Al-Nijat min al-Qarq fi Bahr al-Zalalaat (, ) known as Al-Nijat is one of the most famous philosophical works of the Iranian sage, Avicenna (980-1037). The general theme of the book is philosophy and includes topics in the fields of logic, physics, mathematics and theology.
Epistemology and approach
The book "Al-Nijat min al-Qarq fi Bahr al-Zalalaat" written in Arabic and includes a course of theoretical philosophy (logic, physics, mathematics and theology). According to some researchers, "Al-Nijat" is a selection from The Book of Healing. The great similarity of the book of "Al-Nijat" to The Book of Healing in the order of the chapters and in the content is the reason for these opinions. Some points can be considered about this view:
Avicenna's introduction at the beginning of the book of "Al-Nijat" contains the point that his purpose is not to write summaries, but the goal is to write the minimum things that should be known. Avicenna's definitions and expressions in the book of "Al-Nijat" are close to his definitions and expressions in the Book of Healing. The order of the chapters and topics discussed in the book of "Al-Nijat" corresponds step by step to the "book of healing". Of course, in some cases, there has been a shift and the topics have become more accurate than in the "book of healing".
The headings are arranged this way:
"Al-Nijat min al-Qarq fi Bahr al-Zalalaat" Logic with 149 chapters Physics with 6 articles (46 chapters in total) Mathematics with 29 titles and chapters Theology with 2 articles (total with 62 chapters)
Content
Logic
The logic section of the book "Al-Nijat min al-Qarq fi Bahr al-Zalalaat" is very similar in definitions and titles to the logic section of The Book of Healing, and from this point of view "Al-Nijat" is an excerpt from it. But the ease and clarity of the definitions, the expression based on division, the avoidance of prolongation of the word, and the omission and displacement of some issues, have made "Al-Nijat" in these respects both superior to the extensive book of healing and more valuable than the excerpt book of "Oyoun al-Hikma" of Avicenna. Some of the topics in the logic section of the book are:
Perception and affirmation
The benefit of logic
Types of particles
Intrinsic and transversal
Theorem and its types
Material of theorems
Directions, inversion, analogy and its types
Trilogy forms
Induction, allegory, argument and its types and preliminaries
Physics
Avicenna's purpose in writing the physics sections was to establish a scientific style for future generations, but he did not necessarily include the latest scientific material in it. Although Avicenna was a follower of Aristotle in meteorology and he himself acknowledged it, he did not follow Aristotle's views in cases where a new and appropriate theory seemed to him or he himself reached a different conclusion. Avicenna on various aspects of geophysics, meteorology and atmospheric effects, including the formation of mountains, groundwater, earthquakes, mining, clouds, rain, water vapor, dew, snow, hail, halo, sunbow, wind (origin, types, quantity, temperature, power, rainfall, effects, duration, direction, etc.), thunder, lightning, comet and meteor. Some of the topics of the physics section are: Motion and related issues Time, place, finite and infinite and related issues The unity of the universe and the impossibility of its multiplicity The effects of heat and cold on objects The ego and related issues
Mathematics
In mathematics, Avicenna studied and analyzed the principles of Euclid, but did not elaborate and stated only what was necessary to understand the theorems and prove them in order to acquaint the learner with the basics of geometry as soon as possible. Avicenna has also dedicated section 7 of the book of "Al-Nijat" to geometry. Avicenna openly considered music to be mathematics. He has also dealt with shapes, their properties and performances. Avicenna's theories on mathematics have not yet been fully explored, but Karl Lukuc has examined part of his mathematics (flat geometry) in his book "Avicenna as a Mathematician". Some of the topics in mathematics section are: Rules about sides, angles and triangles Rules about the proportion of surfaces Relations and guilds and their properties Quality of extraction of the size of the mass of the earth and the moon and the sun relative to each other Cognition of observation and the quality of observing Tunes, sounds, materials, instruments, improvements, etc.