An artificial intelligence image of the Muslim scientist Al-Hasan bin Al-Haytham, who made contributions to mathematics, optics, physics, astronomy, engineering, and ophthalmology (Al-Jazeera/Medgorny)
One of the three Arab scholars in the early 11th century AD, along with Ibn Sina (428 AH/1037 AD) and Al-Biruni (440 AH/1048 AD). He was born in Basra and died in Cairo. Europe knew him as “Al-Hazen,” and it exalted the value of his scientific research and praised his theories and methods. His book, “The Views,” immortalized his name over the centuries, and remained the approved reference in the West until the 17th century. Scientists gave him titles including “Prince of Light,” “Father of Modern Physics,” founder of optics, and “pioneer of the experimental scientific method.”
Birth and upbringing
Abu Ali Al-Hasan bin Al-Hasan bin Al-Haytham was born in the year 354 AH/965 AD, according to the most likely statements, in the city of Basra in southern Iraq, during the era of the Abbasid Caliphate.
His life was not stable, as he fled Basra after its emir pursued him, and went to Baghdad, where he lived for a few months in safety.
In the midst of the clash between the sectarian religious groups in that period, he traveled to the Levant and resided under the care of one of its princes, as mentioned by Dhahir al-Din al-Bayhaqi, Ibn Fandamah, (d. 565 AH) in his book “Timmat Suwan al-Hikma.”
After that, he moved to Egypt in the early 11th century during the era of the Fatimid state, and settled there until the end of his life, according to what Ibn Abi Usaibah, one of the historians of the biographies of scholars, mentioned.
It was said in his description that he was short in stature and small in body, and his face became darkly tanned from the Basra sun, and he spent his life resembling a “Sufi dervish,” as researchers believe that he lived in a meager living, abstaining from gaining knowledge.
The sources mentioned him as “Al-Basri” and “Sheikh of Basra” in reference to his birthplace, or “Al-Masry” in reference to his country of residence, and European scholars knew him as “Al-Hazen” as a translation of his Arabic name Al-Hasan, and they called him “Ptolemy II” and “the medieval physicist.”
Scientific formation
No reference is known surrounding the years of his early scientific development, but they coincided with a time described as the “golden age” of science in Arab-Islamic civilization.
He was provided with the means to acquire knowledge and become familiar with various aspects of cultural activity, even if there was no regular school at that time. He was contemporary with a group of senior scientists during a period that followed the translation movement of the foundations of Greek science, which in many cases constituted a source for science and its ancient scholars, and the starting point for the movement of intellectual creativity.
During his youth, he was very observant, eager for knowledge, and very knowledgeable. He learned from the various sciences available in his time. He was also an expert in the science of medicine, but he did not undertake work, nor was he trained in its arts.
His richest acquaintances were in the Levant, which at that time was most interested in science and scholars, and in its libraries he found access to abundant books on all types of science and knowledge.
In Fatimid Egypt, he used to sit with its scholars, read in its libraries, and attend its scientific debates in the “Dar al-Ilm,” which was established at that time by al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, in order to compete with the “House of Wisdom,” which was a center for translation research in Baghdad.
He read the writings of previous scholars, especially Greek scholars, and devoted his life to studying their sciences. He delved deeply into philosophical books, especially the works of Aristotle. He said about that, “When I realized that, I devoted my effort to seeking the sciences of philosophy, which are three sciences: mathematical, natural, and divine. From these three matters, I became attached to the principles and principles, through which I mastered their branches.”
Professional life
At the beginning of his professional life, Ibn al-Haytham worked as an accounts clerk in the Diwan al-Zammam (Accounts) in the Emirate of Basra. He was skilled and clever in his work, and he was fluent in the language of numbers and mathematical problems. He also possessed extensive knowledge in construction engineering, and worked on developing designs for the homes of the people of Basra.
In the Levant, he began to earn his living by copying translated books for librarians, because he was known for his good handwriting and the accuracy of his system.
When he was unable in Egypt to implement his engineering idea to prevent the annual flooding of the Nile, Al-Hakim Bi Amr Allah Al-Fatimi appointed him as an accounts clerk in the payroll office. But he was forced - according to what some accounts say - to appear mentally deranged, so he feigned insanity in order to find a way out of his work for himself, despite the privileges that his position carried.
He was placed under house arrest for 10 years, and he found it a good opportunity to occupy himself with academic achievement, until the ruler died, so he returned to what he was, and resided in a house near the Al-Azhar Mosque, busying himself with classification and teaching.
He practiced copying ancient manuscripts, and one of them (the Banu Musa interpretation of Apollonius’ book “The Cones”) is still in one of the Istanbul museums.
Statue of Hassan bin Al-Haytham in Tehran (Shutterstock)
Encyclopedic scientist
Ibn al-Haytham - according to what historians mentioned - found no pleasure except in devoting himself to research and writing, and in response to this passion he was prolific and excelled in more than one field of knowledge, which made him one of the first encyclopedic scholars of his time.
It is likely - according to scholars - that in the first stage of his life, he was interested in explaining, summarizing, and compiling, and devoted himself to writings of a scientific nature, influenced by a cultural environment in which the struggle between the schools of thought and theology prevailed, relative to discussion of issues of the foundations of religion, and frequent discussion of philosophy and some matters. Other sciences.
In the second stage, he wrote the bulk of his works in Egypt. During the last ten years of his life, the book Al-Manazir appeared, completing his most important and valuable scientific work in the science of light. Therefore, historians concluded that the writings of Ibn al-Haytham, the young follower, are not the same as the writings of Ibn al-Haytham, the scientist and philosopher.
Dr. Abd al-Hamid Sabra, the author of the Book of Opinions, tends to adopt an index that he called “The List of Maturity,” which contains 92 works, which Ibn Abi Usabi’ah found by Ibn al-Haytham, until the end of the year 429 AH/1038 AD, and he included them in his book “Akhbar al-Ulama bi Akhbar al-Hukama.” The titles included in this list are divided into 88 articles on ethics, 89 articles on book etiquette, and 90 books on politics, consisting of 5 articles.
The book “Biographies of the Arabs” was attributed to him and has about 100 lost works, including about 55 works, all of which are exclusively concerned with mathematics, astronomy and optics, according to Dr. Donald Hale, author of the book “Science and Engineering in Islamic Civilization.”
The book “Doubts on Ptolemy” by Al-Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham (Al-Jazeera)
While Saeed Al-Demirdash sees in the book “Al-Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham” that his classifications, within the known limits, are distributed over more than one field of knowledge, and Western libraries were more fortunate than Arab libraries, and they are as follows:
In engineering, he wrote 58 classifications, but there are no more than 21 manuscripts in the world’s libraries.
There are no less than 10 books on arithmetic, algebra, and interview, of which there are only about 3 books, including the book “On the Account of Transactions,” of which there is a photograph at the Manuscript Institute of the League of Arab States.
While he wrote approximately 24 works on nature, including books, treatises, and articles, in which he dealt with light topics and issues, only 12 of them have been preserved and are found in more than one place.
As for astronomy, he wrote more than 5 books, but only about 17 articles and 24 works remain from his legacy in this science.
He wrote two books on medicine, the place of which is unknown in manuscript catalogues. The first is an “Evaluation of the Medical Industry,” with approximately thirty parts, the names of which were mentioned by Ibn Abi Usaibah, citing an article by Ibn al-Haytham himself, and the second is an article in “The Response to Abu al-Faraj Abdullah ibn al-Tayyib.”
There are approximately 40 books on philosophy, logic, psychology, ethics, theology, and language.
Pioneer of the experimental method
Ibn al-Haytham established the scientific or methodological method of scientific research since the 11th century, which in the eyes of researchers is considered more important than the discoveries and new opinions of the “optics scientist.”
His model represented a breakthrough in his time, as he began his scientific project by doubting the theories of the ancients, such as his article in “Doubts on Euclid,” as well as criticizing existing theories such as the idea of “the Earth is the center of the universe” by Ptolemy, and then he ended with establishing science in his book, “The Analogies.”
The Book of Opinions by Al-Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham translated into Latin, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian, English and French (Al-Jazeera)
His writings were generally characterized by an approach based on criticism, comparison, and analysis, then induction and analogy, and reliance on observation, until he was known as the pioneer of the experimental method, which is one of the pillars of modern science.
He conducted his most important research in optics, and his book "The Views", consisting of 7 articles, was considered a qualitative leap in theoretical physics.
He was behind the combination of natural sciences and educational sciences, and he proved the invalidity of the prevailing idea that the eye is the source of light, and confirmed that it is the receiver of light, and this was considered one of the revolutionary discoveries of the Middle Ages.
He also discovered that light always travels in a straight line, and when it passes through a small hole, it forms an inverted image on the opposite wall. He was the first to say that the smaller the hole, the clearer the image appears.
He also developed a new theory of vision, and the information he gained was used to create the first camera in history, the “pinhole camera” or “camera obscura,” whose use he first explained in observing a solar eclipse.
In the science of light, he discovered 9 laws for what are called “reflection angles,” and used plane and three-dimensional geometry to determine the point of reflection, which occupied the minds of European scientists. It was known as the “Hazen” problem and was taught in European universities.
The German astronomer Johannes Kepler benefited from it in the science of optics, and he preceded the Polish “Vitello” in laying the foundation of this science, just as Isaac Newton preceded in stating the speed of light, which appeared 700 years after him, and he came close to the theoretical discovery of magnifying lenses that were made in Italy 3 centuries later. According to Meyerhof.
He is credited with the first attempt at a detailed astrophysical study of the effect visible in the moonlight, in the letter “The Effect Visible on the Face of the Moon,” which is a written copy located on 9 sheets (each sheet has two pages) kept by the Alexandria Municipality.
Ibn al-Haytham is credited with the first attempt at a detailed astrophysical study of the effect visible in moonlight (Getty)
He also dealt with experimental research on specific topics, including the burning ball or burning mirrors in all their forms, or the formation of shadows, and he wrote about the corona and the rainbow.
The terms and designs he invented were credited with creating modern optical aids, such as the telescope, the digital camera, magnifying lenses, and even medical glasses.
He was also the first to explain the structure of the eye, explain its parts, and give it the names commonly used today, including the retina, cornea, aqueous fluid, and vitreous fluid.
His writings
Scenery.
A summary of Euclid's geometry.
Essay on squaring the circle.
A chapter on the principles of surveying and mentioning it with evidence.
In the image of an eclipse.
In medical industry evaluation.
In member benefits.
In types of diets.
In the big pulse.
Al-Muhadhdhab in Kahala (i.e. in ophthalmology).
Chosen in food.
in politics.
In proving prophecies and clarifying the corruption of the opinion of those who believe in their invalidity.
On the difference between the Prophet and Al-Mutanabbi.
Ibn al-Haytham, one of the three Arab scholars in the early 11th century AD, is considered the founder of the theory of sight (Al-Jazeera)
Mayor of writings
“Al-Manazir” is considered one of the most important books that appeared during the 11th century AD, and it is the work that immortalized Ibn al-Haytham. He composed it between the years 1011 and 1021, during his stay in Egypt, and arranged it into 7 articles.
In the 13th century, Roger Bacon wrote a commentary on “Views” that he called “Visions,” and in the 14th century, Kamal al-Din al-Farsi wrote a revised version of the book that he called “The Book of Revising Views.”
The book (The Landscapes) has been translated into Latin, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian, English, and French, many times.
In the year 979 AH / 1572 AD, Frederick Reisner fully translated it into Latin and published it in Switzerland under the title “The Treasure of Optics.” He provided the edition with a drawing showing the various parts of the eye.
The Italian Gerardi Cermona translated it into Latin, but only one article was printed in Lisbon, and the Vatican Library still maintains a copy of this translation.
There is also a complete copy of the book in the Hagia Sophia Library in Istanbul, No. (2448), consisting of about 678 pages.
(Al-Manazir) was verified by Mustafa Nazif Bey, and he commented on it in two parts in the years 1939-1942. It was also verified by Dr. Abdul Hamid Sabra, and he published it in Kuwait in 1983 AD.
Death
Ibn al-Haytham died in Cairo, around the year 430 AH/1039 AD, according to Al-Qifti, at the age of most likely 76 years, and the whereabouts of his remains are not known.
Source: Al Jazeera + websites