Ibn Sina’s Mystical Anthropology in The Risalat al-Tayr (A Treatise on Birds)

Document Type : Scientific-research

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Boali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran (corresponding author)

2 Department of Theology, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The Risālat al-Ṭayr (A Treatise on Birds) is one of Ibn Sina’s three symbolic and allegorical treatises, which with Ḥayy ibn Yaqḍān and Salāmān va Absāl, states an intellectual and spiritual wayfaring by a symbolic language. In this treatise, Ibn Sina depicts the descent of the soul from the world of spirits to the terrestrial world and the ascent of human rational soul from the degree of corporeal attachments and being caught in the trap of worldly dependencies to the highest degree of spiritual perfection and the degree of Vision of God. In this paper, which has been written by a descriptive and analytical method, Ibn Sina’s view of human being and his spiritual capacities and capabilities has been studied according to The Risālat al-Ṭayr. In this treatise, from an anthropological perspective, Ibn Sina has stated the situation of the Wayfarer in a way that is very close to the temper of illuminative philosophers and the mystics. Thus, this treatise can be considered as one of the sources of the thoughts and views of the illuminative philosophers.

Keywords


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