Editing Avicenna (section)

== Circumstances ==
Avicenna created an extensive corpus of works during what is commonly known as the [[Islamic Golden Age]], in which the translations of [[Byzantine]], [[Greco-Roman]], [[Middle Persian literature|Persian]], and [[India]]n texts were studied extensively. Greco-Roman ([[Middle Platonism|Middle Platonic]], [[Neoplatonism|Neoplatonic]], and [[Aristotelianism|Aristotelian]]) texts translated by the [[al-Kindi|Kindi school]] were commented, redacted and developed substantially by Islamic intellectuals, who also built upon Persian and [[Indian mathematics|Indian mathematical]] systems, [[Indian astronomy|astronomy]], [[algebra]], [[trigonometry]] and [[Ancient Iranian medicine|medicine]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title=Major periods of Muslim education and learning |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-47496/education |access-date=16 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212112030/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-47496/education |archive-date=12 December 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Samanid Empire]] in the eastern part of Persia, [[Greater Khorasan]], and [[Central Asia]], as well as the [[Buyid dynasty]] in the western part of Persia and [[Iraq]], provided a thriving atmosphere for scholarly and cultural development. Under the Samanids, [[Bukhara]] rivaled [[Baghdad]] for cultural capital of the [[Muslim world]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title=Iran |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url=http://p2.www.britannica.com/oscar/print?articleId=106324&fullArticle=true&tocId=9106324 |access-date=16 December 2007 |last=Afary |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Afary |archive-date=13 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813184232/http://p2.www.britannica.com/oscar/print?articleId=106324&fullArticle=true&tocId=9106324 |url-status=live }}</ref> There, Avicenna had access to the great libraries of [[Balkh]], [[Khwarazm]], [[Gorgan]], [[Ray, Iran|Rey]], [[Isfahan]] and [[Hamadan]].

Various texts (such as the 'Ahd with Bahmanyar) show that Avicenna debated philosophical points with the greatest scholars of the time. [[Nizami Aruzi]] described how before ibn Sina left Khwarazm, he had met [[al-Biruni]] (a scientist and astronomer), [[Abu Nasr Mansur]] (a renowned mathematician), [[Abu Sahl 'Isa ibn Yahya al-Masihi]] (a respected philosopher) and [[ibn al-Khammar]] (a great physician). The study of the [[Quran]] and the [[Hadith]] also thrived, and Islamic philosophy, [[fiqh]] "jurisprudence", and [[kalam]] "speculative theology" were all further developed by ibn Sina and his opponents at this time.