---
title: "Canon of Medicine – Ibn Sina’sal-Qānūn fī al-Ṭibb"
description: "Ibn Sīnā’s (Avicenna's) *Canon of Medicine (al-Qānūn fī al-Ṭibb)* is a highly structured and systematic medical encyclopedia that became a foundational text in both Islamic and European medicine for centuries. Written in the early 11th century, the *Canon* is divided into…"
url: "https://majalla.org/ilm/canon-of-medicine-ibn-sinasal-qanun-fi-al-%e1%b9%adibb/"
updated: "2025-10-24"
category: Medicine
tags:
  - Classical Islamic Medicine
---

# Canon of Medicine – Ibn Sina’sal-Qānūn fī al-Ṭibb

Ibn Sīnā’s (Avicenna's) *Canon of Medicine (al-Qānūn fī al-Ṭibb)* is a highly structured and systematic medical encyclopedia that became a foundational text in both Islamic and European medicine for centuries. Written in the early 11th century, the *Canon* is divided into five books, each addressing major aspects of medicine in a logical, progressive order.

Read  [***Canon of Medicine***online](https://majalla.org/books/ibn-sinas-canon-of-medicine/) (pdf w/ page flip view), or text view of [Selections of Ibn Sina's Canon of Medicine](https://majalla.org/ilm/selections-from-ibn-sinas-canon-of-medicine/) online)

---

# Overview

## **Canon of Medicine – Ibn Sina's*al-Qānūn fī al-Ṭibb:***

### Author: Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna)

Title: *Al-Qānūn fī al-Ṭibb* (القانون في الطب)

---

## ** Book I – al-Kulliyyāt (الكليات) – General Principles of Medicine**

Focus: Foundational theory of medicine, natural philosophy, and basic physiology.

### **1. Definition and Scope of Medicine**

- Ṭibb (الطب) – medicine
- Definition, goals, the role of the physician

### **2. Theoretical and Practical Parts of Medicine**

- al-ʿIlmī wa-l-ʿAmalī (العلمي والعملي) – theoretical and practical medicine

### **3. The Elements (al-Arkān, الأركان)**

- Fire (nār, نار), Air (hawāʾ, هواء), Water (māʾ, ماء), Earth (arḍ, أرض)
- Qualities: hot (ḥār), cold (bārid), dry (yābis), moist (raṭb)

### **4. Temperament (Mizāj, المزاج)**

- Balanced (iʿtidāl) vs. imbalanced (taḥrīf)
- Types: sanguine (damawī), choleric (ṣafrāwī), melancholic (sawdāwī), phlegmatic (balghamī)

### **5. Humors (al-Akhlāṭ, الأخلاط)**

- Blood (dam, دم), Phlegm (balgham, بلغم), Yellow bile (ṣafrāʾ, صفراء), Black bile (sawdāʾ, سوداء)
- Production, functions, imbalance and disease

### **6. Organs (Aʿḍāʾ, الأعضاء) and Faculties (Quwā, القوى)**

- Natural (ṭabīʿiyya), Vital (ḥayawāniyya), Psychic (nafsāniyya)
- Simple and composite organs (basīṭa wa murakkaba)

### **7. Causes of Health and Disease**

- Four causes: efficient (fāʿil), material (mādda), formal (ṣūra), final (ghāya)
- Internal and external causes (sabab dākhilī / khārijī)

### **8. Signs (ʿAlāmāt, علامات) and Symptoms (Aʿrāḍ, أعراض)**

- Diagnosis via pulse (nabḍ), urine (bawl), stool, tongue, eyes

### **9. Preservation of Health (ḥifẓ al-ṣiḥḥa)**

- Regimen (tadbīr): food, drink, air, sleep, motion/rest, emotional states
- Seasonal adaptation

---

## **Book II – al-Adwiya al-Mufrada (الأدوية المفردة) – Simple Drugs**

Focus: Pharmacology and materia medica.

### **1. Classification of Drugs**

- By temperament (mizāj) and action
- Degrees of potency (darajāt): 1st (mild) to 4th (lethal)

### **2. Evaluation of Drug Action**

- Empirical and rational methods
- Qualitative testing

### **3. Alphabetical List of ~800 Substances**

- Botanical, mineral, and animal origin
- Each entry includes:

  - Name (Arabic, Greek, Persian if applicable)
  - Temperament
  - Actions (afʿāl, أفعال)
  - Dosage (miqdār, مقدار)
  - Uses (manāfiʿ, منافع)

---

## **Book III – al-Amrāḍ al-Juzʾiyya (الأمراض الجزئية) – Diseases by Organ**

Focus: Diseases categorized anatomically, from head to toe.

### **1. Head and Brain (al-Raʾs wa al-Dimāgh)**

- Headaches, epilepsy, vertigo
- Brain anatomy and disorders

### **2. Sensory Organs**

- Eyes (ʿayn), Ears (udhun), Nose (anf), Tongue (lisān)
- Eye diseases (cataracts, blindness), hearing loss

### **3. Respiratory and Thoracic Diseases**

- Throat (ḥanjara), Lungs (riʾa), Trachea (shaʿb al-raʾa)
- Coughs, asthma, tuberculosis

### **4. Cardiovascular System**

- Heart (qalb), Vessels (ʿurūq)
- Palpitations, syncope

### **5. Digestive System**

- Stomach (miʿda), Liver (kabad), Intestines (amʿāʾ)
- Ulcers, indigestion, liver diseases

### **6. Urogenital System**

- Kidneys (kulyā), Bladder (mathāna), Genitalia (ʿaḍw jinsī)
- Urinary retention, incontinence, infertility

### **7. Musculoskeletal and Limbs**

- Bones (ʿiẓām), Muscles (ʿaḍalāt), Joints (mafāṣil)
- Arthritis, gout, paralysis

### **8. Skin and External Conditions**

- Ulcers, boils, scabies
- Hair and nails

---

## **Book IV – al-Amrāḍ al-ʿĀmma (الأمراض العامة) – General Diseases**

Focus: Systemic and non-localized disorders.

### **1. Fevers (ḥummā, حمى)**

- Types: ephemeral, continuous, intermittent
- Causes and prognosis

### **2. Wasting and Emaciation (dhiq al-nafas, istihlāk)**

- Consumption (tuberculosis-like)

### **3. Swellings and Tumors (awrām, أورام)**

- Inflammatory and non-inflammatory

### **4. Wounds and Ulcers (jurūḥ, qarūḥ)**

- Healing processes

### **5. Fractures and Dislocations (kasr, khalʿ)**

- Bone setting, healing

### **6. Bites and Stings (ladghāt, لذغات)**

- Snake bites, scorpions, rabies

### **7. Poisons (samūm, سموم)**

- Types of poisons
- Antidotes (tiriyāq, ترياق)

---

## **Book V – al-Adwiya al-Murakkaba (الأدوية المركبة) – Compound Drugs and Formulas**

Focus: Medical recipes and compounded remedies.

### **1. Principles of Compounding**

- Harmony of ingredients (muwāzana), order of mixing
- Vehicles (e.g., honey, oil)

### **2. Dosage and Administration**

- Age, temperament, condition of the patient
- Forms: pills (ḥabūb), ointments (marham), syrups (sharāb), decoctions (jushā), etc.

### **3. Compound Categories**

- Laxatives (mus-hilāt), emetics (muqayyʾ), analgesics (musakkins)
- Tonics (muqawwiyāt), diuretics (mubawwils), aphrodisiacs (mubāhij)

### **4. Antidotes and Theriacs**

- Classical theriac (tiriyāq fārūq), multi-ingredient antidotes

---

##  Summary of the Collection:

| Book | Arabic Title | Focus | Core Topics |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| I | الكليات (*al-Kulliyyāt*) | Medical theory | Elements, humors, organs, health |
| II | الأدوية المفردة (*al-Adwiya al-Mufrada*) | Simple drugs | Materia medica, pharmacology |
| III | الأمراض الجزئية (*al-Amrāḍ al-Juzʾiyya*) | Organ-based diseases | Anatomical classification |
| IV | الأمراض العامة (*al-Amrāḍ al-ʿĀmma*) | General/systemic diseases | Fevers, trauma, poisoning |
| V | الأدوية المركبة (*al-Adwiya al-Murakkaba*) | Compound drugs | Formulas, preparations |

---

## Arabic and English Texts

 

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CTrOjxjPvAbUUzi4EFpgaO6PB8aZ0qkh/preview](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CTrOjxjPvAbUUzi4EFpgaO6PB8aZ0qkh/preview)

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[https://drive.google.com/file/d/13rjeRMHOzog4B9tqCeET3Nl4V3XeEhck/preview](https://drive.google.com/file/d/13rjeRMHOzog4B9tqCeET3Nl4V3XeEhck/preview)

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