Miskawayh, Abū ʿAlī

Abstract

Abū ʿAlī Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb Miskawayh was a prominent figure in the intellectual milieu and at different courts of the Arab-Islamic world throughout the tenth and at the beginning of the eleventh century. Besides having held various positions in the service of a number of rulers he occupied himself with many sciences, such as philosophy, history, adab, alchemy, medicine, and even cooking. Although Miskawayh is said to have composed works in most of these fields, the writings extant today mainly cover the first two mentioned. His universal history The Experiences of the Nations (Tajārib al-umam) outlines the time from Noah to his own lifetime, the Buyid reign. His genuine philosophical writings, among which The Refinement of Character (Tahdhīb al-akhlāq wa-tathīr al-aʿrāq) and The Smaller Book of Triumph (al-Fawz al-aṣġar) are the best known today, display a main interest in ethics and how to reach ultimate happiness. Miskawayh’s philosophical doctrines are deeply influenced by Aristotle as well as by Neoplatonism and firmly rooted in the tradition of al-Kindī.