THE MAIN CATEGORIES OF IBN SINA’S LEARNING LINKED WITH THE STUDY - THE PROBLEM OF BEING

Abstract

Ibn Sina studied the problem of being by analyzing many categories of which the ones of form and matter, the general and the individual, the essence and existence, are discussed in this text. The analysis shows that he greatly differs in the view of these issues from the previous philosophers, for example Aristotle. His greater achievement is drawing a distinction between the essence and existence in contingent beings. God is the only being which does not possess essence and His essence is included in His existence, and that’s what makes Him different from other beings. This learning provided the later philosophers with an inspiration for their learning about the contingency of essence in respect to existence. In all these works about the analysis of being, Ibn Sina begins with the analysis of the existence of certain beings, however, in his commentary Ihlas Ibn Sina begins his analysis with God’s name He which supposes being. Therefore, he finds the inspiration for his ontological view in the Qur’an. However, that does not mean that the beings in the world and the world itself are insignificant. Considering that they are included in God’s self-cognizance, it points to their veritable status or that they are the consequence of God’s existence.