Al-As’Ilah Wa’L-Ajwibah/Questions & Answers: Including the Further Answers of Al-Biruni & Al-Ma’Sumi’s Defense of Ibn Sina

The correspondence between Ibn Sina and al-Biruni (al-As’ilah wa’l-ajwibah) contains the complete text of the response of Abu Said al-Ma’sumi to the objections of al-Biruni regarding the set of eight questions posed by him to Ibn Sina. Al-Biruni had not been satisfied with Ibn Sina’s initial response and had replied in short, categorical statements showing his dissatisfaction. In this eighth and final installment, Ibn Sina’s student and friend, al-Ma’sumi, responds to these objections in turn in terse language, indicating his exasperation with al-Biruni. Abu Rayhan Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Biruni (362-442 AH/973-1050) posed some questions to Abu ‘Ali al-Husayn b. ‘Abd Allah ibn Sina (370-428/980-1037). Ten questions were related to various concepts and ideas in Artistotle’s al-Sama’ wa’l-‘Alam