The Union of the Knower and the Known in Ibn Sina's al-Mabda' wa l-Ma'ād:An Analysis and Critical Edition of the Text

In his al-Mabda' wa l-Ma'ād, Ibn Sina demonstrated the union of the knower and the known. This demonstration is presented exclusively in this book. The authorship of this book is certain because of manuscript evidence and historical documents. As can be seen from comparison of the results of this demonstration with passages from further works of Ibn Sina such as al-Shifā, al-Najāt, al-Ishārāt wa l-Tanbihāt, and al-Mubāḥaṯāt, Ibn Sina accepted the union of the knower and the known differently from Porphyry. Ibn Sina's view on the union of matter and form shows similarities and differences with this one, which is illustrated in two natural and metaphysical perspectives in his works. This article presents three main points: (1) a critical edition of the text; (2) an explanation of the demonstration of the union of the knower and the known in comparison with other Ibn Sina texts; (3) a critical analysis of the Leiden University Library manuscript (No. 1020a) that contains a different text than other manuscripts about this topic.