Top 10 Polymaths of the Islamic Golden Age

Top 10 Polymaths of the Islamic Golden Age in Chronological Order

Jabir ibn Hayyan

The Alchemist

721–815 Abbasid Caliphate

• First to use practical chemistry in history
• Advanced the experimental method & measures of solutions
• First distillation method (Alembic)
• First chemicals systematic classification
• Discovered sulphuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acids
• & alkali & a luminous type of ink & fire retardant paper & rust-proof steel paint

al-Khwarizmi

Founder of Algebra

781–847 Abbasid Caliphate

• Introduced the Hindi-Arabic numerals decimal system to the western world
• Developed Algorithms: sequential math steps to solve complex equations
• Add Words to Latin: الجبر Algebra والصفر(Sifr) Zero
• Wrote “Earth Picture Book” 2402 coordinates across the Earth
• Mapped the Earth’s Axis with the help of 70 geographers
• Invented the “Spontaneous Quadrant” tool for astronomical calculations
• Invented a sundial to determine prayer times in mosques

al-Kindi

The Arab Philosopher

801–873 Abbasid Caliphate

• The first peripatetic Muslim philosopher
• Translated Greek philosophical works to Arabic
• Reconciled Greek philosophy and Islamic teachings
• Excelled in mathematics and employed it in medicine and drug ratios
• Used melodies and music to treat mental illness
• Pioneer in cryptography invented 34 methods of encryption
• Made 100 recipes for essential oils

al-Razi

Humanity’s Physician

865–923 Abbasid Caliphate

• One of the most important physicians in the history of medicine
• “Al-Hawi fi al-Tibb” The main reference in Europe for 400 years
• “For One Who Has No Physician” a home guide for common ailments
• Adopted recording history of illness statistics
• First to classify measles and smallpox as two different diseases
• First to treat kidney stones in medicine
• First to invent surgical sutures
• A world leader in paediatrics, obstetrics and ophthalmology

al-Farabi

Philosopher of Islam

847–950 Abbasid Caliphate

• The first founder of Islamic philosophy
• Transferred Plato’s & Aristotle’s doctrines to the Islamic world
• “The Second Teacher” who explained Aristotle’s logic to Muslims
• “Opinions of the People of the Virtuous City” Reconciling Greek philosophy and Islamic politics
• “Big Music Book” Maqamat (melodic modes), instruments, and melodies
• Introduced the concept of music therapy and its healing effects on the soul

Ibn Sina

Father of Modern Medicine

980 -1037 Abbasid Caliphate

• One of the best minds In Islamic history
• One of the most important physicians, philosophers, astronomers and writers
• Treated patients at age 16
• Treated Sultan Hamdan at age 18
• Wrote 240 books in various sciences notably medicine and philosophy
• “The Canon of Medicine” Encyclopedia of 760 prescriptions studied up to 1650
• First to use psychology treatments in the world of medicine
• Applied quarantine to contain infection spread by ‘invisible’ particles (germs)
• “The Book of Healing” A scientific and philosophical encyclopaedia

Ibn al-Haytham

Founder of Optics

965 -1040 Abbasid/Fatimid Era

• First to discover that light reflects from the body to the eye
• Excelled in astronomy, mathematics, physics, and ophthalmology
• Wrote 95 books, the most famous is “The Book of Optics”
• Explained the nature of light and vision, inventing the “Dark House” (Dark room with a hole in one wall, thus reflecting an inverted image on the opposite wall)
• Established the principles of the scientific method and experimental physics
• Detailed the full anatomy of the eye and functions of its parts
• First to prove that vision occur in the brain and not the eye
• Influenced Galileo, Kepler, and Descartes

al-Biruni

The Teacher “Ptolemy of Arabia”

973–1050 Abbasid Caliphate

• Traveler, philosopher, astronomer, geographer, geologist, mathematician, pharmacist, and historian
• Wrote 160 books, 95 in astronomy and mathematics
• “The Mas’udi Canon” Principles of astronomy and movement of the sun
• First to discover movement of Earth about its axis and rotation of Moon around Earth
• Observed that the moon is dark and lights up only by reflection of sun rays
• Advocated adoption of gold as a basis for economic systems
• Lived in India for 40 years, where he wrote his famous book ‘Verifying India’
• “Pharmacology in Medicine” description of medicines and treatments, their names and structures

Omar Khayyam

Rubaiyat Poet

1048–1131 Seljuk Empire

• Polymath, astronomer, mathematician, historian, philosopher, and poet
• Excelled in mathematics, distinguished in writing Algebra books.
• First to invent analytic geometry, and solve 3rd degree algebraic equations
• First to use x “something” as a symbol for the unknown in mathematics
• Managed the Astronomical Center of Isfahan 30 years Founded “Jalali Calendar” followed to this day
• Famously known for “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”, Persian poetry in four parts

Ibn Khaldūn

The Sociologist

1332–1406 Mamluk Sultanate

• Founder of modern sociology, historian and economics scholar
• “Kitāb al-ʻIbar” First encyclopaedia of humanitarian science, a huge volume that contains 7 books, the first is the famous “Muqadima” / “The Introduction”
• “The Introduction” / “Muqadima” is a socio-economic-geographical universal history of empires
• Compared civilisations to human lifespans (childhood, growth, death)
• Explained the laws that govern history, and evolution of human nature
• First to apply modern scientific ideas to historical sociology

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