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this my ambition save through God: He is my all-sufficient stay, and best helper. I have arranged the Book in sections, ten in all:—

      1  To Establish the Existence of the Faculties of the Soul, the detailed analysis and explanation of which I have undertaken.

      2  Division and Classification of the Primary (Primitive) Faculties of the Soul, and Definition of the Soul at large (or as a whole).

      3  That None of the Faculties of the Soul originates from the Combination (Blending) of the Four Elements, but on the contrary comes upon them from without.

      4  Detailed Statement concerning the Vegetable Powers (faculties), and Mentioning the Need for Each One of them.

      5  Detailed Statement concerning the Animal Faculties (powers), and Mentioning the Need for Each One of them.

      6  Detailed Statement concerning the External (Apparent) Senses, and How they perceive, mentioning the Disagreement [of researchers] as to How Seeing is performed.

      7  Detailed Statement concerning the Internal (Hidden) Senses, and the Body Moving Power.

      8  Memoir on the Human Soul from the Stage of its Beginning to the Stage of its Perfection.

      9  Establishing the Proofs necessary for affirming the Essentiality of the Speaking (Rational) Soul, by the logical method.

      10  Establishing the Argument for the Existence of an Intellectual Essence, distinct from Bodies, standing to the Rational (speaking) Faculties in the stead of a Fountain, and in the stead of Light to Sight; and Showing that Rational (speaking) Souls remain united with It after the death of the body, secure and safe from corruption and change; and It is what is called Universal (generic) Intelligence.

      FOOTNOTES:

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      [3] The figure of speech in the Arabic is «loopholes»; compare Surah 2:257, and 31:21, and Beydâwi’s Commentary.

      «I had produced a short essay on the exposition of the knowledge of the soul, and what is connected therewith, at the beginning of my career forty years ago, after the purely philosophical method of investigation. Whoso wishes to know that method, let him peruse it, for it is adapted to the seekers of research.»

      The «40 years ago» fit exactly, if students one assumes that the literary production referred to is the one he dedicated to «the Prince.» Now, the first prince he came in contact with was Nûh ibn Mançûr (ruled from 366–387 H. = 976–997 A.D., the Eighth of the Sâmânid Dynasty). Ibn Khallikân relates that Ibn Sînâ, at the age of 16 years, had begun to have a great reputation as a physician. Moreover the Latin translation in Florence of this essay bears in express words the dedication to Nûh. Result:

Ibn Sînâ born in370 H. = 980 A.D.
Earliest Age as Treating Physician386 H. = 996
Death of Nûh in Month of Ragab387 H. = 997 Jule
Death of Ibn Sînâ428 H. = 1036

      Between 386 and 428 lie the 40 years.

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      To Establish the Existence of the Spiritual Faculties, the Detailed Analysis of which I have undertaken.

      We now start by saying that not a shadow of doubt or perplexity hampers the mind, as to things, that some of them share some one thing in common, and differ in an other; and that that which is shared in common is other than that in which they differ. The mind encounters all bodies whatsoever as having this in common, viz. that they are bodies; and afterwards it encounters them as differing in that they move (in different ways); otherwise there would be no such thing as rest of a body, and not even such a thing as motion of a body, except along a circle, seeing that of motion in a straight line it is established by its very form that it will not proceed save from stoppings and to stoppings (resting-places to resting-places). Hence it is evident that bodies are not to be clothed with the attribute of motion because they are bodies, but for reasons (causes) above and beyond their corporeity, from which causes their motions proceed, like the resulting of the footprint from the walker (or, just as the effect proceeds from the agent).