The changing face of numerals: Brahmi numerals from India (top); Arabic-Indic numerals, developed and popularised by al-Khwarizmi; and the numerals we use today (bottom) Credit: Science and Islam, Icon Books Ltd
SYDNEY: When asked about history’s most influential scientists, many people talk of Einstein, Darwin, Galileo or Newton.
But few will mention how these European scientists were indebted to their predecessors: Arabic scholars who progressed science and technology while Europe was in a cultural decline during the Dark Ages (5th – 15th century).
The passing of the science baton is often overlooked due to the conflict of the Crusades and “it’s possible, too, that many scholars in the Renaissance later played down or even disguised their connection to the Middle East for both political and religious reasons,” says Ehsan Masood, who wrote the book Science and Islam.
10. Hassan Ibn Al-Haitham, Mathematician
Basra, Iraq (965 – 1040)
Al-Haitham is considered one of the founders of modern optics. Ptolemy and Aristotle theorised that light either shone from the eye to illuminate objects or that light emanated from objects themselves. But al-Haitham suggested that light travels to the eye in rays from different points on an object.
However, al-Haitham’s stellar career ended abruptly after he foolishly promised the ruler of Cairo that he could stop the Nile from flooding by building a dam at Aswan. He couldn’t, feigning insanity to avoid persecution. Ironically, his plans to build a dam were carried out hundreds of years later, on the same site he initially proposed, when human engineering abilities had caught up with his vision.
9. OMAR KHAYYAAM, MATHEMATICIAN
Neyshapur, Iran (1048 – 1131)
Khayyam calculated the length of a solar year to 10 decimal places and was only out by a fraction of a second when compared to our modern day calculations. He used this to compose a calendar considered more accurate than the Gregorian calendar that came along 500 years later.
His passion for science and interpersonal skills could classify him as one of the world’s first great science communicators – he is said to have convinced a Sufi theologist that the world turns on an axis.
8. AL-BATTANI, MATHEMATICIAN
Harran, Turkey (858 – 929)
Although first conceptualised in Ancient Greece, al-Battani further developed trigonometry as an independent branch of mathematics, developing relationships such as tanø=sinø/cosø. His driving force was to obtain the ability to locate Mecca from any given geographical point – aiding in Muslim rituals such as burial and prayer, which require participants to face the holy city.
7. AL-RAZI, MEDICAL RESEARCHER
Rey, near Tehran, Iran (865 – 920)
Al-Razi indentified the fever as part of the body’s defence, and was the first to describe the symptoms and pathology of smallpox and measles.
He also challenged the accepted medical theory on ‘bleeding’ – a widely practiced healing technique. Demonstrating a well-planned experimental methodology, patients with meningitis were divided randomly into a treatment group where ‘bleeding’ was applied and a control group where it was not. Despite his efforts, the ‘bled’ group displayed a greater recovery.
6. AL-ZAHRAWI, SURGEON
El-Zahra, near Cordoba, Spain (936 – 1013)
Al-Zahrawi is considered one of the fathers of modern surgery. It was his idea to use animal intestines for internal suturing, a material that produces no immune response and dissolves naturally, removing the need for further surgery, and this is still used in some counties today.
He is also known for the invention of many surgical instruments, including forceps to assist in vaginal births.
5. NASIR AL-DIN AL-TUSI,
ASTRONOMER AND MATHEMATICIAN
Baghdad, Iraq (1201 – 1274)
Al-Din al-Tusi authoured the Treasury of Astronomy, a frighteningly accurate table of planetary movements that reformed the existing planetary model of Roman astronomer Ptolemy by describing a uniform circular motion of all planets in their orbits. This work led to the later discovery, by one of his students, that planets actually have an elliptical orbit.
Copernicus later drew heavily on the work of al-Din al-Tusi and his students, but without acknowledgment, says Masood. The gradual chipping away of the Ptolemaic system paved the way for the revolutionary idea that the Earth actually orbited the Sun.
4. IBN-SINA, MEDICAL RESEARCHER
Bukhara, Uzbekistan (980 – 1037)
Ibn-Sina made important contributions to the disciplines of physics, optics, philosophy and medicine. He wrote The Canon of Medicine, a text used to teach student doctors in Europe until the 1600s. He identified that the nerve cells are responsible for transmitting pain signals and his detailed observations of disease vectors, including soil, air, touch and sex, influenced the future direction of the medical profession.
3. IBN AL-NAFIS, SURGEON
Damascus, Syria (1213 – 1288)
Often called the ‘father of circulatory physiology’, ibn al-Nafis identified pulmonary transit – that is, that blood enters the heart at the right atrium, exits via the right ventricle, arrives at the lungs where it is re-oxygenated, then passes back through the heart’s left atrium and is redirected back to the body.
Prior to this, it was thought that blood simply seeped through holes between the heart’s chambers and did not pass through the lungs.
2 JABIR IBN-HAYYAN, ALCHEMIST
Tous, Iran (721 – 815)
Jabir was an alchemist (from ‘al-kimya’) who, in his quest to make gold from other metals, discovered strong acids such as sulphuric, hydrochloric and nitric acids. He was the first person to identify the only substance that can dissolve gold – aqua regis (royal water) – a volatile mix of hydrochloric and nitric acid.
To control the monster he had created, Jabir produced Alkalis (‘al-Qaly’) that neutralised their acidic counterparts. It is disputed whether Jabir was the first to use or describe distillation, but he was definitely the first to perform it in the lab using an alembic (from ‘al-inbiq’) the old-fashioned and iconic flasks.
1. AL-KHWARIZMI, MATHEMATICIAN
Persia (780 – 850)
Can you imagine trying to multiply or divide two numbers on paper if they were written in Roman numerals? It’s thanks to al-Khwarizmi you don’t have to. He produced a comprehensive guide to the numbering system, developed from the Brahmi system in India, using only 10 digits (0-9, the so-called ‘Arabic numerals’ – see numerals, right).
Al-Khwarizmi also used the word algebra (‘al-jabr’) to describe the mathematical operations he introduced, such as balancing equations, which helped in several day-to-day problems. “The intriguing thing is that algebra developed out of a need to solve a religious problem – Islam’s complicated system of divvying up inheritance,” says Masood.
PEER REVIEW
After the Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, scholars of Islam wanted a way to verify his sayings. They developed a system of peer review before publication. A century later, at the start of the Golden Age, the first scientists adopted a similar method. It’s still used today in all sciences.
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So what have the famous Arabic scholars invented recently?
European enlightment
I am sorry! I really can’t swallow this! Out of ten most famous scientists, none were from the Arabian Peninsula. So where are the Arabs from all that? Why have we not heard of one single so called “Arab scientists” before Islam???
A very simple answer to that; they invaded those countries under the name of Islam, converted them by force, and then claimed as Arab scientists.
Can you give me any names from the Arabian Peninsula prior to Islam??? Of course not!
1.they did not force any one to convert
2. they invented and founded most modern sciences like Algebra(that is named after the mathematician that discovered it) and optics and chemistry and they also discovered the techniques still used in Alchemy today and also Astronomy
3. not all of these scientist were Muslim some them were Christian too
4.they knew a lot more that the west did at the time and many travelers and explorers took Arabic scientific books that later on were translated
5. Just because some people don’t acknowledge them does not mean they are any less great than known scientists.
Farouk el baz Nasa Engineer Apollo missions on the moon, Michael Dabaky, pioneered heart surgery saving lives . He’s Arab sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am certain that YOU have not heard of all of the Black African scientists in Africa, and the advances civilizations in science, mathematics, medicine, and astronomy. Because, with you, if it ain’t white it ain’t right.
should be countries for al-Zahrawi
friggon noob
This is great stuff, but it makes a major error in dates. The Dark Ages ended ca. 1000AD and was followed by the Middle Ages, including the High Middle Ages (13th c.). The Middle Ages wasn’t some total backwater: it saw the development of our legal and educational system as we know them today. Representative democracy had its beginnings and early development (Magna Carta, formation of Parliament in the 1260s, etc.). The New Learning was absorbed through Spain, bringing a wealth of knowledge that had been lost in the West, and more besides–from, in line with this article, Muslim scholars and scientists.
You are imbecile.
Read about the prehistoric marvelous engineering wonders in Arabia and in Petra in particular to see whether there were scientists in Arabia in the pre-Islamic time or not!
I strongly agree that Arabs were in a very bad shape in the pre-Islamic time (1st 6 centuries); we call it “the ignorance time.” The true Renaissance of Arabs (and their non-Arab neighbors) began after the arrival of Islam. Only after that period many scientists appeared in the main cities of the Islamic caliphate to which people used to migrate from Arabia and all other parts of the caliphate states. Al-Kindi was one of those whose family migrated from the middle of Arabia to Iraq. Ibn Khaldun is another example whose family came from the south of Arabia to Andalusia.
Look at the lists of scientists from Damascus, Bagdad, Cairo, Khwarizm, Andalusia, etc and see how many of them, if any, were before Islam! (Use the Arabic names as a guide.) Science was very primitive before Islam!
Read about the prehistoric marvelous engineering wonders in Arabia and in Petra in particular to see whether there were scientists in Arabia in the pre-Islamic time or not!
I strongly agree that Arabs were in a very bad shape in the pre-Islamic time (1st 6 centuries); we call it “the ignorance time.” The true Renaissance of Arabs (and their non-Arab neighbors) began after the arrival of Islam. Only after that period many scientists appeared in the main cities of the Islamic caliphate to which people used to migrate from Arabia and all other parts of the caliphate states. Al-Kindi was one of those whose family migrated from the middle of Arabia to Iraq. Ibn Khaldun is another example whose family came from the south of Arabia to Andalusia.
Look at the lists of scientists from Damascus, Bagdad, Cairo, Khwarizm, Andalusia, etc and see how many of them, if any, were before Islam! (Use the Arabic names as a guide.) Science was very primitive before Islam!
Ahmed Zwail is a vivid example of thousands of others.
Arabs are well know for their geniousity.
Search and find out what I said
Western scientists are famous and known by everybody because the west is leading the world but the world had and have many scientists you don’t here about because the western media doesn’t even mention them!
I can give you one name and he is Egyptian Arab Dr. Ali Moustafa Mosharafa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Moustafa_Mosharafa
This genius man is totally forgotten for some reason maybe for political and colonial reasons..
Anyway his books which I have searched all over the net for couldn’t find anything!
Omar Khayam was NOT an Arab .. He was a Persian ..
oh yeh
Before Islam it was dark ages for Arabs. Islam drove them to discover the hidden logics . However they truly invaded the new lands on the names of Islam & collected enough resources to work on the modern sciences. Make sure, most of Muslim scientists were actually Arabs settled on invaded lands by their elders..
Before Islam it was dark ages for Arabs. Islam drove them to discover the hidden logics . However they truly invaded the new lands on the names of Islam & collected the enough resources to work on the modern sciences. Make sure, all top Muslim scientists were actually Arabs settled on invaded lands by their elders..
most of them are persian not arabs ,if you look well there are many Iranian nowdays that are briliant in atomic energy and space and missiles and aircrafts and persians are no 1 in drain brain in the world,you can look at in iranian-american wikipedia ,you can see that persian always are no one ,and you can compare them with arabs,and see who is great ,infact before islam ,iran was great ,and now is greater than before,then please dont try to call the persian scientist as arabs,world knows that Arabs have fake self esteem and fake confident of themselves.
9. OMAR KHAYYAAM, MATHEMATICIAN
7. AL-RAZI, MEDICAL RESEARCHER
5. NASIR AL-DIN AL-TUSI,
4. IBN-SINA, MEDICAL RESEARCHER
2 JABIR IBN-HAYYAN, ALCHEMIST
1. AL-KHWARIZMI, MATHEMATICIAN
are Persian!
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