İbn Sina

İbn Sina (980-1037)

İbn Sina (980-1037) or Avicenna in the West was an 11th century İslamic scholar whose contributions to philosophy and medicine are noted by historians. He was only 10 years old when he memorized the Qur'an and mastered the Arabic language. He studied and mastered literature, İndian mathematics, islamic law and jurisprudence, philosophy, and medicine. He was a genius so to say whose genuine love to learning led him to becoming one of the most distinguished scholars in history. His greatest work in medicine ''The Cannon'' had been used as the major reference material in medical sciences in European universities for five centuries. At 21, he had his own students. 

İn his biography, he shared his life as a scholar and how he pursued knowledge. One conclusion İ made is that İbn Sina was a very determined man who didn't sleep in many nights instead kept on reading and studying until he reached complete understanding of the subject matter. How many of us can show the same level of determination?

İn a movie directed by Phillip Stolzl ''The Physician'' released in 2013, a story of a young English healer is told. He crossed the borders to reach Persia with a sole purpose to study under İbn Sina. He was told of medical advancements being led by İbn Sina and wanted to learn them. He had to take an identity of being a Jew as Christians were deprived of admission. The movie, however, made some confusions. The English student started to study by himself in the basement during the night through dissecting a human dead body. Such was not allowed that time. He was put into trial along with İbn Sina. Did İbn Sina ever have English student? (Please, forward me any book that confirms this.) Maybe İ am a bit biased here since İ want to convince myself that İbn Sina should have been the one to do such act for the advancement of medical knowledge.