The How of Ibn Sina's Mystical Conduct

The method of mystical behavior and how to acquire it is one of the most important issues and major concerns of mystics. In contrast with gnostic divine attraction which occurs instantaneously, the method of mystical behavior is dependent on hard work and perseverance and is achieved gradually. The main purpose of this article is to demonstrate through documenting Ibn Sina’s works and making use of what mentioned by some of his commentators that he, in addition to adhering to the spiritual journey as implied by his philosophical method, has diverged from the method of rational discussion in later stages of his life and approached the intuitional illuminative method which was later expanded by Sohravardi. In some of his works, especially at the end of his life, he has deviated from the pure argumentative and rational method and approached the intuitive and illuminative method of presence which was later expanded by Suhrawardi. The evidence for this claim comes from his own works. If his exquisite work entitled The Wisdom of the Orientals remained intact, we could have been in a better position to discuss his mystical dimension more clearly. Our findings show that the great sage was a man of conduct and austerity, and that some of the evil deeds attributed to him were fabrications of his enemies and opponents. The method used in this research is descriptive analytical and to some extent phenomenological.