BIOGRAPHY OF AVICENNA (Ibnu Sina)

Overview

This study will discover the biographical life of Ibnu Sina including his early life, his education, his journey and his contribution in many fields. He is well known as one of the greatest and famous Muslim scholar of all the time. He is a multi-talented scholar. He is also not only expertise in medical and philosophy, but also expert in physic, metaphysics, logic, mathematics, astronomy and theology. Hopefully, all the young generation today can make a good example of Ibnu Sina in order to seek knowledge and achieves success in life.

Biography

Ibnu Sina, or his real name is Abu Ali Husain Bin Abdullah Ibnu Sina is one of the most greatest Muslim Scholar of all the time. He is known as Avicenna to the West, the translation of his name by Europeanized Hebrew language. Although he is expert in so many fields including psychology, mathematic, physic, chemistry, astronomy and theology, his two major fields in knowledge are medication and philosophy. He is best known as a polymath, as a physician whose major work the Canon (Al-Qanun fi Tibb) continued to be taught as a medical textbook in Europe and in the Islamic world until the early modern period, and as a philosopher whose major The Book of Cure (Kitab As-Shifa’) had a decisive impact upon European scholasticism and especially Thomas Aquinas.

            He was born at 480 A.H/980 A.D in the village of Afshana near Bukhara which is today known as Uzbekistan. He started to learn Holy Quran at the age of 5 and memorized it at the age of 10 years old. His early education is Holy Quran and poetry. Besides that, he’s also loved to learn metaphysic and medical. Because of Ibnu Sina’s remarkable talent, his father employed a private teacher, Abu Abdullah Al-Natali to instruct him in arithmetic, geometry, logic, natural science and astronomy. On the age of 16, he started to learn in many different fields by himself. At 17, he cured Nuh Ibnu Mansur, the King of Bukhara of an illness that all the well-known physician had given up on. For the reward, the King has inaugurated him as the doctor in palace and allowed him to uses the palace library. He used this great opportunity to study and memorize all the rare books that he has never seen before.

            His father was a governor during Samanid Dynasty (819M-1005M). After his father died, he starts his journey to Kwawarazm, Ray, Jurjan and Hamadan in order to seek knowledge. During the reign of Amir Syams Al-Dawlat in Hamadan, he was reinstated as prime minister twice. Because of some political issues, he was fired from his position and jailed for 4 month (414 A.H). During that period of time, he succeeds to write 3 books, one of them is Kitab Al-Hidayat. After that, he was released by Sultan Ala Al-Dawlat and went to Isfahan. He stayed there for 13 years.

            During his period of life, he is regarded as an innovative, devout and believing in religion. He always pray when he faced a certain problem. He used his genius and cleverness to increase the knowledge and make some contribution in it. He died at the age of 58 during his journey back to Hamadan with the king of Isfahan. His body was buried there at 1037 A.D / 480 A.H.

Journey of Life

Picture shows the journey of Avicenna

By age of 21, Ibnu Sina wrote his first collection of books which include Kitab Al-Majmu (The Compendium) on mathematics and science of the day, Kitab Al-Hasil wa Al-Mahsul (The Import and Substance), 20 volumes on jurisprudence, and Kitab Al-Birr wa Al-Ithm (Good Work and Evil) on ethics. Following the death of his father, he left Bukhara for Jurjanjiyah and offered his services to the Kawarizm dynasty.

            In this court, he wrote Kitab Al-Tadaruk li Anwa Al-Khata’ fi Tadbir and Qiyam Al-Ard fi Wasat Al-Sama on mathematics and astronomy, respectively. During this period period, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna had also gathered in his court many intellectuals and poets including Al-Firdausi, who is considered to be the father of Persian language.

            Unfortunately, Mahmud of Ghazna was filled with envy at the brilliance of men of science like Ibnu Sina at the Khawarizm court and demanded Ibnu Sina’s attendance in his own royal court. However, Ibnu Sina chose to escape to Gurgan and then to Jurjan. At that time, Jurjan was under the rule of of Syams Al-Ma’ali Qabus bin Wasymakir (1012 A.D / 402 A.H). Here, he was joined with his lifetime companion, Abd Al-Wahid Abu Ubaid Al-Juzjani and composed many books namely Kitab Al-Mukhtasar Al-Awsat, Kitab Al-Mabda’ wa Al-Ma’ad, and Al-Arsad Al-Kuliyyah along with chapters which later formed parts of Kitab Al-Najat and Kitab Al-Qanun fi Tibb. Al-Juzjani was his student and his companion, who after the death of Ibnu Sina had made a written biography of his journey in lifetime.

            When Sultan Qabus was killed and caused chaos in the politic administration, Ibnu Sina together with Al-Juzjani moved to Rayy, then to Quzwain and to Hamadan. In Rayy, he treated a prince who suffered melancholia and depression in the palace. Ibnu Sina moved to Quzwain when Sultan Majd Al-Dawlat cannot control his army from rebel. From Quzwain, he moved to Hamadan in 1015 A.D / 405 A.H. There he treated Amir Syams Al-Dawlat from colic and successfully cured the diseased. He had been appointed as prime minister and colleague of the Amir. Unfortunately, the army rebel and detained Ibnu Sina, displeased with his appointment and ask Amir to sentence him to death. However, Amir refused and with the hard heart he asks Ibnu Sina to leave the city. Ibnu Sina hiding himself for 40 days in the house of Abi Said bin Dakhduk. Then, Amir sick again and asked him to come to the palace to do the treatment for the Amir. After being cured, Amir reinstated Ibnu Sina as the prime minister. Ibnu Sina wrote his peripatetic philosophy, Kitab Al-Shifa’ (The Book of The Remedy) and Al-Adawiyat Al-Qalbiyyah (The Remedies of The Heart) while he was burdened with state duties.

            Then in 414 A.H, on the death of Amir Syams Al-Dawlat, his successor offered to keep Ibnu Sina in his post, but he refused. He was jailed because of his action for 4 months. In the detention he finished his writing for Kitab Al-Hidayat. After 4 months, he was released by Sultan Ala’ Al-Dawlat and went to Isfahan. He stayed there for 13 years. During the 13 years of his stay in Isfahan, he composed numerous books including Kitab Al-Najat (The Book of Deliverance) and the Danishnamayi Alai (The Alai Book of Knowledge) which he wrote in Farsi. Ibnu Sina died at the age of 58 while on a journey back to Hamadan where he rest today.

Contribution in Medical and Pharmacology

Ibnu Sina is credited as being the first to correctly document the anatomy of the human eye.

Picture shows Ibnu Sina’s anatomy of the human eye

Picture shows how heart workings in human body

The first correct explanation of pulsation was given by Ibnu Sina, after he refined Galen’s theory of the pulse. Galen’s theory:

            ‘Every part of an artery pulsates simultaneously’ and that the motion of the pulse was due to natural motions (the arteries expanding and contracting naturally) as opposed to forced motions (the heart causing the arteries to either expand or contract).

            Galen’s theory that had been refined by Ibnu Sina:

            ‘Every beat of the pulse comprises two movements and two pauses. Thus, expansion: pause: contraction: pause. The pulse is a movement in the heart and arteries…which takes the form of alternate expansion and contraction’

            Another contribution of Ibnu Sina is that he recognized cancer as a tumor. He noted that ‘cancerous tumor progressively increases in size, is destructive and spreads roots which insinuate themselves amongst the tissue elements’. He discovered about the cancer treatment:

        i.            1.   Found a treatment known as ‘hindiba’

      ii.            2.   A complex medical herb from Ibnu Baytar

    iii.            3.     Another treatment for cancer is surgery

    iv.             4.     He also recommends cauterization method to kill germ.

He     also describes the symptoms and complications of diabetes.

            List of Works

      1.      Al Qanun fi Tibb (Canon on Medicine):

Is a medical encyclopedia that describes pharmacological methods and 760 drugs and became the most authentic medical material of the era. It is the compilation of 5 medical books and has been completed on 1025 M. Originally written in Arabic language, the book later translated into a number of other languages including Persian, Hebrew, Chinese, Latin, Germany, French and English with many commentaries. Sir William Osler[1] said that The Canon has been considered as one of the most influential medical textbook ever written, still used as the main reference in many university in Europe until 1715 M.

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[1] Sir William Osler is a Canadian physician and one of the four founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Frequently described as ‘Father of Modern Medicine’.

      2.      Kitab As-Shifa’ (Book of Healing)

Although the name is Book of Healing, but it’s not a medical book. It is Ibnu Sina’s major work on Science and Philosophy. The book is divided into four parts: logic, natural science, mathematics, and metaphysics.

      3.      Kitab Al-Najat (Book of Salvation)

A summary  of Kitab As Shifa’, consists four parts: logic, physic, and metaphysic, and mathematic by Al Juzjani.

      4.      Al Al Isharat Wa At Tanbihat (Remarks and Admonition)

Consisiting Consisting of logical, physic, and metaphysic. This is the most mature and comprehensive philosophical work of Ibnu Sina. The book is about the treatment of mysticism that may be classified more properly under ethics, than metaphysics. Considered in Sufism sense.

Conclusion

Ibnu Sina is one good example that can be set as a role model in knowledge. He shows us that we should not stop in seeking the knowledge. Travel in one of many ways for us to expand and get new experience that we never had before. His expertise in many different fields is a great ability that we should learn to apply our knowledge in a good way.

            He starts to learn Al-Quran at the age of 5 and memorized it at 10 years old. Not only expert in medicine and philosophy, but also expertise in many different fields including astronomy, geology, metaphysic, physic, poetry and music. He had been through many obstacles in order to become who he is today.

            Many of his works has been reference for many educational purposes. His Canon in Medicine was being a main reference in European university until 1715 M. His philosophical book Kitab As-Shifa’ also had been influenced European scholastic especially Thomas Aquinas. Ibnu Sina is considered as one of greatest Muslim scholar in the Medieval Ages.