Avicenna (979-1037)

Iranian philosopher and physician. He was the most renowned philosopher of medieval Islam. His Canon Medicinae was a standard work for many centuries. His philosophical writings were influenced by al-Farabi, Aristotle, and the neo-Platonists, and in turn influenced the scholastics of the 13th century.

Avicenna was born near Bokhara, and died in Hamadan, where he had been vizier. His concept of God as the being in which essence and existence are identical gained wide currency, influencing Moses Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas.