Ibn Miskawayh مُسکویه | |
|---|---|
 Beginning of a 14th-century manuscript of Miskawayh's al-Fawz al-Asghar | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 932 Parandak, (Ziyarid Iran) |
| Died | 1030 |
| Era | Islamic Golden Age |
| Region | Iran |
| Main interest(s) | History,Theology,medicine,ethics andphilosophy |
| Notable work(s) | Kitab al hayawan (The book of animal life) تهذيب الأخلاق (Ethical Instruction) Al-Fawz al-Asghar Tajarib al-umam (Experiences of Nations) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
Influenced | |
Ibn Miskuyah (Persian:مُسْکُـوْيَه Muskūyah, 932–1030), (Arabic: مِسْكَوَيْه، أبو علي محمد بن أحمد بن يعقوب مسكويه الرازي) full nameAbū ʿAlī Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb Miskawayh al-Rāzī[2] was aPersian[3] chancery official of theBuyid era, andphilosopher andhistorian fromParandak, Iran. As aNeoplatonist, his influence onIslamic philosophy is primarily in the area ofethics. He was the author of the first major Islamic work on philosophical ethics entitled theRefinement of Character (تهذيب الأخلاقTahdhībal-Akhlāq), focusing on practical ethics, conduct, and the refinement of character. He separated personal ethics from the public realm, and contrasted the liberating nature of reason with the deception and temptation of nature. Miskawayh was a prominent figure in the intellectual and cultural life of his time.[3]
Miskawayh was born inRey, then underZiyarid control. Miskawayh may have been aZoroastrian convert toIslam, but it seems more likely that it was one of his ancestors who converted.[3][4] During his early career, he spent his life inBaghdad, where he served as the secretary of Muhallabi, the vizier of the BuyidemirMu'izz al-Dawla. He was fluent enough inMiddle Persian to have translated some pre-Islamic texts in that language into Arabic.[citation needed] After a long service to the Buyids of Iraq, Miskawayh moved to the court ofRukn al-Dawla, where he spent seven years working there with the Buyid vizierAbu 'l-Fadl ibn al-'Amid. In 966, a group ofghazi marched towards the Library of Rey, but Miskawayh managed to save it.[3] After the death of Abu'l-Fadl ibn al-'Amid in 970, Miskawayh continued to serve the latter's son, Abu'l-Fath. In 975, he, along with him, left forBaghdad.
He later worked as a secretary and librarian for a sequence of viziers, including'Adud al-Dawla. Some contemporary sources associated him with theBrethren of Purity, claiming that some of his writings were used in the compilation of theEncyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity.[5]Miskawayh died in 1030 atRay,[1] then underKakuyid control.
[These books] state that God first created matter and invested it with energy for development. Matter, therefore, adopted the form of vapour which assumed the shape of water in due time. The next stage of development was mineral life. Different kinds of stones developed in course of time. Their highest form being mirjan (coral). It is a stone which has in it branches like those of a tree. After mineral life evolves vegetation. The evolution of vegetation culminates with a tree which bears the qualities of an animal. This is the date-palm. It has male and female genders. It does not wither if all its branches are chopped but it dies when the head is cut off. The date-palm is therefore considered the highest among the trees and resembles the lowest among animals. Then is born the lowest of animals. It evolves into an ape. This is not the statement of Darwin. This is what Ibn Miskawayh states and this is precisely what is written in the Epistles of Ikhwan al-Safa. The Muslim thinkers state that ape then evolved into a lower kind of a barbarian man. He then became a superior human being. Man becomes a saint, a prophet. He evolves into a higher stage and becomes an angel. The one higher to angels is indeed none but God. Everything begins from Him and everything returns to Him.
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