Ibn Ṭumlūs’s Commentary on Ibn Sīnā’s Poem on Medicine The Text within its Context

Abstract What makes Ibn Ṭumlūs’ Commentary on Ibn Sīnā’s Poem on Medicine ( Šarḥ al-Urǧūza fī l-ṭibb l-Ibn Sīnā ) historically significant? So far, it may be the soundest explicit evidence of the author’s direct and good relationship with Ibn Rušd (Averroes, d. 595/1198), who taught him the philosophical sciences. While Ibn Ṭumlūs (d. 620/1223) made extensive use of Ibn Rušd’s commentaries on logic in his Compendium on Logic , he chose not to disclose his name. Thus, Ibn Ṭumlūs’ Commentary on Ibn Sīnā’s Poem on Medicine remains the only available text that mentions Ibn Rušd’s name several times and uses his works on medicine. In addition, Ibn Ṭumlūs’ Commentary on Ibn Sīnā’s Poem on Medicine highlights the author’s career as a physician. As he said himself, the text is a commentary on Ibn Sīnā’s text from the point of view of a physician, not a philosopher, and it does not express his actual position, but the text itself testifies to a critical reception of Ibn Sīnā. Ibn Ṭumlūs has commented on the poem but he does not hesitate to criticise it, as Ibn Rušd did in his Commentary on the same Poem. The Commentary attests to the relationship that Ibn Ṭumlūs had with the Almohad creed and regime. The text shows that it was written to be dedicated to one of the Almohad leaders and expresses the author’s allegiance to Ibn Tūmart. Ibn Ṭumlūs apparently maintained this position for a long time, as one of the available copies proves that he was in Marrakesh in 606/1209, where he revised his work but remained faithful to his earlier position. As I am preparing a critical edition of this book, the purpose of my article is to present Ibn Ṭumlūs’ text, its available copies, and its contents in their socio-historical contexts.