Abu al-Hasan (or Abu al-Husayn) Bahmanyar ibn al-Marzban, better simply known as Bahmanyar (; died 1066) was an
Iranian
Iranian () may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Iran
** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran
** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia
** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
scholar, who is mainly known as one of the most prominent pupils of
Avicenna
Ibn Sina ( – 22 June 1037), commonly known in the West as Avicenna ( ), was a preeminent philosopher and physician of the Muslim world, flourishing during the Islamic Golden Age, serving in the courts of various Iranian peoples, Iranian ...
(d. 1037).
Background
Bahmanyar was from a
Zoroastrian family, reportedly from
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
in northern
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. His father may have been the
Bavandid prince
al-Marzuban, who ruled in
Mazandaran in the late 10th-century, and was the author of the ''
Marzban-nama''. Bahmanyar's knowledge of
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
was not perfect.
Life
Little is known of Bahmanyar's life. He most likely started his studies in philosophy along with Abu al-Qasim al-Kirmani in the
Buyid city of
Ray in northern Iran. There they both became involved in the administration, while they read
Avicenna
Ibn Sina ( – 22 June 1037), commonly known in the West as Avicenna ( ), was a preeminent philosopher and physician of the Muslim world, flourishing during the Islamic Golden Age, serving in the courts of various Iranian peoples, Iranian ...
works. Bahmanyar was possibly part of the Buyid court in Ray through family ties with the Bavandid princess
Sayyida Shirin, her husband
Fakhr al-Dawla () and son
Majd al-Dawla (), both Buyid rulers of Ray.
Bahmanyar eventually started to interact with Avicenna, which would later result in the latter's creation of the'' al-Mubāḥathāt'' ("The Discussions"), which were mainly answers to questions made by Bahmanyar. The work was compiled sometime between 1024 and 1037, during Avicenna's stay in
Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
, the capital of the
Kakuyid ruler
Muhammad ibn Rustam Dushmanziyar (). In the work, Bahmanyar is referred to as ''al-Shaykh al-fāḍil'' ("the aristocratic gentleman"). Bahmanyar and Avicenna possibly encountered each other in 1014/5 at Ray, when the latter worked for Sayyida Shirin and Majd al-Dawla.
Bahmanyar's main work, the ''Kitāb al-taḥṣīl'' ("The Summation"), which summarises Avicenna's logic, physics and metaphysics was written between 1024 and 1037 and dedicated to his Zoroastrian uncle, Abu Mansur Bahram ibn Khurshid ibn Yazdyar, who was possibly the son of the
treasurer
A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization.
Government
The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...
of the Buyid emperor
Adud al-Dawla ().
Abu'l-Hasan Bayhaqi (d. 1169) writes that Bahmanyar also wrote a book on logic and one on music and other works are attributed to him.
Beliefs
Some sources claim that he converted to Islam later in life; however, the earliest sources about him do not comment on this. His main work ''Kitāb al-taḥṣīl'' is ambiguous about his beliefs. While the introduction and conclusion of the book is made in a Muslim manner and character, it is unknown if these were part of the original version of the book or later added by secretaries. However, it is still plausible that he converted to Islam, due to his way of thinking on questions regarding
divine unity and the struggle between good and evil, which Bahmanyar places inside the created order, contrary to the Zoroastrian belief that associates it with the divine essence. Furthermore, his ''
kunya'' Abu al-Husayn may be a possible sign of a conversion to
Shia Islam
Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...
.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahmanyar
Former Zoroastrians
Logicians
Writers about music
1066 deaths
Pupils of Avicenna
Year of birth unknown
11th-century Persian-language writers
11th-century Iranian philosophers
Scholars under the Buyid dynasty