Creation of the Universe According to Aristotle and Ibn Sina

One of the important issues in the course of history of human thought has been that whether the world of being is created or eternal. Before Aristotle، philosophers have been of the opinion that the world of being is eternal and not created. Believing in eternity of the categories of motion، time، and matter as the main components of the world of being، Aristotle states that the world of being is eternal and not created. That is why Aristotle''s God as the agent cause of the world of being is only the mover of the universe and not a life-giver God. In Abrahamic religions including Islam، creatorness of God is a certain and evident point. Ibn Sina، thus، breaks up from Aristotle concerning creation of the world. As a matter of fact، Sinean picture of the world of being، God، and the relation between the two is other than the picture provided by Aristotle. Dividing origination into essential and temporal، Ibn Sina claims that temporal eternity of the universe does not mean that the world of being is not created by God. For Ibn Sina، therefore، God as the agent cause of the universe is not only the Mover but also the One Who grants being to the world of being.