Page 195 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol I - Abraham to Coal

80 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

House of Wisdom in 830, patronized its scientific Further Reading
research. Al-Khwarizmi dedicated some of his works to Esposito, J. L. (1999). The Oxford history of Islam. New York: Oxford Uni-
versity Press.
the caliph in gratitude for the caliph’s having made avail-
Rashid, R. (1994). The development of Arabic mathematics: Between arith-
able to scholars the first and best library since that of metic and algebra. Boston: Kluwer Academic.
Alexandria. van der Waerden, B. L. (1985). A history of algebra: From al-Khwarizmi
to Emmy Noether. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Al-Khwarizmi investigated numbers far more deeply
than did anyone in the European medieval world. His
study of structures, surfaces, pyramids, cones, circles, and
triangles took mathematics and algebra to new heights.It
was al-Khwarizmi who revolutionized the use of math in al-Razi
arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. Interestingly, his orig- (c. 865–c. 925 ce)
inal and innovative use of advanced math was used to help Islamic physician and philosopher
solve the problems occasioned by the complex Islamic
laws of inheritance and divisions of estates and assets bu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya’ al-Razi, also
among brothers and sisters at the death of their parents. Aknown to Europeans by his Latinized name of
This father of algebra and algorithms conducted life- Rhazes, was one the most influential Islamic physicians
long research on the Hindu numerical system and the of the pre-modern era. Razi’s contributions have been
Hebrew calendar, and he studied ancient Egyptian sun- favorably compared to those of such early physicians and
dials and Syrian texts. He derived new concepts and con- scientists as Hippocrates (c. 460–c. 377 BCE), Galen
solidated others relating to Arabic numerals and zero as (1229–c. 199 CE), Ibn Sina (980–1037), and Vesalius
well as to the decimal system. The world’s first correct (1514–1564). Razi’s works were widely used throughout
astronomical tables and explanation of the movements of medieval and Renaissance Europe. His translations and
the sun, the moon, and the five planets closest to Earth original works provided a critical link among ancient
were the works of al-Khwarizmi. He also had a superior Greek, Persian, and Indian medical traditions and the
sense of world geography and wrote a book on the topic, later works of medieval and Renaissance physicians in
Surat al-Arz (Shape of the Earth).At the suggestion of al- Europe. In addition to his importance in the field of med-
Mamun,he oversaw a team of sixty-nine and produced the icine, Razi’s fame also stems from his work as an
first correct world map in world history.This too was done alchemist and free-thinking philosopher.
to solve a practical problem: Muslims around the world Razi was born in the Persian city of al-Rayy (modern
needed to know what direction to face (namely, toward Shahr-e-Rey), near present-day Tehran, Iran. As a young
the Kaaba in the city of Mecca,SaudiArabia) to offer their man he cultivated talents in music, philosophy, and
daily obligatory five prayers. Thanks to the efforts of al- alchemy; however, as he grew older, he turned his atten-
Khwarizmi and others, this problem was solved by find- tion to the study of medicine. During his distinguished
ing the shortest arc of the great circle anywhere on the career as a physician, he directed hospitals in both Rayy
globe between a person’s location and Mecca. and Baghdad. He also enjoyed royal patronage, traveling
The world stands in gratitude to al-Khwarizmi for the extensively in the service of the Samanid courts through-
use of Arabic numbers, decimals, and the value of zero in out Khorasan and Transoxiana (a Persian-Islamic dynasty
math, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, and for the in Central Asia, vassal of the Abbasids, from around 819
production of correct world maps. to 1005).Yet, far from leading the life of an idle courtier,
Razi was praised as a tireless and compassionate clinician
Abdul-Karim Khan
and teacher as well as a prolific writer.
See also Islamic World Razi’s most famous medical works are the Kitab al-