Physicians, scientists, and mathematicians of the Islamic world

Known as the (3z(Bprince of physicians,(3y (BAvicenna made enormous contributions to the fields of medicine, natural history, metaphysics, and religion. His use of Aristotelian logic and his work on the concept of (3z(Bbeing(3y (Bopened the door for a rationalist study of religion, influencing the later Christian philosophers Aquinas, Descartes, and Kant. Avicenna’s monumental Canon of Medicine is regarded as possibly the greatest medical work ever. Available in a Latin translation in Europe one hundred years after his death, it continued to be used there for the next six centuries.

The man we call Averroes was one of the great thinkers of the Muslim world during the Middle Ages. An accomplished physician and judge, Averroes is most renowned for writing comprehensive commentaries on Aristotle, ranging from short paraphrases of the great Greek philosopher’s words to lengthy, line-by-line analyses approachable by only the most learned scholars. In time, Averroes’s commentaries introduced Europe, which had been plunged into the Dark Ages, to the breadth of Greek philosophy. As one of the greatest interpreters of Aristotle, Averroes and his work forged a crucial link between ancient and modern thought.

One of the elite scholars in Baghdad's prestigious House of Wisdom, al-Khwarizmi is best remembered for his famous work Al-Jabr wa al-Muqabala, the text that defined the branch of mathematics known as algebra. He was also an accomplished astronomer and geographer. This fascinating biography describes in vivid detail the Islamic world's Golden Age, a period during the Middle Ages when learning and scientific advancement were revered and honored. Readers will learn what is known of al-Khwarizmi's life, as well as the pertinent history of both the Arab world and the fields of science in which al-Khwarzimi excelled.

Tenth-century mathematician al-Karaji is best known for his writings on algebra and for freeing algebra from geometry. The scholar spent most of his life in Baghdad, where he established a school for algebra and served as a vizier for the Abbasid government. Al-Karaji also was an accomplished engineer who wrote extensively on water extraction. Many of his hydrological ideas are still used in the Middle East today. While some modern scholars question his originality, others maintain he was an important transition between ancient mathematics and modern algebra.

Albucasis was born near C?rdoba in al-Andalus, the center of a flourishing culture of science and philosophy. There, the two disciplines often complimented one another as traditional Islamic theology and law were embraced alongside the secular sciences. Among the many Islamic physicians and scientists who advanced medical science in their lifetimes, Albucasis would codify the art of surgery in an encyclopedic work, al-Tasrif, that it is still read today. His story is intimately connected to the history of Islam and how Muslims preserved the knowledge of the old Roman world, information that Europe would not rediscover for another four hundred years.

Al-Biruni was an Islamic scholar who served on the courts of more than six caliphs. Like many of the great thinkers of the Islamic world’s Golden Age, his quest for truth motivated him to seek knowledge through research and innovation. He did this in the name of Allah. Al-Biruni set himself apart from his peers through his sheer range of expertise and drive for perfection. His considerable progress in astronomy, mathematics, geography, comparative religion, physical sciences, and history earned the respect of his colleagues, influenced countless academic followers, and remains as an inspiration to all who study his work today.

Al-Kindi is believed by many scholars to be the first Islamic philosopher. At a time when Europe was plunged into the Dark Ages, the Islamic world was experiencing an important time of cultural growth and scientific advancement. While many considered Muslim students of ancient Greek philosophers to be infidels, al-Kindi was able to master the scholarship while interpreting it through his Muslim faith. His conclusions always supported the teachings of Islam, but the methods that he drew upon to reach these conclusions were rooted in science, math, and principles accepted by many other cultures and faiths.