Muslims in the past have contributed a lot to sciences. When i was taking a History of Science course during my undergraduate years in US there was a seperate section for all the achievements of muslim scientists. My professor Mr. Peter Barker said that muslims preserved the science gained from greeks for a long period of time and then gave it to the west…I have forgotten most of what i learnt so i want ur help in refreshing my memory…Some people say that muslims are backward…wel we were way ahead in those years…and if Islam would not have been a source of knowledge muslims wouldn’t have been able to make significant contributions to science in those times…
To start with here is a webiste that gives a lot of info…
http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa050600a.htm
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
Timeline of Islamic Scientists (700-1400)
This chart depicts the lifes of key Islamic Scientists and related writers, from the 8th to the end of the 13th century. By placing each writer in a historical context, this will help us understand the influences and borrowing of ideas.
701 (died) - Khalid Ibn Yazeed - Alchemy
721 - Jabir Ibn Haiyan (Geber) - (Great Muslim Alchemist)
740 - Al-Asmai - (Zoology, Botany, Animal Husbandry)
780 - Al-Khwarizmi (Algorizm) - (Mathematics, Astronomy)
787 - Al Balkhi, Ja’Far Ibn Muhammas (Albumasar) - Astronomy, Fortune-telling
796 (died) - Al-Fazari,Ibrahim Ibn Habeeb - Astronomy, Translation
800 - Ibn Ishaq Al-Kindi - (Alkindus) - (Philosophy, Physics, Optics)
808 - Hunain Ibn Is’haq - Medicine, Translator
815 - Al-Dinawari, Abu-Hanifa Ahmed Ibn Dawood - Mathematics, Linguistics
836 - Thabit Ibn Qurrah (Thebit) - (Astronomy, Mechanics)
838 - Ali Ibn Rabban Al-Tabari - (Medicine, Mathematics)
852 - Al Battani ABU abdillah (Albategni) - Mathematics, Astronomy, Engineering
857 - Ibn MasawaihYou’hanna - Medicine
858 - Al-Battani (Albategnius) - (Astronomy, mathematics)
860 - Al-Farghani (Al-Fraganus) - (Astronomy,Civil Engineering)
884 - Al-Razi (Rhazes) - (Medicine,Ophthalmology, Chemistry)
870 - Al-Farabi (Al-Pharabius) - (Sociology, Logic, Science, Music)
900 - (died) - Abu Hamed Al-ustrulabi - Astronomy
903 - Al-Sufi (Azophi - ( Astronomy)
908 - Thabit Ibn Qurrah - Medicine, Engineering
912 (died) - Al-Tamimi Muhammad Ibn Amyal (Attmimi) - Alchemy
923 (died) - Al-Nirizi, AlFadl Ibn Ahmed (wronge Altibrizi) - Mathematics, Astronomy
930 - Ibn Miskawayh, Ahmed Abuali - Medicine, Alchemy
932 - Ahmed Al-Tabari - Medicine
936 - Abu Al-Qasim Al-Zahravi (Albucasis) - (Surgery, Medicine)
940 - Muhammad Al-Buzjani - (Mathematics, Astronomy, Geometry)
950 - Al Majrett’ti Abu-alQasim - Astronomy, Alchemy, Mathematics
960 (died) - Ibn Wahshiyh, Abu Baker - Alchemy, Botany
965 - Ibn Al-Haitham (Alhazen) - Physics, Optics, Mathematics)
973 - Abu Raihan Al-Biruni - (Astronomy, Mathematics)
976 - Ibn Abil Ashath - Medicine
980 - Ibn Sina (Avicenna) - (Medicine, Philosophy, Mathematics)
983 - Ikhwan A-Safa (Assafa) - (Group of Muslim Scientists)
1019 - Al-Hasib Alkarji - Mathematics
1029 - Al-Zarqali (Arzachel) - Astronomy (Invented Astrolabe)
1044 - Omar Al-Khayyam - (Mathematics, Poetry)
1060 - (died) Ali Ibn Ridwan Abu’Hassan Ali - Medicine
1077 - Ibn Abi-Sadia Abul Qasim - Medicine
1090 - Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar) - Surgery, Medicine
1095 - Ibn Bajah, Mohammed Ibn Yahya
1097 - Ibn Al-Baitar Diauddin (Bitar) - Botany, Medicine, Pharmacology
1099 - Al-Idrisi (Dreses) - Geography, World Map (First Globe)
1091 - Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar) - ( Surgery, Medicine)
1095 - Ibn Bajah, Mohammad Ibn Yahya (Avenpace) - Philosophy, Medicine
1099 - Al-Idrisi (Dreses) - (Geography -World Map, First Globe)
1100 - Ibn Tufayl Al-Qaysi - Philosophy, Medicine
1120 - (died) - Al-Tuhra-ee, Al-Husain Ibn Ali - Alchemy, Poem
1128 - Ibn Rushd (Averroe’s) - Philosophy, Medicine
1135 - Ibn Maymun, Musa (Maimonides) - Medicine, Philosphy
1140 - Al-Badee Al-Ustralabi - Astronomy, Mathematics
1155 (died) - Abdel-al Rahman AlKhazin - Astronomy
1162 - Al Baghdadi, Abdellateef Muwaffaq - Medicine, Geography
1165 - Ibn A-Rumiyyah Abul’Abbas (Annabati) - Botany
1173 - Rasheed AlDeen Al-Suri - Botany
1184 - Al-Tifashi, Shihabud-Deen (Attifashi) - Metallurgy, Stones
1201 - Nasir Al-Din Al-Tusi - (Astronomy, Non-Euclidean Geometry)
1203 - Ibn Abi-Usaibi’ah, Muwaffaq Al-Din - Medicine
1204 (died) - Al-Bitruji (Alpetragius) - (Astronomy)
1213 - Ibn Al-Nafis Damishqui - (Anatomy)
1236 - Kutb Aldeen Al-Shirazi - Astronomy, Geography
1248 (died) - Ibn Al-Baitar - ( Pharmacy, Botany)
1258 - Ibn Al-Banna (Al Murrakishi), Azdi - Medicine, Mathematics
1262 (died) - Al-Hassan Al-Murarakishi - Mathematics, Astronomy, Geography
1273 - Al-Fida (Abdulfeda) - ( Astronomy, Geography)
1306 - Ibn Al-Shater Al Dimashqi - Astronomy, Mathematics
1320 (died) - Al Farisi Kamalud-deen Abul-Hassan - Astronomy, Physics
1341 (died) - Al-Jildaki, Muhammad Ibn Aidamer - Alchemy
1351 - Ibn Al-Majdi, Abu Abbas Ibn Tanbugha - Mathematics, Astronomy
1359 - Ibn Al-Magdi,Shihab-Udden Ibn Tanbugha - Mathematic, Astronomy
http://islam.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.levity.com/alchemy/islam10.htmll
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
Muslims or jews do not contribute in science, only scientists do. Their religous beliefs have nothing to do with their scientific research. And if they do, then it is anything but scientific research.
Ciritical thinking is based on challenging ur assumptions and beliefs all the time. I am not sure how can a christian or jew or muslim research theory of evolution with an open mind, if he does not doubt Adam-eve story.
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
Your professor is Spiderman? Very cool.
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
can muslim researcher say we originated from monkeys ?
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
samson.. this is new to me actually.. ur list looked really impressive but i never heard one of them.. and i am supposed to be a PhD.
Jews contribution to Nobel prize outnumber anything that muslims and Hindus put together could muster.. They are just 0.02% of the world population but has one more than 18.8% of the prizes. Out of 854 nobel prizes they won 159 of them.
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
You cannot measure accomplishments with Nobel Prizes.
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
^ why not!!!
resting on past laurrels.. may not be a good idea buddy.:)
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
lol not parker…Peter Barker my professor was a brit 
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
not resting on past glory mate…i know past is past but i want to recollect the contributions of muslims in many fields and therefore the reson for this thread…I will do some more research into it
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that’s even remotely true!
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
lol good one :k:
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
Aptly put, lostsoul
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
Al- Biruni
Abu Raihan Al-Biruni (also, Biruni, Alberuni Persian: ابوریحان بیرونی) ; Arabic: أبو الريحان البيروني; (September 15, 973 - December 13, 1048) was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, physicist, scholar, encyclopedist, philosopher, astrologer, traveller, historian, pharmacist and teacher, of Central Asian origin, who contributed greatly to the fields of mathematics, philosophy, medicine and science.
He was born in Khwarazm, presently in Uzbekistan, but then within the borders of Persian Empire. He studied mathematics and astronomy under Abu Nasr Mansur.
He was a colleague of the philosopher and physician Ibn Sina, the historian, philosopher and ethicist Ibn Miskawayh, in a university and science center established by prince Abu Al Abbas Ma’mun Khawarazmshah. He also travelled to India with Mahmud of Ghazni and accompanied him on his campaigns there, learning the language, and studying their religion and philosophy, and wrote Ta’rikh al-Hind (“Chronicles of India”). He also knew the Greek Language, and possibly Syriac and Berber. He wrote his books in Persian (his native tongue) and Arabic.
Some of his notable achievements included:
At age 17, he calculated the latitude of Kath, Khwarazm, using the maximum altitude of the sun.
By age 22, he had written several short works, including a study of map projections, “Cartography”, which included a methodology for projecting a hemisphere on a plane, .
By age 27, he had written a book called “Chronology” which referred to other work he had completed (now lost) that included one book about the astrolabe, one about the decimal system, four about astrology, and two about history.
He calculated the radius of the Earth to be 6,339.6 km (this result was replicated in the West in the 16th century).
Al-Biruni’s works number more than 120.
His contributions to mathematics include:
theoretical and practical arithmetic
summation of series
combinatorial analysis
the rule of three
irrational numbers
ratio theory
algebraic definitions
method of solving algebraic equations
geometry
Archimedes’ theorems
trisection of the angle
His non mathematical works include:
Critical study of what India says, whether accepted by reason or refused (Arabic تحقيق ما للهند من مقولة معقولة في العقل أم مرذولة) - a compendium of India’s religion and philosophy
The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries (Arabic الآثار الباقية عن القرون الخالية) - a comparative study of calendars of different cultures and civilizations, interlaced with mathematical, astronomical, and historical information.
The Mas’udi Canon (Arabic القانون المسعودي) - a book about Astronomy, Geography and Engineering, named after Mas’ud, son of Mahmud of Ghazni, to whom he dedicated
Understanding Astrology (Arabic التفهيم لصناعة التنجيم) - a question and answer style book about mathematics and astronomy, in Arabic and Persian
Pharmacy - about drugs and medicines
Gems (Arabic الجماهر في معرفة الجواهر) about geology, minerals, and gems, dedicated to Mawdud son of Mas’ud
Astrolabe
A historical summary book
History of Mahmud of Ghazni and his father
History of Khawarazm
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
Abu Ali al-Husain ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (Avicenna)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Born: 980 in Kharmaithen (near Bukhara), Central Asia (now Uzbekistan)
Died: June 1037 in Hamadan, Persia (now Iran)
Ibn Sina is often known by his Latin name of Avicenna, although most references to him today have reverted to using the correct version of ibn Sina. We know many details of his life for he wrote an autobiography which has been supplemented with material from a biography written by one of his students. The autobiography is not simply an account of his life, but rather it is written to illustrate his ideas of reaching the ultimate truth, so it must be carefully interpreted. A useful critical edition of this autobiography appears in [7] while a new translation appears in [9].
The course of ibn Sina’s life was dominated by the period of great political instability through which he lived. The Samanid dynasty, the first native dynasty to arise in Iran after the Muslim Arab conquest, controlled Transoxania and Khorasan from about 900. Bukhara was their capital and it, together with Samarkand, were the cultural centres of the empire. However, from the middle of the 10th century, the power of the Samanid’s began to weaken. By the time ibn Sina was born, Nuh ibn Mansur was the Sultan in Bukhara but he was struggling to retain control of the empire.
Ibn Sina’s father was the governor of a village in one of Nuh ibn Mansur’s estates. He was educated by his father, whose home was a meeting place for men of learning in the area. Certainly ibn Sina was a remarkable child, with a memory and an ability to learn which amazed the scholars who met in his father’s home. By the age of ten he had memorised the Qur’an and most of the Arabic poetry which he had read. When ibn Sina reached the age of thirteen he began to study medicine and he had mastered that subject by the age of sixteen when he began to treat patients. He also studied logic and metaphysics, receiving instruction from some of the best teachers of his day, but in all areas he continued his studies on his own. In his autobiography (see [7] or [9]) ibn Sina stresses that he was more or less self-taught but that at crucial times in his life he received help.
It was his skill in medicine that was to prove of great value to ibn Sina for it was through his reputation in that area that the Samanid ruler Nuh ibn Mansur came to hear of him. After ibn Sina had cured the Samanid ruler of an illness, as a reward, he was allowed to use the Royal Library of the Samanids which proved important for ibn Sina’s development in the whole range of scholarship.
If the fortunes of the Samanid rulers had taken a turn for the better, ibn Sina’s life would have been very different. Nuh ibn Mansur, in an attempt to keep in power, had put Sebüktigin, a former Turkish slave, as the ruler of Ghazna and appointed his son Mahmud as governor of Khorasan. However the Turkish Qarakhanids, already in control of most of Transoxania, joined with Mahmud and moved to depose the Samanids. After gaining Khorasan they took Bukhara in 999. There followed a period of five years in which the Samanids tried to regain control but their period of power was over. As recounted in [2]:-
Destiny had plunged [ibn Sina] into one of the tumultuous periods of Iranian history, when new Turkish elements were replacing Iranian domination in Central Asia and local Iranian dynasties were trying to gain political independence from the 'Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad (in modern Iraq).
The defeat of the Samanids and another traumatic event, the death of his father, changed ibn Sina’s life completely. Without the support of a patron or his father, he began a life of wandering round different towns of Khorasan, acting as a physician and administrator by day while every evening he gathered students round him for philosophical and scientific discussion. He served as a jurist in Gurganj, was in Khwarazm, then was a teacher in Gurgan and next an administrator in Rayy. Perhaps most remarkable is the fact that he continued to produce top quality scholarship despite his chaotic life style. For [2]:-
… the power of concentration and the intellectual prowess of [ibn Sina] was such that he was able to continue his intellectual work with remarkable consistency and continuity and was not at all influenced by the outward disturbances.
After this period of wandering, ibn Sina went to Hamadan in west-central Iran. Here he settled for a while becoming court physician. The ruling Buyid prince, Shams ad-Dawlah, twice appointed him vizier. Politics was not easy at that time and ibn Sina was forced into hiding for a while by his political opponents and he also spent some time as a political prisoner in prison [26]
… but he escaped to Isafan, disguised as a Sufi, and joined Ala al-Dwla.
Ibn Sina’s two most important works are The Book of Healing and The Canon of Medicine. The first is a scientific encyclopaedia covering logic, natural sciences, psychology, geometry, astronomy, arithmetic and music. The second is the most famous single book in the history of medicine. These works were begun while he was in Hamadan.
After being imprisoned, ibn Sina decided to leave Hamadan in 1022 on the death of the Buyid prince who he was serving, and he travelled to Isfahan. Here he entered the court of the local prince and spent the last years of his life in comparative peace. At Isfahan he completed his major works begun at Hamadan and also wrote many other works on philosophy, medicine and the Arabic language.
During military campaigns ibn Sina was expected to accompany his patron and many of his works were composed on such campaigns. It was on one such military campaign that he took ill and, despite attempting to apply his medical skills to himself, died [1]:-
… of a mysterious illness, apparently a colic that was badly treated; he may, however, have been poisoned by one of his servants.
Ibn Sina’s wrote about 450 works, of which around 240 have survived. Of the surviving works, 150 are on philosophy while 40 are devoted to medicine, the two fields in which he contributed most. He also wrote on psychology, geology, mathematics, astronomy, and logic. His most important work as far as mathematics is concerned, however, is his immense encyclopaedic work, the Kitab al-Shifa’ (The Book of Healing). One of the four parts of this work is devoted to mathematics and ibn Sina includes astronomy and music as branches of mathematics within the encyclopaedia. In fact he divided mathematics into four branches, geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music, and he then subdivided each of these topics. Geometry he subdivided into geodesy, statics, kinematics, hydrostatics, and optics; astronomy he subdivided into astronomical and geographical tables, and the calendar; arithmetic he subdivided into algebra, and Indian addition and subtraction; music he subdivided into musical instruments.
The geometric section of the encyclopaedia is, not surprisingly, based on Euclid’s Elements. Ibn Sina gives proofs but the presentation lacks the rigour adopted by Euclid. In fact ibn Sina does not present geometry as a deductive system from axioms in this work. We should note, however, that this was the way that ibn Sina chose to present the topic in the encyclopaedia. In other writings on geometry he, like many Muslim scientists, attempted to give a proof of Euclid’s fifth postulate. The topics dealt with in the geometry section of the encyclopaedia are: lines, angles, and planes; parallels; triangles; constructions with ruler and compass; areas of parallelograms and triangles; geometric algebra; properties of circles; proportions without mentioning irrational numbers; proportions relating to areas of polygons; areas of circles; regular polygons; and volumes of polyhedra and the sphere. Full details are given in [17].
Ibn Sina made astronomical observations and we know that some were made at Isfahan and some at Hamadan. He made several correct deductions from his observations. For example he observed Venus as a spot against the surface of the Sun and correctly deduced that Venus must be closer to the Earth than the Sun. This observation, and other related work by ibn Sina, is discussed in [53]. Ibn Sina invented an instrument for observing the coordinates of a star. The instrument had two legs pivoted at one end; the lower leg rotated about a horizontal protractor, thus showing the azimuth, while the upper leg marked with a scale and having observing sights, was raised in the plane vertical to the lower leg to give the star’s altitude. Another of ibn Sina’s contributions to astronomy was his attempt to calculate the difference in longitude between Baghdad and Gurgan by observing a meridian transit of the moon at Gurgan. He also correctly stated, with what justification it is hard to see, that the velocity of light is finite.
As ibn Sina considered music as one of the branches of mathematics it is fitting to give a brief indication of his work on this topic which was mainly on tonic intervals, rhythmic patterns, and musical instruments. Some experts claim that ibn Sina’s promotion of the consonance of the major third led to the use of just intonation rather than the intonation associated with Pythagoras. More information is contained in T S Vyzgo’s paper “On Ibn Sina’s contribution to musicology” in [5].
Mechanics was a topic which ibn Sina classified under mathematics. In his work Mi’yar al-'aqul ibn Sina defines simple machines and combinations of them which involve rollers, levers, windlasses, pulleys, and many others. Although the material was well-known and certainly not original, nevertheless ibn Sina’s classification of mechanisms, which goes beyond that of Heron, is highly original.
Since ibn Sina’s major contributions are in philosophy, we should at least mention his work in this area, although we shall certainly not devote the space to it that this work deserves. He discussed reason and reality, claiming that God is pure intellect and that knowledge consists of the mind grasping the intelligible. To grasp the intelligible both reason and logic are required. But, claims ibn Sina [26]:-
… it is important to gain knowledge. Grasp of the intelligibles determines the fate of the rational soul in the hereafter, and therefore is crucial to human activity.
Ibn Sina gives a theory of knowledge, describing the abstraction in perceiving an object rather than the concrete form of the object itself. In metaphysics ibn Sina examined existence. He considers the scientific and mathematical theory of the world and ultimate causation by God. His aims are described in [1] as follows:-
Ibn Sina sought to integrate all aspects of science and religion in a grand metaphysical vision. With this vision he attempted to explain the formation of the universe as well as to elucidate the problems of evil, prayer, providence, prophecies, miracles, and marvels. also within its scope fall problems relating to the organisation of the state in accord with religious law and the question of the ultimate destiny of man.
Ibn Sina is known to have corresponded with al-Biruni. In [10], eighteen letters which ibn Sina sent to al-Biruni in answer to questions that he had posed are given. These letters cover topics such as philosophy, astronomy and physics. There is other correspondence from ibn Sina which has been preserved which has been surveyed in the article [31]. The topics of these letters include arguments against theologians and those professing magical powers, and refutation of the opinions those who having a superficial interest in a branch of knowledge. Ibn Sina writes on certain topics in philosophy, and writes letters to students who must have asked him to explain difficulties they have encountered in some classic text. The authors of [31] see ibn Sina as promoting natural science and arguing against religious men who attempt to obscure the truth.
Article by: J J O’Connor and E F Robertson
November 1999
MacTutor History of Mathematics
[http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Mathematicians/Avicenna.html]
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Avicenna.html
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
Geber—Jabir Ibn Hayyan
Jabir Ibn Hayyan , full name Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan Al-Azdi (أبو موسى جابر بن حيان الأزدي), born c. 721 in Tus (Iran), died c. 815 in Kufa (Iraq). Referred as to in Western contexts by the Latinized form of his given name (Jabir), Geber, also known as “The Father of Chemistry”, because he was the first to scientifically systemize chemistry.
Jabir was born in the year 721 A.D as the son of a druggist of the famous Arab-Yemeni tribe of Azd. He later became the pupil of the celebrated Islamic teacher Imam Jaffar. He spent most of his life in Kufa, Iraq. In spite of Jabir’s leanings toward mysticism and superstition, he more clearly recognized and proclaimed the importance of experimentation.
“The first essential in chemistry,” he declared, “is that you should perform practical work and conduct experiments, for he who performs not practical work nor makes experiments will never attain the least degree of mastery.” He made noteworthy advances in both the theory and practice of chemistry.
His books strongly influenced European alchemists and justified their search for the philosopher’s stone. He is credited with the invention of many types of now-basic chemical laboratory equipment, and with the discovery and description of many now-commonplace chemical substances and processes — such as the hydrochloric and nitric acids, distillation, and crystallization — that have become the foundation of today’s chemistry and chemical engineering. He was a prominent student of Jafar Sadiq.
Jabir Ibn Hayyan and Geber were also pen names of an anonymous 14th century European alchemist, author of the treatise Summa Perfectione and several other books: see Pseudo-Geber.
Contributions to chemistry
Jabir wrote more than one hundred treatises on various subjects, of which 22 are about alchemy. Firmly grounded on experimental observation, his books systematized the knowledge about the fundamental chemical processes of the alchemists — such as crystallization, distillation, calcination, sublimation and evaporation — thus making a great step in the evolution of chemistry from an occultist art to a scientific discipline. In particular, Jabir emphasized that definite quantities of various substances are involved in a chemical reaction, thus anticipating by almost a thousand years the principles of quantitative chemistry and the law of constant proportions.
Jabir is also credited with the invention and development of several chemical instruments that are still used today, such as the alembic, which made distillation easy, safe, and efficient. By distilling various salts together with sulfuric acid, Jabir discovered hydrochloric acid (from salt) and nitric acid (from saltpeter). By combining the two, he invented aqua regia, one of the few substances that can dissolve gold. Besides its obvious applications to gold extraction and purification, this discovery would fuel the dreams and despair of alchemists for the next thousand years. He is also credited with the discovery of citric acid (the sour principle of lemons and other unripe fruits), acetic acid (from vinegar), and tartaric acid (from wine-making residues).
Jabir applied his chemical knowledge to the improvement of many manufacturing processes, such as the making of steel and other metals, rust prevention, gold lettering, cloth dyeing and waterproofing, leather tanning, and the chemical analysis of pigments and other substances. He developed the use of manganese dioxide in glassmaking, to counteract the green tinge produced by iron — a process that is still used to this day. He noted that boiling wine released a flammable vapor, thus paving the way to Al-Razi’s discovery of ethanol.
The seeds of the modern classification of elements into metals and non-metals could be seen in his chemical nomenclature. He proposed three categories: “spirits” which vaporize on heating, like camphor, arsenic and ammonium chloride; “metals”, like gold, silver, lead, copper, iron; and “stones” that can be converted into powders.
In the Middle Ages, Jabir’s treatises on chemistry were translated into Latin and became standard texts for European alchemists. These include the Kitab al-Kimya (titled “Book of the Composition of Alchemy” in Europe), translated by Robert of Chester (1144); and the Kitab al-Sab’een by Gerard of Cremona (before 1187). Berthelot translated some his books known by the titles “Book of Kingdom”, “Book of the Balances,” “Book of Eastern Mercury,” and it is obvious that he did not use correct titles for Jabir’s books. Several technical terms introduced by Jabir, such as alkali, have found their way into various European languages and have become part of scientific vocabulary.
Jabir also made important contributions to medicine, astronomy, and other sciences. Unfortunately, only a few of his books have been edited and published, and fewer still are available in translation.
Contributions to alchemy
Jabir states in his Book of Stones (4:12) that “The purpose is to baffle and lead into error everyone except those whom God loves and provides for!” His works were deliberately written in highly esoteric code, so that only those who had been initiated into his alchemical school could understand them. It is therefore difficult at best for the modern reader to discern which aspects of Jabir’s work are to be read as symbols (and what those symbols mean), and what is to be taken literally. Because his works rarely made sense, the term gibberish originally referred to his writings. (Hauck, p. 19)
Jabir’s alchemical investigations revolved around the ultimate goal of takwin — the artificial creation of life. Jabir’s alchemical investigations were theoretically grounded in an elaborate numerology related to Pythagorean and Neoplatonic systems. The nature and properties of elements was defined through numeric values assigned the Arabic consonants present in their name, ultimately culminating in the number 17.
To Aristotelian physics, Jabir added the four properties of hotness, coldness, dryness, and moistness. (Burkhardt, p. 29) Each Aristotelian element was characterized by these qualities: Fire was both hot and dry, earth cold and dry, water cold and moist, and air hot and moist. In metals two of these qualities were interior and two were exterior. For example, lead was cold and dry and gold was hot and moist. Thus, Jabir theorized, by rearranging the qualities of one metal, a different metal would result. (Burckhardt, p. 29) This theory appears to have originated the search for al-iksir, the elusive elixir that would make this transformation possible — which in European alchemy became known as the philosopher’s stone
[edit]
External links
Ancients & Alchemists: http://www.chemheritage.org/explore/ancients-hayyan.html
Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9043128
Geber…, His Life and Works By Harold P. Gaw: http://www.hexagongirl.com/y/17-Geber.html
Ibn Jabir Hayyan (http://213.176.24.20/chemist/Jabir.htm) at the Iranian J. of Chem. & Chem. Eng. website.
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
Al-Khwarizmi----sometimes known as algorizm
Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Musa al-Khwarizmi (خوارزمی in Persian, أبو عبد الله محمد بن موسى الخوارزمي in Arabic), also spelled Muhammad ibn-Musa al-Khwarizmi, Muhammad ibn-Musa al-Khowarizmi, Mohammad Bin Musa Al-Khawarizmi, and Abu Ja’Far Muhammad ibn-Musa Al-Khowarizmi, was a Persian scientist, mathematician, astronomer/astrologer, and author. He was probably born in 780, or around 800; and probably died in 845, or around 840.
He is often cited as “the father of algebra”, which was named after him, along with the algorism number system.
Introduction
Khwarizmi was born in the town of Khwarizm (now Khiva), in Khorasan province of Persia (now in Uzbekistan). The name al-Khwarizmi means the person from Khwarizm. His family moved soon afterward, to a place near Baghdad, where he accomplished most of his work in the period between 813 and 833. There are various guesses at his native languages, including Persian or more probably Khwarezmian (an extinct Iranian language). Like all scientists in the House of Wisdom, Al-Khwarizmi wrote his works in Arabic. The historian Al-Tabari however applies the epithet Al-Majusi (“the magus”) when describing him, which gives credit to claims that he was a Zoroastrian.
Mathematical historian Gandz gives this opinion of al-Khwarizmi’s algebra:
“Al-Khwarizmi’s algebra is regarded as the foundation and cornerstone of the sciences. In a sense, al-Khwarizmi is more entitled to be called “the father of algebra” than Diophantus because al-Khwarizmi is the first to teach algebra in an elementary form and for its own sake, Diophantus is primarily concerned with the theory of numbers.” (1)
and Mohammad Kahn, says:
“In the foremost rank of mathematicians of all time stands Al-Khwarizmi. He composed the oldest works on arithmetic and algebra. They were the principal source of mathematical knowledge for centuries to come in the East and the West. The work on arithmetic first introduced the Hindu numbers to Europe, as the very name algorism signifies; and the work on algebra … gave the name to this important branch of mathematics in the European world…”(2)
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Contributions
He made major contributions to the fields of algebra, trigonometry, astronomy/astrology, geography and cartography. His systematic and logical approach to solving linear and quadratic equations gave shape to the discipline of algebra, a word that is derived from the name of his 830 book on the subject, al-Kitab al-mukhtasar fi hisab al-jabr wa’l-muqabala (حساب الجبر و المقابلة) or: “The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing”. The book was first translated into Latin in the 12th century, from which the title and term Algebra derives.
His book On the Calculation with Hindu Numerals written about 825, was principally responsible for the diffusion of the Indian system of numeration in the Middle-East and then Europe. The book was translated into Latin in the 12th century as Algoritmi de numero Indorum. From the name of the author, rendered in Latin as algoritmi, originated the term algorithm.
Much of his contributions were based on the original research of the Hindus in Astronomy and Greek, and other sources. He appropriated the place-marker symbol of zero, which originated in India.
Al-Khwarizmi systematized and corrected Ptolemy’s data in geography as regards to Africa and the Middle east. Another major book was his Kitab surat al-ard (“The Image of the Earth”; translated as Geography), which presented the coordinates of localities in the known world based, ultimately, on those in the Geography of Ptolemy but with improved values for the length of the Mediterranean Sea and the location of cities in Asia and Africa.
He also assisted in the construction of a world map for the caliph al-Ma’mun and participated in a project to determine the circumference of the Earth, supervising the work of 70 geographers to create the map of the then “known world”.(3)
When his work became known in Europe through Latin translations, it made a significant contribution to the advancement of mathematics in Europe. He also wrote on mechanical devices like the clock, astrolabe, and sundial. His other contributions include tables of trigonometric functions, refinements in the geometric representation of conic sections, and aspects of the calculus of two errors.
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Famous works
Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabilah from whose title came the name “Algebra”
Kitab al-Jam’a wal-Tafreeq bil Hisab al-Hindi (on Arithmetic, which survived in a Latin translation but was lost in the original Arabic)
Kitab Surat-al-Ard (on geography)
Istikhraj Tarikh al-Yahud (about the Jewish calendar)
Kitab al-Tarikh
Kitab al-Rukhmat (about sun-dials)
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See also
Islamic science
List of Iranian scientists and technologists
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Sources for writing this article
(1): S Gandz, The sources of al-Khwarizmi’s algebra, Osiris, i (1936), 263-77.
(2): A A al’Daffa, The Muslim contribution to mathematics (London, 1978).
(3): From his biography in Encyclopædia Britannica.
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Other sources to use
Books:
Biography in Dictionary of Scientific Biography (New York 1970-1990).
J N Crossley, The emergence of number (Singapore, 1980).
A F Faizullaev, The scientific heritage of Muhammad al-Khwarizmi (Russian) (Tashkent, 1983).
S Gandz (ed.), The geometry of al-Khwarizmi (Berlin, 1932).
E Grant (ed.), A source book in medieval science (Cambridge, 1974).
O Neugebauer, The exact sciences in Antiquity (New York, 1969).
R Rashed, The development of Arabic mathematics : between arithmetic and algebra (London, 1994).
R Rashed, Entre arithmétique et algèbre: Recherches sur l’histoire des mathématiques arabes (Paris, 1984).
F Rosen (trs.), Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi : Algebra (London, 1831).
Articles:
K F Abdulla-Zade, al-Khwarizmi and the Baghdad astronomers (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 178-183.
M Abdullaev, al-Khwarizmi and scientific thought in Daghestan (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 228-232.
A Abdurakhmanov, al-Khwarizmi : great mathematician (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 149-151.
M A Akhadova, The mathematics of India and al-Khwarizmi (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 238-240.
S al-Khalidi, al-Khwarizmi : scholar of astronomical and mathematical geography (Arabic), in Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Conference on the History of Arabic Science (Arabic) (Aleppo, 1986), 55-63.
A Allard, La diffusion en occident des premières oeuvres latines issues de l’arithmétique perdue d’al-Khwarizmi, J. Hist. Arabic Sci. 9 (1-2) (1991), 101-105.
P G Bulgakov, al-Biruni and al-Khwarizmi (Russian), in Mathematics and astronomy in the works of scientists of the medieval East (Tashkent, 1977), 117-122, 140.
J N Crossley and A S Henry, Thus spake al-Khwarizmi : a translation of the text of Cambridge University Library ms. Ii.vi.5, Historia Math. 17 (2) (1990), 103-131.
Y Dold-Samplonius, Developments in the solution to the equation cxÛ + bx = a from al-Khwarizmi to Fibonacci, in From deferent to equant (New York, 1987), 71-87.
R Z Du, al-Khwarizmi and his algebraic treatise (Chinese), Math. Practice Theory (1) (1987), 79-85.
K Fogel, How al-Khwarizmi became known in Germany (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 85-91.
J P Hogendijk, al-Khwarizmi’s table of the “sine of the hours” and the underlying sine table, Historia Sci. 42 (1991), 1-12.
B B Hughes, Robert of Chester’s Latin translation of al-Khwarizmi’s ‘al-Jabr’, Boethius : Texts and Essays on the History of the Exact Sciences XIV (Stuttgart, 1989).
D K Ibadov, The work of al-Khwarizmi in the estimation of Eastern encyclopedic scholars of the 10th - 16th centuries (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 265-268.
W Kaunzner, Über eine frühe lateinische Bearbeitung der Algebra al-Khwarizmis in MS Lyell 52 der Bodleian Library Oxford, Arch. Hist. Exact Sci. 32 (1) (1985), 1-16.
E S Kennedy, Al-Khwarizmi on the Jewish calendar, Scripta Math. 27 (1964), 55-59.
A S Kennedy and W Ukashah, al-Khwarizmi’s planetary latitude tables, Centaurus 14 (1969), 86-96.
M M Khairullaev, al-Khwarizmi and his era (Russian), Voprosy Istor. Estestvoznan. i Tekhn. (3) (1983), 121-127.
P Kunitzsch, al-Khwarizmi as a source for the ‘Sententie astrolabii’, in From deferent to equant (New York, 1987), 227-236.
G P Matvievskaya, The algebraic treatise of al-Khwarizmi (Russian), in On the history of medieval Eastern mathematics and astronomy (Tashkent, 1983), 3-22.
G P Matvievskaya, History of the study of the scientific work of al-Khwarizmi (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 72-82.
C A Nallino, Al’Khuwarizimi e il suo rifacimento della Geografia di Tolomeo, Raccolta di scritti editie inediti V (Rome, 1944), 458-532.
K H Parshall, The art of algebra from al-Khwarizmi to Viète : a study in the natural selection of ideas, Hist. of Sci. 26 (72, 2) (1988), 129-164.
M A Pathan, Al-Khwarizmi, Math. Ed. 6 (2) (1989), 92-94.
D Pingree, al-Khwarizmi in Samaria, Arch. Internat. Hist. Sci. 33 (110) (1983), 15-21.
B A Rosenfeld, ‘Geometric trigonometry’ in treatises of al-Khwarizmi, al-Mahani and ibn al-Haytham, in Vestigia mathematica (Amsterdam, 1993), 305-308.
B A Rozenfeld, al-Khwarizmi’s spherical trigonometry (Russian), Istor.-Mat. Issled. 32-33 (1990), 325-339.
B A Rozenfeld, Number theory, geometry and astronomy in al-Khwarizmi’s ‘Book of Indian arithmetic’ (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 66-72.
B A Rozenfeld and N D Sergeeva, The astronomical treatises of al-Khwarizmi (Russian), Istor.-Astronom. Issled. 13 (1977), 201-218.
M M Rozhanskaya, The historical-astronomical value of al-Khwarizmi’s “zij” (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 158-165.
A S Sadykov, al-Khwarizmi : his era, life and work (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 8-13.
M Sani, The life and work of al-Khwarizmi, Menemui Mat. 4 (1) (1982), 1-9.
K S Siddikov, Muhammad al-Khwarizmi : creator of algebra (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 152-154.
S Kh Sirazhdinov and G P Matvievskaya, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi and his contribution to the history of science (Russian), Voprosy Istor. Estestvoznan. i Tekhn. (1) (1983), 108-119.
Z K Sokolovskaya, The “pretelescopic” period of the history of astronomical instruments. al-Khwarizmi in the development of precision instruments in the Near and Middle East (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 165-178.
B van Dalen, Al’Khwarizmi’s astronomical tables revisited : analysis of the equation of time, in From Baghdad to Barcelona (Barcelona, 1996), 195-252.
K Vogel, Wie wurden al-Khwarizmi s mathematische Schriften in Deutschland bekannt?, Sudhoffs Arch. 68 (2) (1984), 230-234.
A I Volodarskii, al-Khwarizmi and Indian mathematics (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 232-238.
E Yu Yusupov and M M Kharullaev, The creative legacy of al-Khwarizmi and his place in the history of science (Russian), Voprosy Filos. (8) (1983), 140-146, 174.
Kh Zemanek, Manuscripts of al-Khwarizmi’s works (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 115-121.
V K Zharov, Instrumental counting in al-Khwarizmi’s arithmetical treatise (Russian), in The great medieval scientist al-Khwarizmi (Tashkent, 1985), 154-157.
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External links
al’Khwarizmi & algebra (News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com)
Mohammad Bin Musa Al-Khawarizmi (http://members.tripod.com/~wzzz/KHAWARIZ.html)
Biography from “School of Mathematics and Statistics University of St Andrews, Scotland.” (http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Al-Khwarizmi.html)
Retrieved from “Al-Khwarizmi - Wikipedia”
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
so what have muslim scientist done recently??
school would be easier if they never discovered all that.
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
^ They discovered school even in afganistan/pakistan, but children rot like parrots there.
Re: Contributions of Muslims in science
homer, you have really made some interested comments in your opening post re a seperate chapter on Muslim scientists in a US college.
president of India is a well known Muslim scientist, but somehow your side never like to inlude him the list of forward Muslims.
OK, tell me what is the contribution of Islam in some Muslims becoming scientists? Can you say that if they were not Muslims they had no chance to become scientists?