Ibn Sina, or as he is known in the West,
Avicenna, is a role model for both Muslims and non-Muslims. He memorized the
entirety of the Qur'an by the age of 10, and began practicing medicine by the
age of 16. He wrote 450 works in topics that ranged from philosophy to medicine
to physics. His most famous works include, The Book of Healing, a
vast scientific and philosophical encyclopedia, The Canon of Medicine,
the standard medical textbook in Europe until the Enlightenment. Ibn Sina is
regarded as the most famous polymath of the Islamic Golden Age, and the father
of modern medicine.
He was born in Bukhara, 940 CE, in the
town of Afsan. His father, a governor, made sure that he received a good
education at an early age. Besides memorizing the Quran at the age of 10, he
also studied mathematics and Hanafi fiqh. According to his biography, as a
teenager, whenever he would face an obstacle in his studies, he would perform
wudhu (ablution), go to the masjid (mosque), and pray until light broke on his
problems.
It is said that he read through the
Metaphysics of Aristotle forty times until the words were imprinted in his
mind; but he could not grasp their meaning, until one day he found
illumination from the commentary of Farabi (another giant Muslim
polymath), which he bought for three dirhams. So great was his joy at the
understanding that he gave thanks to Allah by giving charity to the poor.
He started to pursue medicine at the age
of 16. Not only did he master the medical knowledge of his time, but he
discovered new methods of treatment. According to his own
words, "Medicine is no hard and thorny science, like
mathematics and metaphysics, so I soon made great progress; I became an
excellent doctor and began to treat patients, using approved remedies."
The young physician's fame spread quickly and he treated patients without
payment.
Going back to the Canon of
Medicine, this book contained all of medical knowledge of the time. Ibn
Sina documented all known illnesses and their proper treatments into one book.
The book's influence lasted in Europe from the 12th century to
the 17th as the primary source of medical knowledge. And thus, the foundation
upon which modern medicine is built.
However, as is evident, Ibn Sina was not only a man of science and medicine; he was also a devout Muslim. He sought to reconcile philosophy with Islamic theology. The young doctor wrote five treatises commenting on Surahs (chapters) from the Qur'an. One of these texts included the Proof of Prophecies, in which he comments on several Quranic verses and holds the Quran in high esteem.
The primary lesson that we can derive from the life of Ibn Sina is that science and Islam can co-exist. In an age of science and technology, Muslims should not hesitate to pursue both. In fact, it is possible to pursue both, and ibn Sina is an example of that. However, as individual Muslims, we will only succeed when we stick to Islam.
