Salvation from sinking in the sea of deviation
This book is one of the works of the prominent philosopher “Avicenna” written in Arabic, concerning logic, mathematics, music, theology and natural sciences.
“Rescue from sinking in sea of deviation” (al- Najat ) is a seletion of another work of Avicenna, Healing” (shefa).
The author
Avicenna, one of the greatest Muslim scientists and philosophers, known in the East as Abu Ali Sina and also Ibn Sina (980 – 1037).
He was born near Bukhara, probably with Persian as his native language.
At the age of eighteen he had mastered all the then known sciences. After the death of his father, an official of the Samanid adminstration, and the overthrow of the Samanids by the Ilekhans in 1005, he first wandered through Persia and then, from 1021 until shortly before his death, he lived at Isfahan as court physician of the Buyid rulers Shams al-Dawla and Sama al-Dawla, who by then had come under Kakuid suzerainty.
He is known primarily as a philosopher and physician, Avicenna contributed also to all the sciences that were accessible in his day: natural history, physics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics and music. He studied mathematics under “Abu Abdullah Natli”, then continued metaphysics, physics and medicine in the presence of “Abu Soheyl Masihi”.
He wrote on economics, politics, moral and religious questions, Quranic exegesis and poetry.
In 1654, 131 authentic and 110 doubtful works were listed in his bibliography.
The following are his most famous works:
1- Book of Healing ‘of the soul’ (a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopeida)
2- The Canon of Medicine (one of the most famous books in the history of medicine)
3- The Tale of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan (a philosophical allegory)
Avicenna’s influence on medieval European philosophers such as Michael Scot, Albertus Magnus, Rager Bacon, Duns Scotus and Thomas Aquinas is undeniable.
He died as the result of colic, in Hamedan – Iran where a monument was erected to celebrate the millennium of his birth.
The book structure
The book is composed in 11 sections as follows:
1. from the 1st to the 3rd section: on logic
2. from the 4th to the 6th section: on natural sciences
3. from the 7th to the 10th section: on mathematics
4. from the 8th to 11th section: on theology
In the section “logic”, the author considers the logical subjects such as: concept and certification, essence and accident, substance and sorts, etc.
In the section “Natural sciences”, Avicenna intends the natural and non-natural matters, the talking soul, proving the “formation aspect” of soul , etc.
In the section “ mathematics” , the author considers Euclidian geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, astronomical tables , at the end of this section Avicenna deals with music and considers melodies , tune cadence , etc.
In the section “theology”, he deals with “the Resurrection” “on the creator of the universe “God is Necessary Being”, etc.
Sources :
Salvation from sinking in the sea of deviation