An Explanation of Avicenna's Ontological View on Love

The paper has brought Avicenna`s ontological view on love into consideration in a philosophic-mystical approach. As is understood, in a gradual system, Avicenna has known the highest degree of love to be of God; one may consider all his philosophical statements to be on thisdegree. Yet, on his mystical view, love has been Divinely established in all degrees of beings from the highest to the lowest, the highest is essentiality in God and other degrees were Divinely bestowed upon. The gradation of love can be regarded to be ordered as intellectual substance affected by the love of God and being lover for Absolute Good. Then, love of heavenly souls and, then, that of human perfect soul. In the fourth and fifth, middle and imperfect souls and in the others, other orders of created beings including animals, plants and the inanimates have been placed. This philosopher has known the love of creatures to be natural cause for growth and perfection. In this way, he has taken a position like that of mystics in the field.