An Analysis of Ibn Sina s View Regarding the Relationship between the Body, Death, and Otherworldly Life

There is no doubt about the co-existence of the body and the soul in worldly life. However, there are some debates on the accompaniment of worldly body and the soul in other worldly life. Based on Ibn Sina’s principles, worldly life cannot have an otherworldly life; however, some effects of the worldly life of the body stay with the soul until eternity and affect Man’s otherworldly and eternal life. In Ibn Sina’s view, the body plays an essential role in the occurrence of death. This is because its change and annihilation are the reasons behind the separation of the soul from the body and, as a result, the end of worldly life. Upon the beginning of the otherworldly stage of life, the unity of the soul with the material body is ruptured; however, the effects of some of the worldly acts and behaviors of the body are not destroyed and, rather, affect the quality of the final destiny of human beings and their lives in some way. The actualization of complete connection with the Active Intellect, which becomes possible through overcoming all physical barriers and limitations and the true perception of spiritual pleasures and the essence of the soul are among such effects. The behaviors rooted in the bodily configurations that have penetrated the soul remain until the next life and play a role in providing the context for the happiness and misery of the soul and determining the quantity and quality of its otherworldly rewards and punishments.