Nature and the Existence of Time and Its Theological Implications in Avicenna’s View

The nature and existence of time is a major issue in Islamic philosophy. Avicenna is a philosopher who presented various discussions of the problem in different works, trying to explain the problem of time and its relation with other things such as motion and distance (masāfat). In his major philosophical books, Remarks and Admonitions(al-Ishārāt wa-l-tanbīhāt), The Book of Healing (al-Shifāʾ), and The Book of Salvation(al-Najāt), Avicenna examines and explains the nature and manner of existence of time, but he does not isolate the theological consequences of his account. An account of such consequences can reveal his view of the matter. In fact, it is essential to see how definitions of time would affect views of theological problems, as it can clarify the intellectual-philosophical system of philosophers. In this article, I draw on the analytic-descriptive method to offer an accurate picture of the nature and existence of time in Avicenna’s view, and then explicate the consequences of that definition for theological problems. I argue that Avicenna’s account of time has four consequences: (۱) time’s pre-eternity is evidence of God’s pre-eternity, (۲) time’s post-eternity is evidence of the post-eternity of the necessary existence, (۳) the relation between God and time is possible only through the existence of intermediaries, and (۴) the essential incipience of time implies the eternality of God’s grace.

Keywords:

nature and existence of time , pre-eternity (azaliyya) and post-eternity (abadiyya) of time , existence of intermediaries , essential incipience (al-ḥudūth al-dhātī) , Avicenna