What did Avicenna (Ibn Sina) write about music? The music section of the Kitab al-Shifa, music as a mathematical science and popular claims versus the sources.
A secondary school student is searching online for a history assignment and keeps coming across the same sentence: "Avicenna used music to treat illnesses and compared the pulse to a musical rhythm." The sentence is appealing, but things get complicated when the student needs to cite a source, because no page number or passage can be found showing where this information comes from. The relationship between Avicenna and music is one of the most exaggerated topics in popular accounts. Yet what Avicenna (Ibn Sina) actually wrote about music, although it may seem less enchanting, rests on much firmer ground. In this article we look at how Avicenna defined music in his work the Kitab al-Shifa (The Book of Healing), why music was counted among the mathematical sciences, how the relationship between medicine and music was thought of at the time, and how you can evaluate the claims circulating today.
Avicenna's Views on Music: A Brief Framework
Avicenna is one of the most famous names among the philosopher-physicians of the Islamic world. When his name comes up today, most of us think of medicine first. But Avicenna's interests were not limited to medicine. Music, the subject of this article, was also among the fields he thought and wrote about; and he did so not through the eyes of a physician, but through the eyes of a scholar.
Avicenna devoted one section of the Kitab al-Shifa to music. In this section he defines music as a riyazi, that is, mathematical, science that studies sounds and the time intervals between them. This definition may seem a little surprising to us today. We usually associate music with emotion, art and entertainment. In Avicenna's approach, however, the scientific side of music concerns the ratios between sounds and the ordering of rhythm in time.
There is another notable point: although the book's title contains the word "shifa" (healing), its music section is not a treatment manual. The section does not explain which melody should be played to which patient; it studies the science of sounds and intervals. In popular accounts, this word in the title can easily create the impression that the music section is a guide to treatment.
Why Is Music Considered Mathematics in the Kitab al-Shifa?
Defining something as a "mathematical science" means trying to understand it through measurable relationships. In music, these relationships are:
- The ratios between sounds: When two sounds are heard together or one after the other, they sound consonant or dissonant to the ear. The idea that particular ratios lie behind this harmony is a long-established notion in music theory.
- Time intervals: Rhythm is the arrangement of sounds in time at particular intervals. The structure of a usul, or rhythmic pattern, can be expressed in numbers.
- Order and structure: Which sounds a melody is made of, how these sounds are ordered and how they repeat can be studied systematically.
This view places music in the same family as the mathematical sciences. In other words, for Avicenna, music was not only an art to be performed but also an order that could be grasped by reason.
To understand this approach, let us think of an everyday example. When the davul and zurna (drum and shawm) are playing at a wedding, most of us feel the rhythm in our bodies, and our feet keep time of their own accord. But when we try to write the same rhythm down on paper in numbers and calculate the durations between beats, we move onto an entirely different plane. Avicenna's music section is concerned mostly with this second plane.
This view also has an interesting side that reaches into the present. Today, music-based supportive work often makes use of measurable elements such as rhythm, tempo and repetition: a group clapping at the same tempo, breathing in and out to a slow tempo, or repeating a melody at set intervals. Of course, Avicenna did not describe these practices, and it would be wrong to draw a direct line between the two eras. But it can be said that seeing music as an order is still a useful perspective when trying to understand why people feel it so powerfully.
Music in the Classification of Sciences: From al-Kindi to Avicenna
In medieval Islamic thought, classifying the sciences, known as the "classification of sciences" (ilimler tasnifi), was an important tradition. In this tradition, music was counted among the mathematical sciences. This classification began with al-Kindi and continued with al-Farabi, the Brethren of Purity (Ikhwan al-Safa) and Avicenna.
The approaches to music of thinkers in this line carry different emphases:
- Al-Kindi wrote ten treatises on music, four of which have survived. He associated the four strings of the oud with the celestial bodies, the signs of the zodiac, the seasons and the four elements, and explained their effects on the human body within the framework of the ancient doctrine of "ethos".
- Academic studies of al-Kindi's treatises also report that he recommended using colour and scent to enhance the effect of music.
- Al-Farabi's Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir (The Great Book of Music), probably written around 930, is a systematic work on makams, instruments and acoustics. Al-Farabi took as his principle that performance comes before theory. He is counted among the thinkers who argued that music affects the human soul.
- Avicenna continued this tradition by defining music as a mathematical science that studies sounds and time intervals.
This sequence shows that Avicenna's understanding of music did not appear out of nowhere, but was part of an ongoing conversation with the thinkers who came before him. If you are curious about al-Farabi's views, you can also read our article on al-Farabi and music.
Medicine, Temperament and Music: How Was the Avicenna Music Link Formed?
Because Avicenna was both a physician and a thinker who wrote on music theory, popular accounts easily merge these two fields: "He was a physician and he knew music; so he must have treated people with music." This inference may seem logical, but it is not a conclusion that the sources directly support.
The medicine of the era was based on the theory of the four humours inherited from Hippocrates and Galen: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. Health was explained by the balance of these four elements. In later treatises based on this theory, the idea that makams influenced temperaments and moods was developed. However, the extent to which, and how, this idea featured in Avicenna's own medical works is not as clear as popular sources suggest.
Two separate things need to be distinguished here:
- The study of music as a science. This is a fact supported by sources, through the music section of Avicenna's Kitab al-Shifa.
- The recommendation of music as a means of treatment. The detailed claims attributed to Avicenna on this subject could not be verified against a primary source in the research on which this article is based.
Moreover, the theory of the four humours has been abandoned by modern medicine. It would therefore be wrong to read the temperament–music relationship of that era as a treatment recommendation for today. For a broader picture of the place of music in the Turkish-Islamic medical tradition, you can read our article on music in Turkish-Islamic medicine.
Popular Claims and the Problem of Sources
Many claims about music attributed to Avicenna circulate online. Chief among them is the claim that in his medical work al-Qanun (The Canon of Medicine) he compared the pulse to a musical rhythm and recommended music as a means of treatment. This claim appears widely in popular sources; however, its primary passage could not be found in this research. So saying "Avicenna is reported to have written this, but the source is disputed" is a more honest statement than "Avicenna wrote this".
Similarly, in makam lists Avicenna's name is mentioned alongside al-Farabi, Abu Bakr al-Razi and later Ottoman physicians. These lists state which makam is good for which illness; but the lists contradict one another and none of them has been scientifically tested. In an assessment made in 2011, a music therapy specialist criticised the way information attributed to al-Farabi and Avicenna was being used "with a tabloid logic, without conforming to scientific methodology".
The most respectful way to honour a great thinker is not to put words in his mouth that he never said.
To understand how such claims arise, you can recall the childhood game of "Chinese whispers". The first person whispers a short sentence; as it travels along the line it changes a little, and it reaches the last person in an entirely different form. Historical information can make a similar journey: a cautious interpretation in an academic article turns first into a newspaper story, then into a blog post, and finally into a one-sentence social media post. At each stage the caveats are erased a little more, and what remains is a sentence that looks certain but whose source is unclear.
This does not diminish Avicenna's value. On the contrary, highlighting what he actually wrote allows us to look at the history of ideas from a more accurate vantage point. The fact that he treated music as a mathematical order is an intriguing intellectual legacy in its own right.
Music and Mood in the Light of Today's Knowledge
So what do we know today about the effect of music on mood? Methods have changed fundamentally since Avicenna's time. Today, whether an approach works is evaluated through controlled studies and the systematic reviews that bring these studies together.
For example, the Cochrane review on depression (Aalbers et al., 2017) examined nine studies and 421 participants. According to this review, music therapy, when added to usual care, may reduce depressive symptoms in the short term; however, the evidence is of low to moderate certainty. Cochrane defines music therapy as a therapeutic framework plus musical interaction between therapist and participant. In other words, simply listening to recorded music does not fall within this definition.
These findings tell us two things. First, music within an appropriate framework may support some people. Second, this support does not replace medical treatment or psychotherapy; it is thought of as an approach that accompanies them. If you are curious about how music-based work is carried out, our article on music therapy offers a general overview.
Reading "Avicenna Said" Posts on Social Media
When you come across posts about Avicenna and music, it may help to ask the following questions:
- Which work and which section is being quoted? If no title or section is given, treat the information with caution.
- Does the sentence contain a firm promise of a cure? Statements such as "this makam cures that illness" are not supported by current scientific knowledge.
- Is the post selling a product? Pages selling "healing frequencies", "makam prescriptions" or special sound recordings may use historical names to support their sales.
- Is the knowledge of that era presented as today's knowledge? An explanation based on the theory of the four humours is not how modern medicine explains things.
A small suggestion for students: when describing Avicenna's relationship with music in assignments, base your account on the music section of the Kitab al-Shifa and on the tradition of the classification of sciences. Write popular claims as "according to reports", noting the debate about the source as well. This approach gives an account that is both more accurate and more likely to be appreciated by teachers.
Note this distinction too: a thinker having "studied" a subject and having "recommended treatment" in that subject are different things. It is certain that Avicenna studied music; but this does not mean he developed a method of treatment through music in today's sense. Choosing these two verbs carefully in your assignment makes your writing more careful and more trustworthy.
This topic is also a good opportunity for parents and teachers. Teaching a child to ask "Who said this, and where is it written?" is a skill that will serve them both in history lessons and when reading health-related news.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Some people researching this topic set out not so much from historical curiosity as from a personal search. If you turn to music to lift your mood, settle your sleep or ease your anxiety, it is entirely natural that it does you good. However, it is wise to speak to a mental health professional in the following situations:
- If sadness, listlessness or anxiety has lasted for weeks and is affecting your work, studies or relationships,
- If you can no longer enjoy the things you used to enjoy, including the music you love,
- If you are putting off seeking expert advice in search of a "natural method",
- If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life. In that situation, do not wait; in an emergency, call 112 (emergency services).
You can find general information about the psychotherapy process with adults on the individual therapy page. Where necessary, an assessment by a psychiatrist may also be part of this process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Kitab al-Shifa a medical book?
Although its title contains the word "shifa" (healing), the music section of the Kitab al-Shifa is not a treatment manual. In this section, music is treated as a mathematical science that studies sounds and the time intervals between them.
Did Avicenna treat patients with music?
Claims to this effect are widespread, but a primary passage containing detailed treatment instructions could not be verified in the research on which this article is based. What can be said with confidence is that Avicenna studied music as a science.
How can I cite Avicenna's views on music in my assignment?
Relying on the music section of the Kitab al-Shifa and on academic studies written on this subject is the most solid approach. It is better not to use quotations from social media posts as sources unless the title of the work and the section are given.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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