By Beruniy Alimov
The physician, scientist, philosopher and poet Abu Ali al-Hussein ibn Abdallah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina (Latinized name – Avicenna) was born in Afshona village, near Bukhara (Uzbekistan). He lived in Central Asia and Iran, studied mathematics, astronomy, philosophy and medicine in Bukhara, and held positions as a doctor and vizier under various rulers.
So, let’s delve into history and live the life of Ibn Sina together.
Ibn Sina was born in 980, in the village of Afshona, near Bukhara, in the family of an official. Five years later, Abu Ali’s father, Abdullah ibn Hasan, moved the family to Bukhara. In his autobiography, Abu Ali writes that at the age of five, his father invited a teacher to study the Koran. Learning the Koran at the age of five is quite difficult, and even an adult cannot memorize it in a year. Books became his lifelong love. His father took him on long trips on business and errands of the emir, told him the history of Bukhara, myths and legends.
When the family moved to the capital, the gifted boy had access to a wide range of knowledge, because at that time Bukhara was an educational center where various philosophers, doctors, and poets actively gathered to visit the palace library. Ibn Sina was incredibly curious in his early childhood, surprising adults with constant questions. The boy showed exceptional abilities and giftedness from an early age. By the age of ten, he knew the entire Quran by heart. Then he was sent to study Muslim jurisprudence at school, where he was the youngest. But soon even the most adult students of the school appreciated the boy’s intelligence and knowledge and came to consult him, even though Hussein had just turned 12 years old.
Later, he studied logic and philosophy, geometry and astronomy under the guidance of the scientist Abu Abdallah Natili, who came to Bukhara. At the age of 14, the young man began to study independently. Geometry, astronomy, and music were easy for him until he became acquainted with Aristotle’s “Metaphysics”. In his autobiography, he mentioned that he had read this work several times, but could not understand it. Al-Farabi’s book with comments on “Metaphysics” helped in this. At the age of 16, Ibn Sina was invited to treat the Emir of Bukhara himself.
In Avicenna’s autobiography he wrote: “I started studying medicine, supplementing my reading with observations of patients, which taught me many treatment techniques that cannot be found in books.”
Despite Ibn Sina’s young age, under the guidance of Abu Abdallah Natili, he comprehensively studied philosophy and medical science under Hassan ibn Nuh al-Qumri, gradually also practicing medicine. In addition to an in-depth study of the works of the Eastern thinker who preceded him, he also diligently studied the ancient Greek natural science and philosophical heritage, in particular the works of Aristotle, Euclid, Ptolemy, Galen, Hippocrates, Pythagoras. The teaching was so successful that soon the student not only caught up with the teacher, but also repeatedly baffled him.
In his autobiography, Ibn Sina describes such a case: “I gave such an analysis of this definition, the like of which he had not heard. He surprised me as much as he could and after that advised my parent not to occupy me with anything but sciences. The same thing happened with Euclid’s book: I studied five or six theorems with the help of a teacher, and the rest on my own. Soon Natalie was no longer able to teach me. He said: “Read it yourself, solve the theorem, and then come to me and show me the results. Then I started studying books on my own, and at the same time there were many such questions that he did not know before and learned them from me.”
Ibn Sina became interested in medicine very early on, and this field gradually occupied an increasingly large area of his interests. Not yet 12 years old, Ibn Sina, according to tradition, began studying it on the advice of the then famous physician and philosopher Abu Salah al-Masihi. “Then I became addicted to studying the science of healing,” says the autobiography, “and began to read books dedicated to it. I have also visited the sick, and as a result of the experience I have achieved, such gates of healing have opened before me that it defies description. And I was sixteen years old at that time”.
This is how Ibn Sina himself recalls it: “One day the emir became seriously ill, and doctors could not determine his illness. They knew my name, and they told the Emir about me and asked to be summoned. I came and participated with them in the treatment and distinguished myself in this service to him”. It is not known exactly what the Emir of Bukhara was ill with, and how Ibn Sina treated him, but the treatment helped so much that Nuh ibn Mansur, the emir of Bukhara continued to rule the country safely. In gratitude for the healing, Ibn Sina received access to the famous Samanid book depository, the Bukhara Library – one of the largest and most famous collections of books of that time.
Ibn Sina himself considered working in the Bukhara Library to be the most important stage in his creative development. At that moment, his education was completed and his independent life path began. Ibn Sina used the Samanid Library for several years. Most likely, it was while working in the Bukhara library that he had the idea to create a generalizing work on medicine, where one could find the name of the disease with all its signs, as well as get an indication of why it occurs and how it can be cured. For this purpose, Ibn Sina made the necessary extracts from various books, abstracts, and periodically summarized them. Thus began the preparation of material for the “Canon of Medical Science” – the fundamental work on which Ibn Sina worked for many years. At the age of 16-17, ibn Sina became known as a famous healer.
With the conquest of Bukhara by the Karakhanids in 999, the Samanid power collapsed. In 1000, ibn Sina left Bukhara and went to Khorezm, which was considered one of the centers of culture.
Since the age of 18, Avicenna has consciously devoted his life to science. He wrote a lot, and his fame grew. At the age of 20, he was invited to permanent service with Khorezm Shah Mamun II in Khorezm. Mamun II was one of the best representatives of the powerful of this world and, of course, the best of those whom Avicenna met on his way. He gathered outstanding people at the court, invited them from everywhere and did not skimp on money, considering the development of culture and science to be of paramount importance. He created a circle called The Mamun Academy. There were constant debates, in which many people took part, including Al-Biruni.
Mamun Academy was a scientific and cultural center that existed in Khorezm (on the territory of modern Uzbekistan) at the beginning of the XI century. It was founded during the reign of Khorezm Shah Abul Abbas Mamun ibn Mamun (reign 1009-1017). The Academy was named after the ruler of Mamun and has become one of the most prominent scientific centers in the Islamic world. The Academy dealt with various fields of science, including mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy and philology. Research and writings were conducted here, which later became the basis for the development of many sciences in the Islamic and European worlds. It was here, at the Mamun Academy, that Ibn Sina wrote part of his famous medical work “The Canon of Medical Science”, which became a fundamental work in medicine for many centuries to come.
Ibn Sina became closely acquainted with such famous scientists as Beruniy, ibn Miskawayh, Abu Sahl Mashiy, Abulkhair Hammer, Abu Nasr ibn Irok. But Ibn Sina, fleeing from the persecution of Mahmud Ghaznavi, which intensified during this period, was forced to leave Khorezm and go wandering through various cities of Iranian Khorasan.
Arriving in Jurjan through the cities of Abiward, Tuye, and Nishapur, ibn Sina lived as a famous healer at the court of the ruler Gobus ibn Vashmgir, where he met his future disciple Juzjani. In 1019-21, he held the post of minister in Hamadan, he was imprisoned for 4 months because he could not come to an agreement with the ruler of the city.
In 1023, he fled to Isfahan and devoted his life to writing scientific works. In recent years, such famous works of Ibn Sina have been written as Kitab al-Qanun fit Tibb, Kitab al-najat, Kitab ul-insof, treatises on geometry, astronomy, flora, fauna, logic, and the philosophical narrative Hayy ibn Yaqzan. He also started building an observatory in Isfahan.
In the last years of his life, the intensification of feudal wars, his active participation in public and political life led to the fact that he wandered in exile in the cities of Isfahan, Rey, Hamadan. He died on June 18, 1037 in Isfahan, at the age of 57.
Ibn Sina’s entire life path is known from sources left by his handwritten biography and a disciple of Juzjani. Ibn Sina’s scientific interests, the culture of the Ancient East, Greek science, philosophy, and the struggle of the peoples of Central Asia for independence played an important role in shaping the worldview.
The total number of Ibn Sina’s works exceeds 450, but only about 160 have come down to us. Many of his pamphlets disappeared from city to city due to migration, feudal wars, palace riots, various disasters.
In many sources, Ibn Sina is first interpreted as a healer, while medicine is one of the most important areas of his science. Most of Ibn Sina’s works were written in Arabic, some in Persian, which at that time was considered the main scientific language of the Middle East. His great work known to us, Kitab al-Shifa (The Book of Healing), consists of 22 chapters, with 4 large sections dealing with general issues of logic, physics, mathematics, and metaphysics. Some parts of it have been translated into Latin, other European languages, Oriental languages, as well as into Russian and Uzbek. The 20-volume Kitab al-Insaf (The Book of Honesty) has not reached us, as it burned down during a fire in Isfahan. Kitab un-najat (The Book of Salvation) It consists of 4 large parts — logic, physics, mathematics, metaphysics, Kitab Lisan ul-Arab (“Book of the Arabic Language”) has 10 volumes. “Donishnoma” (Wisdom) is written in Persian and contains 4 parts — logic, physics, mathematics, metaphysics (translated into Uzbek and other languages.
In addition, in the fields of chemistry, mineralogy, astronomy, mathematics, flora, and the study of geological processes, he was able to put forward new ideas.
Ibn Sina’s writings on medicine also include such works as Kitab al-Qanun fit-Tibb (The canon of Medicine), Kitab ul-Kulanj (Intestinal colic), Kitab un-Nabz (The Book of Vascular), Fuj ul-tibbia jori fi Majlisih (Wise words about medicine), Tadbir ul-manzil (The device of the dwelling), Phil-hindubo (“About the sage plant”), Risolai fi-dastur it-tibbiy (Instructions on medicine).
The human mind is enriched and developed through the study of various sciences. At the same time, in particular, he pays great attention to the science of logic. Intelligence is interpreted as a criterion of any knowledge and practical activity. “Any knowledge that is not measured on the scales (of reason),” Ibn Sina writes, “cannot be true, which means it is not true knowledge.”
Ibn Sina wrote many serious scientific works in the form of poems, using quatrains. In this form, the “Treatise on Love”, “Treatise on Birds” and some other works are written. There are also lyrical poetic works among his works — quatrains and rubai.
‘از قعر گل سیاه تا اوج زحل
کردم همه مشکلات گیتی را حل
بیرون جستم زقید هر مکر و حیل
هر بند گشاده شد مگر بند اجل
‘
Summing up the thoughts about the great ancestor, it should be emphasized once again that Ibn Sina played a great role in the development of world culture with his multifaceted productive work and rich heritage. In his creative and scientific work, ibn Sina was able to embody the spiritual achievements of high cultural uplift, cultural “awakening” in the countries of Central Asia, the Middle East and the Middle East, thereby having a huge impact on the development of enlightenment and culture throughout the East and beyond.
At one time, he earned the greatest titles in the East and in Europe, such as Shaik al-Rais (Head of scientists), King of Healers. Being a famous mentor, Avicenna educated his students such as Abu ‘Ubayd al-Juzjani, Umar Isfahani, Muhammad Sherozi, Ahmad Masuri, the famous Azerbaijani thinker Bahmanyar ibn al-Marzban, Yusuf Iylaki, the brilliant scientist and poet Omar Khayyam.
In the miniatures and drawings of the Renaissance, Ibn Sina is depicted next to the famous ancient Greek scientists Aristotle, Galen, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Euclid. Naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who created the first scientific classification of plants, named the evergreen plant “Avicennia” in honour of Avicenna.
Avicenna’s works began to be translated into Latin in Europe from the 12th century. The Law of Tibb (The Canon of Medicine) itself has been published in Latin more than 30 times. Many sections of the Book of Healing devoted to logic, music, the structure of the Earth, geological processes, and metaphysics were also published in Latin. The latter suggests that scientific research also influenced Ibn Sina’s Oriental literature, giving rise to the development of the genre of prose and philosophical stories, which expressed a deep philosophical content. Ibn Sina became revered by the people to such an extent that he became a hero of folklore.
The peoples of the East had various stories and legends about him. World scientists have been conducting research on Avicenna’s work and his activities for a long time. Works about him have now been created in almost all languages of the world.
The name of the great physician and scientist Ibn Sina (Avicenna) is borne by many institutions and facilities both in Uzbekistan and abroad. His name is used to name universities, medical institutions, streets, and even awards. For example, Tashkent State Medical Institute named after Ibn Sina (Uzbekistan); Bukhara State Medical Institute named after Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Uzbekistan), there is an Avicenna museum in the village of Afshana in Uzbekistan; Tajik State Medical University named after Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Tajikistan), in Dushanbe, a square is named in his honor and a monument by an Azerbaijani sculptor is erected; in Riga, in the park of the Gaiļezers hospital complex, in 2006, a monument to Avicenna by sculptor Jalaliddin Mirtadzhiev was unveiled. Avicenna Medical College in Iran; Avicenna Medical College in Moscow; Avicenna Medical College in Lahore (Pakistan); Avicenna Medical Pak in Kuwait and others.
Institutions named after Avicenna strive to maintain a high standard of medical education and practice, inspired by the legacy of the great scientist. They play an important role in the training of medical personnel, conducting scientific research. Avicenna medical institutions located in different countries continue the traditions of the outstanding scientist, making a significant contribution to the development of medicine and improving the health of people around the world.
In June 2009, the United Nations in Vienna (Austria) had a Pavilion of Persian Scientists, located on the central square of the Memorial of the Vienna International Centre. The Pavilion of Scientists includes statues of four famous scientists: Avicenna, Beruni, Zakaria Razi (Reis), Omar Khayyam.
The Uzbek Garden and the Ibn Sina Monument opened in France in 2019. It was in Rueil-Malmaison that the Uzbek Garden was opened in honour of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of twinning relations between this French city and Bukhara, where a monument to the great encyclopedic scientist Abu Ali Ibn Sina was erected.
