A Compendium on the Soul. Avicenna
in order that by his prestige the advantages accruing from the prestige of its kin shall become all-embracing, and that the number of the seekers after its fullness shall abound. Nor shall I achieve this my ambition save through God: He is my all-sufficient stay, and best helper. I have arranged the Book in sections, ten in all:—
1 To Establish the Existence of the Faculties of the Soul, the detailed analysis and explanation of which I have undertaken.
2 Division and Classification of the Primary (Primitive) Faculties of the Soul, and Definition of the Soul at large (or as a whole).
3 That None of the Faculties of the Soul originates from the Combination (Blending) of the Four Elements, but on the contrary comes upon them from without.
4 Detailed Statement concerning the Vegetable Powers (faculties), and Mentioning the Need for Each One of them.
5 Detailed Statement concerning the Animal Faculties (powers), and Mentioning the Need for Each One of them.
6 Detailed Statement concerning the External (Apparent) Senses, and How they perceive, mentioning the Disagreement [of researchers] as to How Seeing is performed.
7 Detailed Statement concerning the Internal (Hidden) Senses, and the Body Moving Power.
8 Memoir on the Human Soul from the Stage of its Beginning to the Stage of its Perfection.
9 Establishing the Proofs necessary for affirming the Essentiality of the Speaking (Rational) Soul, by the logical method.
10 Establishing the Argument for the Existence of an Intellectual Essence, distinct from Bodies, standing to the Rational (speaking) Faculties in the stead of a Fountain, and in the stead of Light to Sight; and Showing that Rational (speaking) Souls remain united with It after the death of the body, secure and safe from corruption and change; and It is what is called Universal (generic) Intelligence.
FOOTNOTES:
3. The figure of speech in the Arabic is «loopholes»; compare Surah 2:257, and 31:21, and Beydâwi’s Commentary.
4. The «waly» performs miracles only, whereas the «naby» performs miracles, and also foretells future events.
5. Who was this prince; and why did the author stand in such need of his countenance as to dedicate to him this booklet in the humble and lengthy terms of apology which run through the greater part of the Introduction? It is Doctor S. Landauer’s opinion that, with this Essay, Ibn Sînâ began his career as a writer. After he had completed the sixteenth year of his age, he was summoned to the bedside of the suffering Sâmânid prince, Nûh ibn Mançûr, who resided at Bukhâra (See Ibn Khallikân’s Biographies), and succeeded in curing him. Then, followed a long period during which Ibn Sînâ removed from the Court of one Ruler to that of another, and was successively engaged in the service of various Petty Dynasties in Khurasân. If then this Essay was his maiden production—as Doctor Landauer assumes—the author was still quite young, and stood in need of the patronage he so earnestly implores. Furthermore there is a manuscript in Leyden, marked Codex 958, and numbered 1968 in the Catalogue, which is a small treatise on the soul by Ibn Sînâ, closing as follows:
«I had produced a short essay on the exposition of the knowledge of the soul, and what is connected therewith, at the beginning of my career forty years ago, after the purely philosophical method of investigation. Whoso wishes to know that method, let him peruse it, for it is adapted to the seekers of research.»
The «40 years ago» fit exactly, if students one assumes that the literary production referred to is the one he dedicated to «the Prince.» Now, the first prince he came in contact with was Nûh ibn Mançûr (ruled from 366–387 H. = 976–997 A.D., the Eighth of the Sâmânid Dynasty). Ibn Khallikân relates that Ibn Sînâ, at the age of 16 years, had begun to have a great reputation as a physician. Moreover the Latin translation in Florence of this essay bears in express words the dedication to Nûh. Result:
| Ibn Sînâ born in | 370 H. = 980 A.D. | |
| Earliest Age as Treating Physician | 386 H. = 996 | |
| Death of Nûh in Month of Ragab | 387 H. = 997 Jule | |
| Death of Ibn Sînâ | 428 H. = 1036 |
Between 386 and 428 lie the 40 years.
SECTION FIRST
To Establish the Existence of the Spiritual Faculties, the Detailed Analysis of which I have undertaken.
Whoso wishes to describe anything whatsoever before proceeding to establish first its6reality of existence, such a one is counted by the wise among those who deviate from the broad beaten track of perspicuous statement. It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to first set to work to establish the existence of the spiritual powers, before starting to define each one of them singly, and enlarge upon it.
And whereas the most peculiar characteristics of spiritual properties are two—one of them Setting in Motion (Impulsion), and the other Perception—it is incumbent upon us to show that to every moving body there is aAmoving cause (ground, reason, motive, pretence). Then it will become evident to us therefrom that bodies moving in motions over and above the natural motions—an example of natural motions is the sinking of the heavy, and the rising of the light—have movingB causes, which we call souls or spiritual powers; and that we further show that any body, in so far as it shows signs (traces) that it is perceptive, such perception by it cannot be validly ascribed to its body, except because of powers (faculties) in it that are capable of perception.
We now start by saying that not a shadow of doubt or perplexity hampers the mind, as to things, that some of them share some one thing in common, and differ in an other; and that that which is shared in common is other than that in which they differ. The mind encounters all bodies whatsoever as having this in common, viz. that they are bodies; and afterwards it encounters them as differing in that they move (in different ways); otherwise there would be no such thing as rest of a body, and not even such a thing as motion of a body, except along a circle, seeing that of motion in a straight line it is established by its very form that it will not proceed save from stoppings and to stoppings (resting-places to resting-places). Hence it is evident that bodies are not to be clothed with the attribute of motion because they are bodies, but for reasons (causes) above and beyond their corporeity, from which causes their motions proceed, like the resulting of the footprint from the walker (or, just as the effect proceeds from the agent).
So much having become clear to us, we say that we find, among bodies generated from the Four Elements,7 such as moves, not by constraint, in two kinds of motion between which there is more or less difference: The one kind inherent in its element by reason of the supremacy over it of the power of one of its constituents, and thus decreeing its motion towards the position in space naturally appointed for it, as for example a man’s moving by the nature of the preponderating8 heavy element in his body downwards; nor will this kind of the motions of bodies be found to take place save in one direction and with a constant tendency; The second kind of motion going against the decree of its element, which decree is either rest in the natural position as soon as it reaches that position, as for example a man’s moving his body along its natural home which is the Earth’s surface; or else a moving away from the natural position when already separated from it, like a flying