Ibn Sina, commonly known as Avicenna , was an Islamic philosopher and physician.
The Persian Avicenna was a child prodigy. By the age of 10 he could recite the Qur’an by heart. That Avicenna has mastered the Qur’an by memorizing it at such an early age is evidence of his amazing memory.
By age 18, he was an expert in Islamic law and in medicine.
His first appointment was that of physician to the emir, who owed him his recovery from a dangerous illness. Avicenna’s chief reward for this service was access to the royal library of the Samanids, well known patrons of scholarships and scholars.
He practiced medicine in Baghdad and published the Canon, codification of Greek and Arabic medicine. Translation of this work were appearing until the 17th century the last edition being printed in 1663.
Apart from his medical texts, he is best known for his attempts to synthesis Islamic theology and Greek philosophy.
He authored some 450 books on a wide range of subjects many of which concentrated on philosophy and medicine.
The Avicenna (980-1037)
