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20. 1–2; Àl Yàsìn, 120. 12 of as-Samà' a†-ˇabì'ì. The classical example is that of a physician who builds a house. A physician qua physician essentially cures people. 2; Àl Yàsìn, 100–101). 23 At the close of his explanation, Ibn Sìnà distinguishes between chance (ittifàq) and fortune (ba¢t) by affirming that fortune is only found in actions performed by humans and that chance events are more general and embrace the totality of natural processes. Therefore chance comprises that which happens spontaneously or coincidentally—as it has already been pointed out, the term ittifàq literally means coincidence.

If a piece of firewood does not burn, that is due to an obstacle and the obstacle itself—say, water or moisture—will be the cause of the firewood’s failure to burn. This view is explicitly stated in other works by Ibn Sìnà: everything that comes to be has a cause and what does not come to be also has a cause. ”7 The determining factors are thus the efficient cause, together with a subsidiary cause if need be, and the absence of obstacles. Given the right conditions, the efficient cause will produce its proper effect; nowhere is it suggested that causes can fail or that something can come about without a cause.

In events that have a final cause, and in as much as they have a purpose. I. Things/Events That Occur Always, for the Most Part, or Rarely: Chance Defined For the sake of clarity, rather than following the order of Ibn Sìnà’s exposition, I shall begin with his own views before turning to the four conflicting views listed by him, followed by his refutations. Following Aristotle, Ibn Sìnà distinguishes between events or states of affairs that occur always (given the right circumstances), events that occur for the most part, and events that happen rarely.