Avicenna

This volume presents a curated and thematically organized translation of selected passages on riya?a (exercise) from the Canon of Medicine (al-Qanun fi al-?ibb) of Ibn Sina. Drawing on Books I-IV of the Canon, it brings together both the systematic chapters in which exercise is treated as a central component of regimen, and the numerous dispersed references in which it appears as a governing principle in physiology, pathology, and therapy.
In Ibn Sina's medical thought, exercise is a foundational mechanism of life. It sustains the body's internal balance by promoting transformation, aiding digestion, and preventing the accumulation of harmful residues. Its proper use-defined by moderation, timing, and adaptation to individual condition-extends across all domains of medicine: from the preservation of health and the development of the body, to the treatment of disease and the regulation of daily life.
This volume traces that breadth, showing how a single principle operates across multiple levels of a unified medical system. Ibn Sina (980-1037), known in the Latin tradition as Avicenna, was one of the most influential physicians and philosophers of the medieval world. His Canon of Medicine remained a central medical text in both the Islamic world and Europe for centuries. Combining clinical observation with philosophical rigor, he articulated a comprehensive vision of the human body as a dynamic system governed by processes of balance, transformation, and motion.
By assembling and translating these passages, this volume offers both a focused study of riya?a and an entry point into Ibn Sina's broader medical philosophy-one that continues to invite reflection on the nature of health, the role of movement, and the enduring continuity of knowledge across time and civilizations.