Study and Criticism of Viewpoints about Mystical Tendency and Character of Avicenna

From past until now, different viewpoints have been existed about mystical aspect of Avicenna. Some of scholars know him just as a Peripatetic philosopher without any tendency to mysticism in thought and character. Other scholars exaggerate the issue and believe that he was a hedonist and ambitious man who didn’t have any tendency to mysticism. But some scholars like 'Ain al-Qozat Hamedani believe that the Avicenna was in a very high-ranking position in mysticism. In this article, after studying the documents and criticism of opponent viewpoints, the moderate approach will be taken – although Avicenna was not a mystic and Sufi in the literally meaning, he have had a deep tendency to mysticism in character and thought. Avicenna rejected the Pantheism (wahdat al-wujud) but he believed that the nature of philosophy and mysticism are not in contradiction; he had the practice of piety; had a great sense of guess; created valuable mystical works; he truly described the possibility of revelation for mystics by his philosophy; and he took influential steps toward reconciling philosophy and mysticism.