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Document Details :

Title: Avicenna and the Qur'ân.
Subtitle: A Survey of his Qur'ânic commentaries
Author(s): JANSSENS, Jules
Journal: MIDEO
Volume: 25    Date: 2004   
Pages: 177-192
DOI: 10.2143/MID.25.0.505330

Abstract :
Avicenna wrote five treatises commentic upon Qur'ânic suras or parts of them, or they were at least attributed to him. In this paper special attention is paid to the second part of Avicenna's Proof of Prophecies tha t entails the commentary of several Qur'ânic verses, as well as to the commet on the Light-verse found i, his famous al-Ishârât wa l-tanbîhât. Although at least two of the former five treatises reveal to be spurious, it is obvious from the undoubtly authentic works that Avicenna held in high esteem the very text of the Qur'ân. Certainly, a full understanding of revelation is reserved to the genuine philosophers; Nevertheless, the prophet is higher thant the philosophe, since his words concern both common people and wise men. From Avicenna's Autobiography, it becomes clear that one needs 'another direction than the Greek sciences' in order to obtain the entire truth. This indicates that for him the Islamic sciences but, above all, the very text of the Revelation, i.e. the Qur'ân, form an essential part of the search for wisdom.

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