina also studied music, considering it a kind of branch of mathematics.

After his release, he continued to serve at the court of Ala ad-Daulah. During one of the campaigns of this ruler, Avicenna became seriously ill, attempts at treatment did not lead to recovery, and after a short time he died. This happened in the year 1037. A few years after the doctor’s death, a mausoleum was erected on his grave, to which people come to worship to this day.

Who is Ibn Sina?

Avicenna or Ibn Sina (Arabic: ابن سینا, Dates of Life: 980 – June 1037) was a Persian polymath who is considered one of the most significant thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age.

Of the 450 works that he wrote, about 240 have survived to this day, including 150 on philosophy and 40 on medicine.

His best-known works are The Book of Healing, a philosophical and scientific encyclopedia, and The Canon of Medicine, a medical encyclopedia that became a standard medical text in many medieval universities and was in use as early as 1650. In 1973, Avicenna's Canon of Medicine was republished in New York.

In addition to philosophy and medicine, Avicenna's scientific legacy includes works on astronomy, alchemy, geography and geology, psychology, Islamic theology, logic, mathematics, physics and poetry.

Ibn Sina or Avicenna

Avicenna is a Latin interpretation of the Arabic name Ibn Sina, meaning "Son of Sina", a Persian masculine name of uncertain etymology.However, Avicenna was not the son, but the great-grandson of a man named Sina.His full name was Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina بن سينا).

Avicenna's life story

Ibn Sina produced a wide range of works during the well-known Islamic Golden Age, when translations of Greco-Roman, Persian and Indian texts were intensively studied.The Greco-Roman (Middle, Neo-Platonic and Aristotelian) texts translated by the Kindi school were commented on, edited and reworked by substantive Islamic intellectuals who also drew on Persian and Indian mathematical systems, astronomy, algebra, trigonometry and medicine.The Samanid dynasty in eastern Persia, Greater Khorasan and Central Asia, and the Bayid dynasty in western Persia and Iraq, provided a prosperous atmosphere for scientific and cultural development.Under the Samanids, Bukhara rivaled Baghdad as the cultural capital of the Islamic world.

The study of the Quran and Hadith flourished in such a scientific atmosphere.Philosophy, theology and theology (kalaam) received significant development thanks to Avicenna and his opponents.Al-Razi and Al-Farabi provided methodology and knowledge in the fields of medicine and philosophy.Avicenna had access to the great libraries of Balkh, Khorezm, Gorgan, Rey, Isfahan and Hamadan.Various texts (for example, "Ahd with Bahmanyar") show that he discussed philosophical issues with the greatest scientists of the time.Aruzi Samarkandi describes that before Avicenna left Khorezm, he met Al-Biruni (a famous scientist and astronomer), Abu Nasr Iraqi (a famous mathematician), Abu Sahl Masihi (a respected philosopher) and Abu al-Khair Hammar (a great physician ).

Biography of Ibn Sina

early years Ibn Sina

Avicenna was born in980 in the village of Afshan, near Bukhara (in modern Uzbekistan) - the capital of the Samanids, a Persian dynasty in Central Asia and Greater Khorasan.His mother, named Setarekh, was from Bukhara;his father, Abdullah, was a respected Ismaili scholar from Balkh, an important city of the Samanid Empire, which today lies in the Balkh province of Afghanistan. ABOUTThe father worked in the Samanid government in the village of Harmasain, in the Sunni regional government.Hussein also had a brother, Mahmud, five years younger than him.Avicenna studied the Koran and literature from an early age, and by the age of ten he knew most of it by heart.

A number of theories have been proposed regarding Avicenna's madhab (school of thought in Islamic jurisprudence).The medieval historian Shahir al-din al-Bayhaqi (b. 1169) considered Avicenna a follower of the Puritan Brothers.On the other hand, Dimitri Gutas, together with Aisha Khan and Jules J. Janssen, argued that Avicenna was a Sunni Hanafi.However, in the 14th century, Shia faqih Nurullah Shushtari, citing Seyyed Hossein Nasr, argued that Avicenna was most likely a Shia.In contrast, Sharaf Khorasani, citing Avicenna's refusal of an invitation to the court of the Sunni governor, Sultan Mahmud Ghazanavi, believes that he was an Ismaili.Such disagreements arise on the basis known facts about Avicenna's family - while some authors considered them Sunnis, later ones argued that they were Shiites.

According to his autobiography, Avicenna already knew the entire Koran by heart by the age of 10. He learned arithmetic from an Indian elder and began to study with the wandering scientist Mahmud Massahi, who received his livelihood by treating the sick and teaching his students to do so.Avicenna also studied fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) under the Sunni Hanafi scholar Ismail al-Zahid. Avicenna,In some ways, he studied philosophical books such as the “Introduction” (Isagoga), “Porphyry” (philosophy), Euclid’s “Elements”, Ptolemy’s “Almagest” with the unpopular philosopher Abu Abdullah Nateli, who approved philosophizing.

IN adolescence, Avicenna became very interested in Aristotle's Metaphysics, which he could not understand until he read Al-Farabi's commentary on the work.Over the next year and a half, he studied philosophy, which was not easy for him.At such moments, confused by incomprehensible interpretations, he left his books, performed the necessary ablutions, then went to the mosque and continued to pray until enlightenment came in matters incomprehensible to him.Deep into the night he continued his studies, and even in his dreams, problems continued to haunt him and found their solution.It is said that he read Aristotle's Metaphysics forty times until the words were imprinted on his memory;but their meaning was hopelessly unclear, until one day, understanding came to him, thanks to a little commentary from Farabi, which he had boughtin a bookshop for the small sum of three dirhams.So great was his joy at the discovery made through this work, from which Avicenna expected further riddles, that he offered a prayer to God and gave alms to the poor.

Avicenna began practicing medicine at the age of 16, and not only learned medical theory, but, thanks to free visits to patients, according to him in my own words, discovered new methods of treatment. Being 18 years oldAs a teenager, he achieved the status of a qualified doctor and noted that “Medicine is not a complex and thorny science like mathematics and metaphysics, so I soon achieved great success, becoming an excellent doctor and began to treat patients using known means.”. The young doctor's fame quickly spread, and he treated many patients without asking for payment.

The early years of Ibn Sina

Ibn Sina's first appointment was that he was invited as a doctor to Emir Nuh II. The young doctor was obliged to cure the emir of a dangerous disease (997).Ibn Sina's main reward for this service was access to the royal library of the Samanids, famous philanthropists and scholars. Soonthe library was destroyed by fire, and Ibn Sina's enemies accused him of burning it in order to forever hide the sources of his knowledge.Meanwhile, Ibn Sina helped his father in his financial difficulties, but still found time to write some of his early works.

When Ibn Sina was 22 years old, he lost his father.The reign of the Samanid dynasty ended in December 1004. Apparently Ibn Sina refused Mahmud of Ghazni's offers and traveled west to Urgench, in modern Turkmenistan, where the vizier, considered the patron of scholars, gave him a small monthly stipend.However, the wages were small, so Ibn Sina wandered from place to place in the regions of Nishapur and Merv to the borders of Khorasan, looking for use for his talents.Qaboos, the generous ruler of Tabaristan, himself a poet and scholar, with whom Ibn Sina hoped to find refuge, was about this date (1012) driven to death by starvation by his soldiers, who rebelled.Ibn Sina himself was struck by a serious illness at this time.Finally, in Gorgan, not far from the Caspian Sea, he met a friend,who bought housing near his house where Ibn Sina lectured on logic and astronomy.Ibn Sina wrote several treatises for this patron;and the beginning of the writing of the "Canon of Medicine" also dates from his stay in Hyrcania.

Ibn Sina subsequently settled in Ray, near modern Tehran and hometown Rise; where Mayd Addaula, son of the last Buwayd emir, was the nominal ruler under the regency of his mother (Seyedeh Khatun). It is said that about 30 of Ibn Sina's shorter works were composed in Rey. However, constant disagreements that erupted between the mother regent and her second son Shams al-Daula forced the scientist to leave the place. After a short stay in Qazvin, he went south to Hamadan, where Shams al-Daula, another Buwayd emir, settled. At first Ibn Sina served with a high-born lady; but the emir, hearing about his arrival, called him as a doctor and, presenting him with gifts, sent him back. Ibn Sina was even taken to the vizier's office. The emir decreed that he should be expelled from the country. However, Ibn Sina hid for forty days in the house of Sheikh Ahmed Fadhel, until a new attack of illness forced the emir to restore him to his post. Even during this troubled time, Ibn Sina continued his studies and taught. Every evening excerpts from his great works, the Canon and the Healings, were dictated and explained to his disciples. After the death of the emir, Ibn Sina left the post of vizier and hid in the pharmacist's house, where he continued composing his works with redoubled zeal.

Meanwhile, Ibn Sina wrote to Abu Yafar, the prefect of the developed city of Isfahan, offering his services.The new emir of Hamadan, having heard about this correspondence and discovered where Ibn Sina was hiding, imprisoned him in a fortress.Meanwhile, the war continued between the rulers of Isfahan and Hamadan;in 1024, the former ruler captured Hamadan and its cities, expelling the Tajik mercenaries.When the storm subsided, Ibn Sina returned with the emir to Hamadan and continued writing literary works.Later, however, accompanied by his brother, his favorite disciple and two slaves, Ibn Sina fled the city in the dress of a Sufi ascetic.After a dangerous journey, they reached Isfahan, receiving an honorable reception from the prince.

Last years and death of Ibn Sina

The remaining ten or twelve years of Ibn Sina's life were spent in the service of the Qaquid ruler Muhammad ibn Rustam Dushmanziar (also known as Ala-el-Dola), whom he accompanied as a physician and general literary and scientific mentor, even on his many campaigns.

Over the course of these years, he became interested in issues of literature and philology, and his style as a critic developed and established.A severe attack of illness, which seized him right on the march of the army against Hamadan, was treated with such cruel means that Ibn Sina could hardly stand on his feet.When the disease returnedIbn Sina reached Hamadan with difficulty and, finding that the disease was gaining strength, refused further administration of drugs and resigned himself to his fate.

His friends advised him to live a moderate life.However, he refused, stating that: "I prefer a short but wide life to a narrow and long one."On his deathbed, remorse overwhelmed him;he gave his things to the poor, restored justice, freed his slaves and, the last three days before his death, read the Koran.He died in June 1037 in his fifty-eighth year, in the month of Ramadan, and was buried in Hamadan, Iran.

Philosophy of Ibn Sina

Ibn Sina wrote extensively on early Islamic philosophy, especially on the subjects of logic, ethics and metaphysics, including the treatises Logic and Metaphysics.Most of his works were written in Arabic- the language of science in the Middle East, and some in Persian.His several books written in almost pure Persian (in particular, “Danishnama-i-a-ala”, “Philosophy for ala ad-Daula”) still have linguistic significance to this day.Ibn Sina's commentaries on Aristotle often criticized the philosopher, encouraging lively debate in the spirit of ijtihad.

Avicenna's Neoplatonic scheme of "emanations" became fundamental in the Kalama (school of theological discourse) in the 12th century.

His "Book of Healing" became available in Europe in a partial Latin translation fifty years after its publication under the title "Sufficientia", and some authors noted "Latin Avicennism" as flourishing, in parallel with the more influential Latin Averroism, but suppressed by the Parisian decrees of 1210 and 1215 years. Avicenna's psychology and theory of knowledge influenced William of Auvergne, Bishop of Paris, and Albertus Magnus, while his metaphysics influenced the thought of Thomas Aquinas.

Metaphysics of Avicenna

Early Islamic philosophy and Islamic metaphysics, imbued with Islamic theology, distinguished more clearly than Aristotelianism the concepts of essence and existence.While existence depends on contingency and chance, the essence resides within the being beyond chance.Ibn Sina's philosophy, especially as regards metaphysics, owes much to al-Farabi.The search for a definitive Islamic philosophy, separated from the theory of accidents, can be seen in his works.

Following the example of Al-Farabi, Avicenna began a full-fledged study of the question of being, in which he distinguished between essence (Mahiat) and existence (Wujud).He argued that the fact of existence cannot be determined by the essence of existing things, and that form and matter themselves cannot interact and give rise to the movement of the Universe or the progressive actualization of existing things.Therefore, existence must be due to an agent's cause that requires, conveys, gives, or adds existence to the entity.For this to happen, the cause must be an already existing thing and coexist with its effect.

Avicenna's consideration of the question of essential attributes can be clarified from the point of view of his ontological analysis of the mode of being;namely, impossibility, chance and necessity.Avicenna argued that the impossible is that which cannot exist, while the contingent itself (mumkin bi-dhatihi) has the potential to be or not to be, without entailing contradiction.When actualized, the contingent becomes “a necessary existence because of what is different from it” (wajib al-uuud bi-ghayrihi). Thus, the contingency itself is a potential being that can ultimately be realized for an external reason other than in itself.The metaphysical structures of necessity and contingency are different.The necessary (wajib al-wujud bi-dhatihi) is true in itself, while the conditional is “false in itself.”and “truly because of something other than oneself.”The necessary is the source of one’s own existence without borrowing.This is something that always exists.

The necessary exists “because of its own self” and has no essence (makhiya) other than existence (wujud).Moreover, it is “one” (wahid ahad), since there cannot be more than one “necessary - existing - because of itself” without distinction (fasl) to distinguish them from each other.However, the necessity of difference entails that they exist “because of themselves” as well as “because of what is not itself”;and this is contradictory.However, if no differentiation distinguishes them from each other, then it makes no sense that these "existences" are not the same thing.Avicenna adds that “necessarily-existing-for-itself” has no genus (jeans), no definition (hadd), no analogue (nadd), no opposite (did), and is separated (bari) from matter (madda) quality (kayf), quantity (kam), place (ayn), situation (wad) and time (waqt).

Avicenna's theology on metaphysical matters (ilahiyat) has been criticized by some Islamic scholars, including al-Ghazali, Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn al-Qayyim.Discussing the views of theists among the Greek philosophers, namely Socrates, Plato and Aristotle in Al-Manqid-min-ad-Dalal ("Deliverance from Error"), al-Ghazali noted that the Greek philosophers "need to tax unbelief as well as their morals supporters among Muslim philosophers such as Ibn Sina and Al-Farabi."He added that “none of the Muslim philosophers transmitted so much of Aristotle’s knowledge as did the two men just mentioned. [...] The sum of what we consider to be the true philosophy of Aristotle, as transmitted by al-Farabi and Ibn Sina, can be reduced to three parts:the part that needs to be branded as unbelief;the part that must be presented as an innovation;and a part that doesn't need to be denied at all.

Ibn Sina on Aristotle

There is correspondence between Ibn Sina (with his student Ahmad ibn Ali al-Masumi) and Al-Biruni, in which they discussed Aristotelian natural philosophy and the Peripetic school.Abu Rayhan began by asking Avicenna eighteen questions, ten of which were criticisms of Aristotle's Heaven.

Religious worldview of Ibn Sina

Avicenna was a devout Muslim and sought to reconcile rational philosophy with Islamic theology.His goal was to prove the existence of God and his creation of the world from a scientific point of view through reason and logic.Avicenna's views on Islamic theology (and philosophy) were extremely influential, forming the bulk of curriculum in Islamic religious schools until the 19th century.Avicenna wrote a number of short treatises on Islamic theology.These included treatises on the prophets (whom he considered "inspired philosophers"), as well as on various scientific and philosophical interpretations of the Qur'an, such as how the cosmology of the Qur'an corresponded with his own philosophical system.In general, these treatises linked his philosophical works with Islamic religious ideas;for example, about the afterlife of the body.

There are some hints in his works that Avicenna considered philosophy the only reasonable way to distinguish real prophecy from illusion.He did not state this more clearly because of the political implications of such a theory if the prophecy could be questioned, and also because most of the time he wrote short works that focused on explaining his theories about philosophy and theology without distractions to consider epistemological questions that could be properly considered by other philosophers.

Later, the interpretation of Avicenna's philosophy divided into three different schools;those (such as al-Tusi) who continued to use philosophy as a system for interpreting later political events and scientific developments;those (such as al-Razi) who viewed Avicenna's theological works in isolation from his broader philosophical reflections;and those (such as al-Ghazali) who selectively used parts of philosophy to support their own attempts to gain deeper spiritual knowledge using a variety of mystical means.This was the theological interpretation espoused by the likes of al-Razi and which eventually came to dominate the madrasa.

Avicenna memorized the Koran at the age of ten, and as an adult, he wrote five treatises commenting on suras from the Koran.One of these texts included "Proof of the Prophecies", in which he comments on several verses of the Qur'an and holds the Qur'an in high regard.Avicenna argued that Islamic prophets should be considered superior to philosophers.

Thought experiments of Ibn Sina

While he was imprisoned in Fardajan Castle near Hamadkhan, Avicenna wrote his famous "Floating Man" - literally "falling man" - a thought experiment demonstrating human self-awareness, the essence and insignificance of the soul. Avicenna believed that his experiment "The Floating Man" showed that the soul is a substance, and argued that people cannot doubt their own consciousness even in a situation that prevents all sensory input. The thought experiment showed readers what it would be like to be suspended in the air, isolated from all sensation, including sensory contact even with their own body. He argued that there would still be self-awareness in this scenario. Because it is possible that a person suspended in the air, cut off from sensory experience, will still be able to determine his own existence. The thought experiment indicates that the soul is perfect, independent of the body and non-material in origin. The ability of this "floating man" indicates that the soul is perceived intellectually, which entails the alienation of the soul from the body. Avicenna calls the human mind living, in particular the active intellect, which he considered the hypostasis through which God communicates truth to the human mind and gives order and legibility to nature. Below is English translation argument:

One of us (i.e., man) must be represented as being created at one blow;created perfect and improving, but his vision is clouded so that he cannot perceive external entities;created by falling through air or void so that he is not affected by the density of the air in any way that would cause him to feel it, and his limbs are separated so that they do not touch or touch each other.Then contemplate this: Can he be sure of his own existence?He has no doubt that he exists, without thereby asserting that he has any external limbs, nor internal organs, neither the heart, nor the brain, nor any of the external things at all;but he can assert the existence of himself without asserting that this “I” has any extension in space.Even if in this state he could imagine a hand or some other limb, he would not imagine it as part of himself, and this would not be a condition of the existence of this “I”;for you know that what is asserted is different from what is not asserted, and what is conveyed is different from what is not conveyed.Therefore, the very existence that is asserted is a unique characteristic, since it is not the same as the body or limbs, which have not been established.Thus, that which is established (i.e., the “I”) has the ability to be certain of the existence of the soul, as something other than the body, even something non-corporeal;he knows this, he must understand this intuitively, and if, due to his ignorance, he does not know about it, then he must be beaten with a stick [to understand this].

However, Avicenna believed that the brain is the place where the mind interacts with sensation.Sensation prepares the soul to receive rational concepts from the universal agent - Intelligence.The flying person's first knowledge would be "I", confirming his or her essence.Obviously, this entity cannot be a body, since a flying person has no sensation. ZThe knowledge that 'I am' is the core of the human being: the soul exists and is self-aware.Thus, Avicenna came to the conclusion that self-awareness does not logically depend on any physical thing and that the soul should not be perceived in relative terms, but as a primary given, substance.The body is not necessary;in relation to him the soul is perfection.The soul itself is an immaterial substance.

Medicine of Ibn Sina and his “Canon of Medical Science”

Avicenna developed a five-volume medical encyclopedia: “The Canon of Medicine” (“Al-Qanun fit-Tibb”).It was used as the standard medical textbook in the Islamic world and Europe until the 18th century. "Canon"continues to play an important role in world medicine.

"Book of Healing" by Ibn Sina

Works of Ibn Sina on geology

Ibn Sina was interested in earth sciences, such as geology, and he wrote the Book of Healing.Discussing the formation of mountains, he explained:

Either they are a consequence of upheavals in the earth's crust, which can occur during a strong earthquake, or they are a consequence of the movement of water, which, breaking through new way, exposed the valleys, various types, some soft, some hard... Such changes require a long period of time, after which the mountains themselves may decrease somewhat in size.

Scientific and philosophical works of Ibn Sina

In the Al-Burhan ("On Demonstration") section of the Book of Healing, Avicenna discussed the philosophy of science and described an early method scientific research. He examined Aristotle's later Analytics and deviated significantly from him on several points.Avicenna addressed the issue of proper methodology for scientific research and the question “How to obtain the basic principles of science?”He asked how a scientist would arrive at “the initial axioms or hypotheses of deductive science without deducing from them some more fundamental premises”?He explains that the ideal situation is for someone to understand the existing "relationship between terms that would allow for absolute, universal certainty."Avicenna then adds two more methods to refine the first principles:the ancient Aristotelian method of induction (itikra), as well as the method of investigation and experiment (tajriba).Avicenna criticized Aristotle's induction, arguing that it "does not lead to the absolute, universal and determinate premises which it is supposed to provide." Instead hedevelops “the method of experimentation as a method of scientific research.”

Logical teachings of Avicenna

Avicenna studied the early formal system of temporal logic.Although he did not develop a real theory of temporary provisions, he studied the relationship between the temporary and the permanent.Avicenna's work was completed by Najm al-Din al-Qazwini al-Katibi and became the dominant system of Islamic logic down to the present day.Avicenna's logic also influenced several early European logicians such as Albertus Magnus and William Ockham.Avicenna confirmed the law of non-contradiction proposed by Aristotle, that a fact cannot be both true and false, and this also applies to the terminology used.He stated: "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that being beaten is not the same as not being beaten, and being burned is not the same." that not to be burned.

Ibn Sina's contributions to physics

Ibn Sina, in the Book of Healing, in the section on mechanics, developed a theory of motion in which he made a distinction between the tendency to move and the force of the projectile and concluded that motion is the result of the tilt (mail) moved by the thrower into the projectile, and that the throwing motion a projectile in a vacuum will not be able to stop.He viewed inclination as a constant force whose action dissipates external forces such as air resistance.

The theory of motion presented by Avicenna was probably influenced by the 6th-century Alexandrian scholar John Philoponus.Avicenna has a less refined version of the theory of impulses developed by Buridan in the 14th century.It is unclear whether Avicenna was influenced by Buridan's theory or directly by Philoponus' theory.

In optics, Ibn Sina was among those who argued that light has a speed, noting that "if the perception of light involves the emission of any particles by a light source, then the speed of light must be finite."He also gave an incorrect explanation for the rainbow phenomenon.Carl Benjamin Boyer described ("Ibn Sina") Avicenna's rainbow theory as follows:

Independent observation showed him that rainbows do not form in dark cloud, but rather in a very thin mist lying between the cloud and the sun or the observer. ABOUTI thought that the cloud simply served as a background to this subtle substance, since a mercury plate was placed on the back surface of the glass of the mirror.Ibn Sina changed not only the location of the rainbow, but also the formation of color, maintaining iridescence, which is simply a subjective sensation of the eye.

In 1253, a Latin text entitled Speculum Tripartitum outlined the following theories of Avicenna regarding heat:

Avicenna says in his book on heaven and earth that heat is generated from movement in external things.

Avicenna's contribution to the doctrine of the soul

Avicenna's legacy in classical psychology is mainly embodied in parts of Kitab al-Nafi's Kitab al-shifi (Book of Healing) and Kitab al-Najat (Book of Deliverance).They were known in Latin as De Anima (treatises on the soul).Significantly, Avicenna develops the so-called "flying man" argument in Psychology of Healing I.1.7 as a defense of the argument that the soul has no quantitative extension. This doctrine bears similarities to Descartes' argument in the Cogito (what phenomenology refers to as "epoche").

In psychology, Avicenna argues that the connection between body and soul must be strong enough to allow for the soul's individuation, but weak enough to allow its immortality.Avicenna grounds his psychology in physiology, which means that his description of the soul is almost entirely related to the natural science of the body and its powers of perception.Thus the connection of soul and body is almost entirely explained by the philosopher by his understanding of perception;bodily perception is interconnected with a person’s intangible intelligence.In sensory perception, the perceiver experiences the shape of an object;first, by perceiving the features of the object with our external senses.This sensory information is transmitted to the internal senses, which integrate all parts into a single conscious perception.This process of perception and abstraction is the link between soul and body, since the material body can only perceive material objects, and the immaterial soul can only receive immaterial, universal forms.How the soul and body interact in the final abstraction, from the universal to the specific detail, is the key to their relationship and interaction that occurs in the physical body.

The soul completes the action of the intellect by taking on forms that have been abstracted from matter.This process requires that a specific detail (material) be abstracted into a universally intelligible (intangible).The material and immaterial interact through the active intellect, which is the “divine light” containing intelligible forms.Active intelligence reveals the general obscurity hidden in material objects, just as the sun makes color accessible to our eyes.

Ibn Sina - great scientist and thinker of the Middle Ages

Avicenna's teachings on astronomy and astrology

In his critical attack on astrology entitled "Reszal fi abtaal ahkam al-nozhum", Avicenna quoted passages from the Koran, challenging the power of astrology in predicting the future.He believed that each planet had some influence on the Earth, but argued that astrologers were unable to determine the exact effects.

Avicenna's writings on astronomy had some influence on later writers, although in general his work is considered less developed than that of Alhazen or Al-Biruni.An important feature of his works is that he considers mathematical astronomy as a separate discipline of astrology.He criticized Aristotle's idea that stars received their light from the Sun, stating that stars emit light and believed that planets were also self-luminous.Avicenna claimed that he saw Venus as a spot on the Sun.This is possible because on May 24, 1032, the planet's trajectory was suitable, but Avicenna did not indicate the date of his observation, and modern scientists doubt whether he could have observed Venus from his observation site;and whether this spot was Venus. Avicennaused observation of the planet's trajectory to establish, at the very least, that Venus is inferior to the Sun in Ptolemaic cosmology, that is, the sphere of Venus is subject to the influence of the Sun, moving away from the Earth in the prevailing geocentric model.

He also wrote a "Summary of the Almagest" (based on Ptolemy's Almagest) with an accompanying treatise to "bring what is stated in the Almagest into conformity with the natural sciences."For example, Avicenna considers the movement of the solar apogee, which was recorded by Ptolemy.

Ibn Sina's contribution to the development of chemistry

Ibn Sina used distillation to produce essential oils such as rose essence, laying the foundation for what would later become aromatherapy.

Ibn Sina, unlike al-Razi, for example, clearly disputed the theory of transmutation of substances, which is usually believed by alchemists:

They know well from chemical experiments that no changes can be made to different types substances, although they may cause such changes to occur.

Four works on alchemy attributed to Avicenna were translated into Latin. This:

Liber Aboali Abincine de Anima in arte Alchemiae

Declaratio Lapis physici Avicennae filio sui Aboali

Avicennae de congelatione et conglutinatione lapidum

Avicennae ad Hasan Regem epistola de Re recta

"Liber Aboali Abincine de Anima in arte Alchemiae" was the most influential, influencing later medieval chemists and alchemists such as Vincent Beauvais.However, Anavati claims (after Rusca) that "de Anima" is a forgery of the Spanish author. AAvicenna's succession has not actually been established. It is believed that the third work(The Book of Minerals) is by Avicenna, adapted from Kitab al-Shifa (The Book of Healing).Ibn Sina classified minerals into stones, fusible substances, sulphates and salts, based on the ideas of Aristotle and Jabir. "Epistola de Re recta"has less to do with alchemy;Anavati claims that it belongs to Avicenna, but was written by him in an early period, when he was not yet sure that transformations were impossible.

Avicenna's poetry

Almost half of Ibn Sina's works were written in poetic form. Thispoems in both Arabic and Persian. For example, Edward Granville Brown argues that the following Persian verses are incorrectly attributed to Omar Khayyam and were originally written by Ibn Sina:

Legacy of Ibn Sina

Avicenna's influence on medieval philosophy

Back in the 13th century, when Dante Alighieri depicted him in Limbo alongside virtuous non-Christian thinkers in his " Divine Comedy" such as Virgil, Averroes, Homer, Horace, Ovid, Lucan, Socrates, Plato and Saladin, Avicenna was recognized by both East and West as one of the outstanding figures in intellectual history.

George Sarton, author of The History of Science, described Ibn Sina as "one of the greatest thinkers and medical scientists in history" and called him "the most famous scientist of Islam and one of the most famous of all races, places and times." He was one of the leading writers of the Islamic world in the field of medicine. Along with Rhazes, Abulqasis, Ibn al-Nafis and al-Ibadi, Ibn Sina is considered an important writer of early Muslim medicine. He was remembered in Western history medicine, as a major historical figure who made great contributions to medicine and the European Renaissance. His medical texts were unusual in that where there was disagreement on medical matters between the views of Galen and Aristotle (for example on anatomy), Avicenna chose to fight Aristotle in order to update Aristotle's views and take into account post-Aristotelian advances in anatomical knowledge. The dominant intellectual influence of Aristotle among medieval European scholars meant that Avicenna's association with the medical works of Galen and philosophical works Aristotle's Canon of Medicine (along with its comprehensive and logical organization of knowledge) greatly increased Avicenna's importance in medieval Europe compared to other Islamic writers on medicine. His influence after the translation of the “Canon” was such that from the beginning of the 14th to the middle of the 16th century, he was recognized, along with Hippocrates and Galen, as one of the significant authorities, “princeps medicorum” (“prince of doctors”).

A modern view of Avicenna's philosophy

In modern Iran, Avicenna is considered a national icon and is often regarded as one of the greatest Persians who ever lived. To himA monument was erected near the museum in Bukhara. It was built in 1952Mausoleum and Museum of Avicenna in Hamadan. The University in Hamadan (Iran), the Research Institute in Tehran (Iran), the Tajik State Medical University in Dushanbe, the Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences in Aligarh, in India, the School in Karachi, are named after him. Medical College in Lahore and Medical School in Pakistan. There is also a medical school named after. Ibn Sina in his home province of Balkh in Afghanistan, Faculty of Medicine. Ibn Sina University of Ankara in Turkey and the Consolidated School in Marawi (Philippines) are named after him.His portrait hangs in the hall of the Avicenna Faculty of Medicine at the University of Paris. A crater on the Moon is named after Avicenna and there are a number of plants under the Latin name Avicennia.

In 1980, the Soviet Union, which then included Bukhara, celebrated the thousandth anniversary of Avicenna's birth by distributing various commemorative stamps with artistic illustrations, as well as erecting a bust of Avicenna based on anthropological research by Soviet scientists.Not far from Avicenna's birthplace, in his native village of Afshon, about 25 km (16 miles) north of Bukhara, a medical training college was named after him.There is a museum on site dedicated to his life, achievements and work.

In 2003, the UNESCO Prize was established and named in honor of Avicenna. It is awarded every two years, to individuals and groups, for ethical principles in science.The purpose of the award is to promote ethical issues that arise from advances in science and technology and to raise global awareness of the importance of ethics in science.

In March 2008, it was announced that Avicenna's name would be used worldwide in new reference books for educational institutions, which train healthcare professionals.Avicenna's works will be studied in universities and schools that train doctors, public health specialists, pharmacists and others.The project team said: “Why Avicenna? Avicenna... was chosen for his synthesis of knowledge from East and West. He had a significant influence on the development of medicine and health sciences. The use of Avicenna's name symbolizes the comprehensive partnership that is necessary to promote high-quality healthcare services."

In June 2009, Iran opened the “Pavilion of Persian Scholars” at the United Nations Office, which is located in the Central Memorial Hall of the International Center in Vienna.It features statues of four prominent Iranian figures.

Highlighting Iranian architectural features, the Pavilion is decorated with Persian works of art. It displays statues of famous Iranian scientists: Avicenna, Al-Biruni, Zakaria Razi (Razes) and Omar Khayyam.

In 1982, the Soviet film “Youth of Genius” (Russian: Yunost geniya, translit. Yunost geniya) by Elior Ishmukhamedov was shot, telling about the young years of Avicenna’s life.The film was shot in Bukhara at the turn of the millennium.

In Louis L'Amour's 1985 historical novel The Walking Drum, Kerbuhard studies and discusses Avicenna's Canon of Medicine.

In his book The Physician (1988), Noah Gordon tells the story of a young English medical student, hiding his Jewish identity, who travels from England to Persia and studies with the great master of his time, Avicenna. In 2013The novel was made into a feature film, The Doctor. Avicenna was played by Ben Kingsley.

The role of Ibn Sina in the development of Arab science and philosophy

Ibn Sina's treatises influenced later Muslim thinkers in many fields, including theology, philology, mathematics, astronomy, physics and music.His works amounted to almost 450 volumes, covering a wide range of subjects, of which about 240 survive.In particular, 150 volumes of his surviving works are devoted to philosophy, and 40 of them are focused on medicine.His most famous works are The Book of Healing and The Canon of Medicine.

Ibn Sina wrote at least one treatise on alchemy, but several others have been attributed to him erroneously.His Logic, Metaphysics, Physics and De Caelo are treatises that rediscover the teachings of Aristotle, although the Metaphysics shows a significant departure from Neoplatonism, known in Ibn Sina's time as Aristotelianism.Arab philosophers hinted at the idea that Ibn Sina was trying to completely "reinterpret" Muslim philosophy, in contrast to his predecessors, who agreed with the unification of Platonic, Aristotelian, neo- and Middle Platonic works that came to the Muslim world.

His Logic and Metaphysics were reprinted more than once, for example, in Venice in 1493, 1495 and 1546. Some of his more short essays about medicine, logic, etc. were written in poetic form (a poem about logic was published by Schmelders in 1836).Two encyclopedic treatises on philosophy are often mentioned.Moreover, almost the entire manuscript of Al-Shifa (Sanatio) exists in the Bodleian Library and elsewhere;part of his De Anima appeared in Pavia (1490) as Liber Sextus Naturalium. The long account of Ibn Sina's philosophy given by Muhammad al-Shahrastani is mainly an analysis and, in many places, a reproduction of Al-Shifa.A shorter form of the work is known as An-Najat (Liberatio).The Latin editions of some of these works were modified by amendments, the application of which is acknowledged by the monastic editors.There is also the treatises حكمت مشرقيه (Hikmat-al-Mashriqqiyya, in Latin Philosophia Orientalis), mentioned by Roger Bacon, most of which were lost in antiquity, according to Averroes, were of a pantheistic direction.

List of works of Ibn Sina

List of some famous works of Avicenna:

Sirat al-Shaykh al-Rais (The Life of Ibn Sina), ed. and trans. WE. Goleman, Albany, New York: State University New York Press, 1974. (The only critical edition of Ibn Sina's autobiography, supplemented by material from the biography of his student Abu Ubayd al-Juzani. A later translation of the Autobiography - D. Gutas, Avicenna and the Aristotelian Tradition: An Introduction to Reading Avicenna's Philosophical Works, Leiden: Brill, 1988, second edition - 2014.)

Al-isharat wa al-tanbihat (Notes and Advice), ed. S. Dunya, Cairo, 1960; Part 1: Logic, Toronto, Ont: Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 1984, Ibn Sina and Mysticism, Remarks and Wishes: Part 4, London: Paul Quigen International, 1996.

Al-Qanun fil-tibb (The Canon of Medicine), ed.I. a-Quashsh, Cairo, 1987. (Medical Incyclopedia.) Manuscript, Latin translation, Flores Avicenna, Michael de Capella, 1508, Modern text.Ahmed Shawkat Al-Shatti, Gibran Jabbour.

Rizalah sirr al-qadar (Essay on the Mystery of Fate), trans.G. Gorani, Reason and Traditions of Islamic Ethics, Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1985.

Danishnama-iyalayi (Book of Scientific Knowledge), ed. and trans. P . Morewedge, Avicenna's Metaphysics, London: Rutledge and Paul Keegan, 1973.

Kitab al-Shifa (Book of Healing).(Ibn Sina's major work on philosophy. He probably began composing al-Shifa in 1014 and completed it in 1020.) Critical editions of the Arabic text were published in Cairo, 1952-83, initially edited by I. Madkor.

Kitab al-Najat (Book of Salvation), trans.F. Rahman, "The Psychology of Avicenna": English translation of Kitab al-Najat, Book II, Chapter VI with historical-philosophical notes and textual improvements in the Cairo edition, Oxford: Oxford University, 1952. ("The Psychology of al-Shifa")

Hay ibn Yakdhan - Persian myth.The novel "Hey ibn Yakdhan", based on Avicenna's story, was later written by Ibn Tufail (Abubatser) in the 12th century and translated into Latin and English language and, as a philosophical treatise in the 17th and XVIII centuries respectively.In the 13th century, Ibn al-Nafis wrote his own novel, Fadil ibn Natik, known as "Theologus Autodidactus" in the West, which was a critical response to "Hay ibn Yaqdhan".

Persian works of Avicenna

Avicenna's most important Persian work is the Danishnama-i-Alay, "The Book of Knowledge for the [Prince] Ala-ad-Dawla."Avicenna created a new scientific dictionary that did not previously exist in Persian.Danesh-nama covers topics such as logic, metaphysics, music theory and other sciences of its time. In 1977, the dictionarywas translated into English by Parviz Moriej. The book has significance as a Persian scientific work.

Andar Danesh-e-Ragh or Science of Pulse contains nine chapters and provides a brief overview.The poetic form is found in various manuscripts of Avicenna, later in anthologies such as Nozhat al-Makhales.