Historical and Textual Criticism of Neirūzīyyeh

Neirūzīyyeh is a treatise on commentaries of Qur'ānic verses compiled by Ibn Sina. In his treaties, Ibn Sina sought to interpret ḥurūf muqaṭṭaʿāt (the mysterious letters) through his philosophical thoughts and ḥisāb al-jummal (the Abjad numerals). Since the title of the treatise was not mentioned in the ancient biographical pieces of literature, it raises serious doubts about the attribution. Therefore, the treatise needs historically to be assessed and authenticated. In the introduction, Ibn Sina dedicated his treatise to "Sheikh Al- ʾAmīr" as a Nowruz (New Year) gift. But we are not certain about the identity of him. Based on written records, the most probable person is Abu ‘Abdillāh Barghi. Ibn Sina composed the treaties between ages seventeen to twenty-two, ca. 387-392 AH, during his stay in Bukhara. The textual criticism and structural analysis of the treatise show that the content is compatible with his other works. The key terms of the treatise including Necessary Being and other ontological terms discussed in the issues of the degrees of creations and the Theory of Emanation are the same as the ones that had been used in Ibn Sina's other philosophical works. This proves the treatise is truly attributed to him.