Ibn Sina, or Avicenna as he is often called in the West, was a scholar who was active on many fronts, but his most important works concern medicine and philosophy. His work was of such quality that he also gained fame in the West.
Historical background
Ibn Sina was born in a Samanid-led state, with its capital Bukhara, which, together with Samarkand, formed the cultural centers of the country. However, by the time Ibn Sina was born, the power of the Samanids began to crumble and the Sultan Nuh Ibn Mansour did his best to hold the empire together.
Youth
Ibn Sina was born near Bukhara and soon proved to be an extremely gifted boy. His father, who was governor of the city, educated him and their house was the meeting place for many scholars from the area. At the age of ten he memorized the Qur’an and at the age of thirteen he began his medical studies, which he completed when he was sixteen. From that moment on he started helping patients. In the meantime, he studied everything he could find, sometimes under the guidance of teachers, but more often alone. His knowledge of medicine brought him to court. The sultan had heard of his qualities and requested his help. In gratitude for his healing, the sultan gave him permission to use the royal library of the Samanids. This gave Ibn Sina the opportunity to further expand his studies.
Turks
Ibn Sina’s life was turned upside down by the conquest of Bukhara in 999 and by the death of his father. He began wandering around Khorasan, using his abilities as a healer. In the evenings he gathered people around him for philosophical discussions. After a while he settled in Hamadan in Iran, where he became known at the court. The local ruler even appointed him as vizier a number of times. However, the political situation was extremely chaotic, so that Ibn Sina ended up in prison as a political prisoner.
In 1022 he left Hamadan and went to Isfahan. Here too he ended up at court and was given the opportunity to devote the last years of his life to his work in relative peace.
His work
Ibn Sina wrote more than 450 books, of which unfortunately only 240 have survived. About 150 of the surviving books are philosophical in nature and 40 relate to medicine, his two main areas of work. However, he also wrote about psychology, geology, mathematics, logic and astronomy. His most important work in the field of mathematics is ‘The Book of Healing’ (‘Kitab al-shofa’).
Philosophy
In his philosophical works he emphasized reason and reality. He claimed that God is pure intellect and that knowledge consists of the mind that makes things understandable, this requires both logic and reason.
Ibn Sina died in Hamadan in 1037 while on campaign with a local prince. He fell ill and tried in vain to heal himself.