Sicilian Questions (المسائل الصقلية, al-Masāʼil al-Ṣiqilliyya, inArabic) is a 13th-century philosophical work byIbn Sab'in. It contains the answer given by him to some philosophical questions raised by theFrederick II of Hohenstaufen and has been defined as "symbol on the intellectual relations between medieval ChristianEurope and theIslamic world".[1]
Regarding the author's style, the book has obvious signs of eloquence and elegance, as well as extensive scientific knowledge. But at the same time, it warns, sometimes, a certain monotony, excessive rhetoric, with consequent abrupt interruptions retakes, disjunctions, etc.
The treatise is divided into a prologue, written perhaps by one of his disciples, which explains the origin of the correspondence, the answer to the four philosophical questions raised byFrederick II of Hohenstaufen, an Appendix referred to several issues, and finally, an epilogue. These parts are of variable length and are subdivided, in turn, into several sections. Given, then, that its structure is as follows:
As usual in medieval Arabic treatises, and how could it be otherwise, if we take into account the rich and highly educated ofIbn Sab'in, in theSicilian Questions the author quotes from other writers, especially those in the classical antiquity; among them are, for example,Plato'sPhaedrus and especially those belonging to the logic ofAristotle, as the most relevant. Similarly, and for the same reason, it makes frequent references to ancient philosophers and thinkers to a greater extent, but also to his fellow followers of other faiths and representatives of the most varied theories and doctrines, explained or simply commented on the work, which make it a rich melting pot of scientific knowledge to justify the time and interest in it. Among all these philosophers, he notes, the volume of citations is made on his thought and his writings,Aristotle, which is really central to the treaty and the Andalusian mystic most often named as the Wise (al-Hakim) and the Man (al-Rayul).
^Dario Cabanelas, "Federico II de Sicilia e Ibn Sab'in de Murcia. Las Cuestiones Sicilianas",Miscelánea de Estudios Árabes y Hebraicos, 4, 1955, pp. 48-49.
^Ibn Sab'in,al-Kalam 'ala-l-al-Siqiliyya Masa'il, text published byŞerefettin Yaltkaya, Bayrut 1941.
^Ibn Sab'in, Correspondance philosophique avec l'Empereur Frederic II of Hohenstaufen, Arabic text published by Şerefettin Yaltkaya, with Introduction by Henry Corbin, Paris 1941.
^Şerefettin Yaltkaya,Sicilya cevaplari Ibni Sabinin Sicilya Krali ikinci Frederikin felsefi sorgularina verdigi cevaplarin tercemesidir, Istanbul 1934 (full translation into Turkish).
^Patrizia Spallino,Le questioni siciliane. Federico II e l' universo filosofico, Introduction, translation and notes, presentation of Aladdin Bakri, Palermo 2002 (full translation into Italian).
^Luisa Arvide,Las Cuestiones Sicilianas, Introduction, edition, translation and notes, Grupo Editorial Universitario, Granada 2009 (full translation into Spanish).
^Michele Amari, "Questions philosophiques adressées aux savants musulmans par l´empereur Frédéric II",Journal Asiatique, 5. série, 1 (1853), pp. 240-274 (French translation of fragments).
^August Ferdinand Mehren, "Correspondance du philosophe soufi Ibn Sab´in Abdou l-Haqq avec l´empereur Frédéric II de Hohenstaufen",Journal Asiatique, 7. série, 14 (1879), pp. 341-454 (French translation of Question IV).
^Dario Cabanelas, Ofm., "Federico II de Sicilia e Ibn Sab´in de Murcia. Las Cuestiones Sicilianas", enMiscelánea de Estudios Árabes y Hebraicos, 4 (1955), pp. 31-64 (Spanish translation of fragments).
^Anna Akasoy,Die Sizilianischen Fragen, Freiburg 2005 (German translation of fragments).
