Al-Biruni: An Iranian Mathematician and Polymath

On this day, 13^th December 1048, an Iranian mathematician, astronomer and polymath, Abu Rayhan Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Biruni was died in Ghazna (now Ghazni, Afganistan). He was a scholar and scientist from Tajikistan who was also among the most eminent figures and erudite men of his time.

He spent most of his life outside of Khiva, his birthplace. He was known by the name Biruni, which was derived from the city of Khiva, where he was born (outsider). He spoke Turkish, Sanskrit, Hebrew, and Syriac and possessed an innovative mind with an encyclopaedic scope. Additionally, he composed the majority of his works in Arabic rather than his native Dari because at the time, the Muslim world used Arabic as a language of communication. The Islamic mathematician Abu Reyhan Al-Biruni combined trigonometry and algebra to accomplish this exact numerical achievement.

Biruni had excelled in several areas of modern knowledge, including astronomy, mathematics, chronology, physics, medicine, and history. It was normal practise in those days for scholars to seek the patronage of kings by affiliating with their royal society. Biruni enjoyed similar support at the court of the Samanid Sultan Mansur II until Mahmoud of Ghazna ended the Samanid dynasty. After the fall of the Samanids, he was led to Ghazna, where he spent the remainder of his days.

According to the Turkish professor Fuat Sezgin, the 27-year-old Biruni and the 18-year-old Ibn Sina engaged in intellectually sound discussions. It is well known that the two brilliant minds spoke in-depth on "The Propagation of Light and Its Measurement."

The Ghaznavids were sponsors of scholastic abilities, and Sultan Mahmoud appointed Al-Biruni as official astronomer/astrologer to his court. During this period, Sultan Mahmoud was expanding his borders in all directions, especially to the south, to India. Biruni was able to immerse himself in the world of Hindu study thanks to Mahmoud's operations in India. He shared his understanding of Greek, Dari (Farsi), and Islamic knowledge with Indian intellectuals while in India. In exchange, he learnt Sanskrit, which opened the door to a new intellectual realm for Biruni.

Major Works of al-Biruni

The book Tarikh al-Hind (History of India) was completed by Biruni in the year 1030. According to many historians, this masterpiece is the single most crucial treatise on Indian history and culture prior to the twentieth century. The level of objectivity and detail presented in "Tarikh al-Hind" is unparalleled for the time, and it is still of considerable use to contemporary historians.

In around the same amount of time, he also finished another substantial book. It was called "Kitab al-qanun al-Masudi" (Canon of Masudi) and was written for Sultan Masud, son of Sultan Mahmoud Ghaznavi. This book is Biruni's biggest and most important work on maths, geography, and astronomy.

His other well-known works include "Athar al-baqiyah," "at-Tafhim," and "Kitab as-Saydalah," a study of medications used in medicine. Athar al-baqiyah is a chronology of ancient nations. Biruni claimed to have written over a hundred treatises of varied lengths during his lifetime. They include mathematical, geometrical, astronomical, and astrological works, as well as pioneering work on the categorization of minerals and, toward the end of his career, works on the medical sciences. His collection of Chinese and Indian minerals, medicines, potions, and other concoctions—which has not yet undergone a thorough analysis—could be extremely valuable to pharmacology.

Legacy of al-Biruni

The Chronology of Ancient Nations is an attempt to periodize world history by analysing and cross-referencing chronologies and calendrical systems. His research has laid the groundwork for future chronological studies.

Because he knew a lot about astronomy and geography, he was on the edge of ideas that are now used in science. He believed heavenly bodies moved due to the earth's rotation and calculated latitude and longitude accurately. Based on accounts of diverse flotsam found in the oceans, he determined that Africa must be surrounded by water. It differed from Ptolemaic geography, which held that Africa extended endlessly to the south. Biruni hypothesised that the Indus Valley was once a small sea filled up by river alluvium. Modern hydrostatic concepts were used by Biruni to describe how artesian wells and springs function. He accurately estimated the density of a dozen precious stones and metals.

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