Agency of the Prophet in Process of Revelation in Philosophy of Avicenna

Point of view of Avicenna concerning explanation of revelation and appealing to the faculty of imagination (al-Qovvah al-Motakhayyellah) in changing universal perceptions to particular ones has inspired some contemporary intellectuals like D.R. Soroush to maintain that Avicenna has believed in agency of soul of the prophet in process of revelation. Separating between though of Avicenna in sphere of peripatetic and illuminationism philosophy, this paper analyzes his idea. This separation proves that, in sphere of peripatetic philosophy, Avicenna has appealed to change in faculty of imagination in the way of explanation of revelational particulars, since he maintains that faculty of imagination and imaginational perceptions are material, as well as he negated the belief to the world of intermediate discontinuous imagination. However, he, in the sphere of illuminationism philosophy, has other explanation of this issue within the topic of functions of faculties of commonsense and imagination of the prophet, because he believes ,in this sphere, in immateriality of the faculty of imagination and its perceptions, as well as implicit acknowledgement to the world of intermediate discontinuous imagination. According to Avicenna, faculties of common sense and imagination of the prophet can save particular revelational forms and perceptions without any change in them. Accordingly, no reason remains for any change in faculty of imagination or changing abstract intelligible to sensory perception, since they, in contract with human souls, have intensity of being.