Message about Avicenna. Avicenna - a brilliant medieval scientist, doctor, philosopher, poet, musician
The physician, philosopher and poet Abu Ali Hussein ibn Sina (Abugalisina), better known in the Western world as Avicenna, is recognized as one of the greatest scientists in the history of the Islamic world.
Childhood and youth
Ibn Sina was born in 980 (Hijri) in the village of Ashfana, located 30 km from Bukhara. From a young age, he amazed with his talent and unique abilities. At the age of 10, Avicenna already read the Holy Quran. In addition, he actively studied secular sciences, such as philosophy, astronomy, and literature. But most of all, Ibn Sina succeeded in medicine, which he mastered on his own. When Avicenna was 16 years old, he became the personal physician of the Emir of Bukhara, Nukh ibn Mansur. Then the young man gained access to the local library, where he actively began studying medicine.
Avicenna's contribution to medicine
Many of Ibn Sina’s works on the signs of various diseases have survived many centuries and remain relevant today. In particular, he considered the symptom of the disease in combination with other manifestations of disease. The study of all existing symptoms, as the scientist believed, helps determine the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment procedures. In addition, Avicenna divided all blood vessels in the human body into pulsating (that is, arteries) and resting (veins).
In his work “The Canon of Medical Science,” he described more than 700 medicinal substances, examining their general and healing properties. About 150 plants described by him are also used in modern medicine. Also in his most famous treatise, he describes the signs and procedure for treating cancer. In addition, Ibn Sina gives symptoms of dislocations, burns and minor wounds, as well as methods for realigning joints, which in Western medicine is called the “Avicenna method.” It was he who deduced the differences between cholera and plague, and also described leprosy.
The work “The Canon of Medical Science” gained Ibn Sina worldwide fame. It is distinguished by its simplicity of description of diseases, as well as methods of treating them.
Avicenna also paid great attention to the prevention of diseases. That is why he called for observance of the rules of personal hygiene, which are prescribed in his work “On Hygiene”. To maintain the cleanliness of his body, Ibn Sina insisted on the need to regularly touch and avoid touching dirty objects. In order to prevent diseases, he also recommended constant physical exercise, calling it the most important condition for the health of the body. Ibn Sina described physical exercises for people of different ages. He assigned an important role to the promotion of health to diet and sleep.
Psychology of Avicenna
The scientist also played a major role in the development of psychological science. The main idea of his views is a statement about the dependence of human psychology on the structure of his body. Avicenna identified 4 main types of human character: hot, cold, dry and wet. These types in modern psychology correspond to temperaments.
The study of emotions also plays an important role in the works of Ibn Sina. He viewed them as mechanisms that revive the soul and influence the human body. Emotions, in his opinion, are capable of influencing an individual, causing certain changes. It was Avicenna who first described a psychodiagnostic method characterized by an increase in heart rate when exposed to external factors. He also conducted the first experiments on the psychology of emotions. The essence of the experiment was to feed two rams the same food. But one of them ate under normal conditions, and a wolf was tied near the other. As a result of the experiment, the second ram lost weight and died. It was this experience that confirmed the influence of emotions on the human body.
Ibn Sina and lliterature
Avicenna wrote many of his works, including “Gazelles”, “Qasids”, “Beits”, “Poem on Medicine” in quatrains and rubai. In "Gazelles" he writes:
He who does not seek bliss on earth
He will find them in heaven forever.
And he will see angels at his feet,
Who will renounce earthly worries.
It is noteworthy that at the end of this work there is the phrase "Seclude yourself like Bu Ali", by which the author means (r.a.) - the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad (s.g.w.) and the fourth righteous caliph. Thus, Avicenna calls for following the example of the great companion of the Messenger of Allah (s.w.).
The works of Ibn Sina had a great influence on the development of Arabic and Persian literature. The famous poet Omar Khayyam even called Avicenna his teacher.
Political philosophy
The election of a ruler in the Muslim community after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) split the ummah into Sunnis and Shiites. For quite a long time, this issue was the “Achilles heel” in the Arab Caliphate and often led to conflicts. And Ibn Sina could not ignore him.
According to the greatest thinker, the election of a ruler in the Muslim world should be the result of a compromise between authoritative people. According to the scientist, a ruler must have the following qualities: courage, organizational skills, knowledge of religious canons, justice. If the existing ruler possesses all the specified qualities, then his subjects should obey him unquestioningly, and if he does not meet them or violates them, then this obligation is removed from the people.
Avicenna wrote that society is a collection of people who have their own unique characteristics and skills. Any society needs cooperation, otherwise it can get bogged down in turmoil and instability. In order for society to develop, it needs a reliable ruler who must look after the interests of all segments of the population and have the proper authority. If society manages to reach a compromise and elect a ruler who meets all the necessary qualities, then, as Avicenna argued, it will be free from unrest and rebellion.
Ibn Sina’s contribution to world science cannot be overestimated, since his works, written 1000 years ago, remain relevant today. The famous scientist became an integral part of the Golden Age of Islamic thought, which gave the world many great minds.
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. From an early age, the future doctor was distinguished by 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, two difficult events occur for the young man - 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 fiction books and poems.
Avicenna paid great attention to health-improving exercises. In particular, he argued that physical activity is the key to a healthy body if you choose the right strength and duration, in accordance with age and general development. Ibn Sina believed that a person who exercises on a regular basis will not need treatment or medication. In addition, such loads strengthen the body, muscles, ligaments and nerves. He also drew attention to the benefits of massage and hardening with 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 also 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.
Interesting facts from the lives of the greats. Illustrated history.
Avicenna - the first famous doctor
Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (Europeans call him Avicenna) was born on August 16, 980 in the 10th century in the village. Afshana not far from Bukhara (the territory belonged to the Arab Caliphate). Now in the village of Afshana there is a museum of Ibn Sina.
Researchers have calculated that Avicenna excelled in 29 branches of knowledge. He successfully studied medicine and poetry, philosophy and astronomy, logic and mathematics.
But most people rightly consider him the greatest doctor in history. According to one version, the term “medicine” comes from the Latinized “madad Sina” (translated as healing from Sina) or from the abbreviated “Sina method”.
Avicenna’s main work, “The Canon of Medicine,” the most widely circulated publication after the Bible, was the main medical manual in both the East and the West until the 17th century.
When Avicenna turned 17, his fame as a doctor was already so great that the young man was invited to treat the sick Emir of Bukhara. The emir recovered and promised any reward for his services. The young man replied that he did not need anything other than permission to use the emir’s unique library. A few years later the library burned down. A young doctor was accused of setting the library on fire; they said that Avicenna wanted to prevent anyone from reading the ancient books and becoming as wise.
The founder of pulse diagnostics. One of the legends tells about the miraculous healing of the daughter of a Bukhara merchant. The girl was melting before our eyes from some strange illness. All doctors were powerless. Then the merchant invited Avicenna, who took the girl by the wrist and began to list the streets of Bukhara. Then he asked to bring a list of the names of those who lived on a certain street. At the mention of one of them, the girl's face turned pink. So, from the pulse, the scientist learned the name of her lover, about whom she was afraid to tell her father, since he would never agree to their marriage. It was these experiences that brought her to the brink of death.
Avicenna was the first to draw attention to the contagiousness of smallpox, defined the difference between cholera and plague, introduced the term epilepsy, described leprosy and jaundice, analyzed the causes, symptoms and methods of treating meningitis, stomach ulcers and others, argued the hypothesis that many diseases arise under the influence of negative emotions. Avicenna could diagnose and cure 2,000 different ailments.
He paid attention to the psychological factor in the treatment of diseases. He said to his patient: “There are three of us: me, you and your illness. Whose side you take will win.”
Whoever has the will and a strong spirit will overcome any illness.
The disease will recede before the proud, before the fearless, the rebellious...
During his lifetime, Ibn Sina was awarded such high titles as Leader among the Sages (Al-Sheikh Al-Rais), Pride of the Country (Sharaf-ul-Mulk), Great Healer (Khakami Buzurg).
Avicenna died in Hamadan (Iran) on June 18, 1037. Before his death, the scientist left a will in which he ordered to distribute all his property to the poor and set his servants free.
Everything in the world will be covered with the dust of oblivion!
Only two know neither death nor decay:
Only the work of a hero and the speech of a sage
Centuries will pass without knowing the end.
Both the sun and the storms - everything will bravely withstand
A high word and a good deed...
Avicenna's burial site became a place of pilgrimage. People believe that even one touch of a tombstone can cure any disease.
People were so confident in Avicenna's omnipotence that they believed he had discovered the secret of immortality. Before his death, he prepared 40 potions and dictated the rules for their use to his most faithful student. After the death of Ibn Sina, the student began to revive, noticing with excitement how the weak body of the old man gradually turned into the blooming body of a young man, breathing appeared, and his cheeks turned pink. There was one last medicine that needed to be poured into the mouth and it would consolidate the life restored by previous drugs. The student was so amazed by the changes that had occurred that he dropped the last vessel. The saving mixture went deep into the earth and a few minutes later the decrepit body of the teacher lay in front of the student.
The painting “Homo sapiens” by artist Javon Umarbekov was painted for the anniversary of the great scientist. The artist thought for a long time about how to depict this outstanding personality, until he came up with the idea of depicting famous scientists with whom Ibn Sina could be compared. After all, Ibn Sina traveled all his life, wanting to find people who shared his beliefs. In the picture next to the scientist are Aristotle, Navoi, Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Al-Beruni, Einstein, Omar Khayyam, Tsiolkovsky, Mendeleev. In the center of the picture is the image of Venus from Botticelli’s work “The Birth of Venus” as a symbol of the truth that Avicenna strived for all his life. In the picture, the eminent doctor holds a human skull in his left hand and seems to be asking himself, who are we? Where did you come from? Where are we going? An image symbolizing a lie whispers doubts into his ear, it is written in dark colors.
Avicenna is named after a minor planet and a mountain peak (formerly called Lenin Peak), the mineral aviacennite and a plant of the Acanthus family - avicennia. His face adorns the monetary unit of Tajikistan - the somoni.
IBN Sin A (Latinized Avicenna, Avicenna,) (c. 980-1037), scientist, philosopher, doctor, musician. Lived in Wed. Asia and Iran, was a doctor and vizier under various rulers. In philosophy he continued the traditions of Arab Aristotelianism, partly Neoplatonism. The main philosophical works - “The Book of Healing”, “The Book of Directions and Instructions”, etc. - also contain natural scientific views, musical and theoretical principles of Ibn Sina. Ibn Sina's treatises were extremely popular in the East and West; encyclopedia of theoretical and clinical medicine “Canon of Medical Science” (5 hours) - a generalization of the views and experience of Greek, Roman, Indian and Central Asian doctors - was a mandatory guide for many centuries, including in medieval Europe (about 30 Latin editions ).
IBN SINA Abu Ali Hussein Abdullah x (Latinized - Avicenna) (August 16, 980, Afshana, near Bukhara - June 18, 1037, Hamadan, Iran), philosopher, scientist, poet, doctor.
Life
Iranian by origin. His biography, compiled by himself (covering the first 30 years of his life) and continued by his student al-Juzjani, has been preserved in three similar editions. He received his primary education from his father, an official of the Samanid administration who belonged to the Ismailis. Distinguished by his extraordinary abilities, by the age of 10 he knew the Koran by heart and mastered verbal disciplines (grammar of Persian and Arabic, poetics, rhetoric, literature and history). He studied mathematics from the merchant Mahmud Massokh, logic and fiqh (Islamic law) from Ismail Zahid, medicine from the Bukhara doctor Abu Mansur Kamari. He studied philosophy with the scientist Abu Abdallah Natili, whom he soon surpassed in knowledge. At the age of 15 he began to study independently and by the age of 18 he had already developed as a mature scientist; at this time he became known in Bukhara as a skilled doctor. In 1002, shortly after the death of his father, he moved to the capital of Khorezm, Gurganj (now Urgench), whose scientific life was concentrated around the “Mamun Academy,” which united major scientists. In 1008, after Ibn Sina refused to enter the service of Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznavi, a prosperous life gave way to years of wandering around Khorasan and Tabaristan. He wrote some works in the saddle during his long journeys. In 1015-24 he lived in Hamadan, combining scientific activity with a very active participation in the political and state affairs of the emirate (he held the posts of vizier and court physician of the Emir of Hamadan, Shams ad-Dawla). After the death of the emir, he was imprisoned in a fortress for four months for attempting to go into the service of the ruler of Isfahan. In the last years of his life he served in Isfahan at the court of Emir Ala ad-Dawla.
Proceedings
A significant part of Ibn Sina's philosophical and scientific writings has survived. His works, written mainly in Arabic (some in Farsi), cover, in addition to philosophical disciplines, chemistry, geology, grammar, poetics, history, Koranic exegesis, and mysticism. The formation of his philosophical views was influenced by the works of al-Farabi, whom Ibn Sina called his second teacher after, as well as Neoplatonism, with whose ideas he was familiar mainly from the so-called “Theology of Aristotle” (extracts from 4-6 sections of Plotinus’s “Enneads” ). Ibn Sina's main philosophical work - the encyclopedic work "Book of Healing" - consists of four sections: logic, physics, mathematical sciences (geometry, arithmetic, music, astronomy) and metaphysics. Adjacent to this work is the “Book of Knowledge” (“Danish-name”) written in Farsi. In an abbreviated form, the philosophical ideas of the “Book of Healing” are contained in the “Book of Salvation.” “The Book of Directions and Instructions,” written in the last years of his life, is the final presentation of his philosophical ideas, influenced by Sufism. Among other works, the “Canon of Medical Medicine” had the greatest influence on scientists of the East and Europe for several centuries. A few poems have survived (mostly in the form of rubai).
Philosophy
In the classification of philosophical sciences and understanding of the subject of metaphysics (existence as such), Ibn Sina followed Aristotle. Following al-Farabi, Ibn Sina distinguishes between a possibly existing, existing thanks to another, and an absolutely necessary existing, existing thanks to itself (in it, essence and existence are identical, whereas in a possibly existing, they are different). Existing things are absolutely necessary - God for Ibn Sina, unlike Aristotle, is not only the ultimate cause of all other existing things, but also a person in accordance with the theistic worldview of Islam. At the same time, Ibn Sina diverges from the doctrine of creationism, asserting the co-eternity of the world with the Creator (how God necessarily communicates Himself eternally to existing things). Ibn Sina explained creation in eternity, in particular, with the help of the Neoplatonic concept of emanation, thus justifying the logical transition from the original unity to the plurality of the created world. However, unlike Neoplatonism, he limited the process of emanation to the world of the celestial spheres, considering matter not as the final result of the descent of the One, but as a necessary element of any possible existence.
In the philosophical story “Living, Son of the Awakening One,” Ibn Sina in allegorical form sets out the doctrine of the active “mind” (Aristotelian-Neoplatonic nous), which leads a person along the path of knowledge of the highest abstract truths. The subjects of physics and metaphysics are presented here in the image of space, through which you can take a mental journey. The cosmos is divided into three worlds: the material world (West), the world of eternal uncreated forms (East) and the earthly, physical world in all its concrete diversity. The individual soul forms a single substance with the body, ensuring the holistic resurrection of a person; the bearer of philosophical thinking is a specific body predisposed to receiving a rational soul. Absolute truth can be realized through intuitive vision, which is thus the culmination of the thinking process.
Ibn Sina Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdallah, also known as Avicenna (this is his Latinized name) - a famous Arab doctor, philosopher, follower of Aristotle, encyclopedist - was born in the village of Aftana near Bukhara on August 16, 980. Avicenna’s life path is known quite well , since he himself described the first 30 years of his life in his autobiography, then his work was continued by a student.
Hussein's incredible talent was already noticeable in childhood. By the age of 10, he could recite the Koran by heart. His father, an official, gave him a primary education, after which Ibn Sina was sent to school to study Muslim jurisprudence. Despite the fact that he was the youngest, the elders did not consider it shameful to approach him, a 12-year-old teenager, for advice. A little later, Hussein turned to the study of secular sciences: philosophy, medicine, literature, mathematics, history, astronomy, etc. And if earlier he studied with teachers, then from the age of 14 he switched to independent studies. At the age of 20, he was considered a famous scientist, and as a doctor he became famous even earlier: at the age of 16 he received an invitation from the Emir of Bukhara to act as his doctor.
When Bukhara was taken by the Turks and the Samanid dynasty fell, in 1002 Ibn Sina moved to Gurganj, the capital of Khorezm, where he was given the nickname “prince of doctors.” A turning point in Avicenna’s biography occurred in 1008: the famous healer refused the invitation of Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznavi to serve him, after which he had to exchange a calm, prosperous life for many years of wandering around Tabaristan and Khorasan, serving as the court physician of various Persian princes.
During 1015-1023. his place of residence was Hamadan. Avicenna was not only engaged in his direct activities, science, but also actively participated in the political life of the emirate and in government affairs. The grateful patient, Emir Shams ad-Dawla, even made him his vizier, which is why some influential military men took up arms against Ibn Sina. They demanded that the emir kill the doctor, but he limited himself to expelling him, although soon due to illness he was forced to hastily search for and give him a ministerial position.
Emir Ala ad-Dawl was Avicenna's overlord for the last 14 years of his life (1023-1037); the famous healer was not only the chief physician, but also an adviser, and went on military campaigns with the emir. In Isfahan, his studies in science were encouraged in every possible way.
Avicenna's legacy included more than 450 works devoted to 29 areas of scientific knowledge, including philosophy, geology, history, grammar, poetics, chemistry, etc. Only slightly less than 300 works have survived to this day. During his life, Ibn Sina more than once heard theologians accused of atheism and heretical thoughts, but this could not overshadow the enormous influence that his treatises had on the minds of his contemporaries.
Avicenna’s main philosophical work is considered to be the “Book of Healing,” consisting of sections devoted to physics, metaphysics, mathematics and logic. For many years he worked on the “Canon of Medicine,” a 5-part medical encyclopedia that brought him worldwide fame. In this work, he systematized the theory and practice of doctors in Central Asia, India, Greece, Rome; for several centuries in the East and on the European continent, doctors had to study it without fail. Classical Iranian literature felt the significant influence of Avicenna's literary work.
A talented doctor and scientist died on June 18, 1037 from a serious disease of the gastrointestinal tract, which he could not cope with. According to his will, his property was intended for the poor, and all slaves were to be freed. Ibn Sina was first buried near the city wall of Hamadan, and less than a year later the remains were buried in Isfahan, the mausoleum of the emir.