Al-Fazari

Ibrahim ibn Habib al-Fazari, Abu Ishaq (died in 160 A.H/ 777 A.D) 

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Habib al-Fazari, Abdullah

(Died in 180 A.H/ 796 A.D)  

Profile:

Sezgin pointed out to conflicting sources about the names: sometimes it is “Ibrahim al-Fazari” and sometimes “Muhammad ibn Ibrahim”. In fact, they are two different personalities: the father Ibrahim (died in 160 A.H/ 777 A.D) and the son Muhammad (180 A.H/ 796 A.D). The father was an astronomer and used to translate Indian books; but the books seem to be written by his son “Muhammad”, but the sources indicate the two personalities in the same titles. This mixture moved from the predecessors like Ibn Al-Qifti to the successors like Sezgin and Tuqan.

Al-Fazari (the father and the son) was an early writer in astronomy, zij, colander, astrology, planets and astrolabe. He did astronomical mathematics and focused on the practical aspect of astronomy; therefore, he is “an advanced scholar in the age of scientific renaissance” for about a century and was the first person to set the bases of “time science” in the Islamic heritage. He did not read the books written by “Al-Magest”, but he was influenced by “As-Sindhind” and was able to master the Indian language and translated from it. It is clear that Al-Fazari did not read in Greek language, knowing that some of the astronomy books developed by the Greek, came first through the translation from Indian language to the Muslim Arab scholars.   

Perhaps his translations mark the first transformed sciences from Indian into Arabic.

He is known to have lived under the reign of Harun al-Rashid (died in 149 A.H/ 766 A.D) then Abu Ja’far Al-Mansur (died in 158 A.H/ 775 A.D). The authority’s impact on the development of science is significant, as he was provided with the adequate care and the appropriate environment.     

(The father and the son) wrote in both Arabic and Persian, beside knowledge of Sanskrit and Indian, which make him a distinguished scholar.   

Biography:

He was a scholar in mathematics and astronomy under the reign of Harun al-Rashid (died in 149 A.H/ 766 A.D). He was also a linguist and a science translator, who focused on astronomy and wrote books on it. He is descendant of companion Samura ibn Jundab may Allah be pleased with him; he translated Indian books and wrote a number of books.

His son Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Fazari took science from him, and was also a prominent in astronomy, but people confused between the two.

Al-Fazari’s most famous books are: “Tasstih Al-Qura (Flattening the Sphere)” which was a reference to many Muslim scholars who took science later.    

He was known for inventing the Astrolabe; as Ibn Al-Nadim stated in “Al-Fihrist” that Al-Fazari was “the first man who made the Astrolabe in Islam and made a flat Astrolabe”.  

Some of his main achievements in the field of time sciences are:

– The book of “Az-Zij Ala Sinni Al-Arab”: preserved in different titles to the same content: “Az-Zij Al-Qawim fi Funun Al-Ta’dil wa At-Taqwim”, which entered into force till the era of caliph Al-Ma’mun (died in 218 A.H/ 832 A.D).     

– He translated the book of “Siddhanta” from Indian to Arabic language called “The Great As-Sindhind”, which was carefully read by Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi (died after 232 A.H/ 874 A.D) and wrote what was known as “Zij Al-Khwarizmi”, which took role of “Zij Al-Fazari”, but Zij Al-Fazari was the main reference to astronomers until the era of Al-Ma’mun (died in 218 A.H/ 833 A.D).

– The book of “Al-Miqyas Liz-zawal (Measuring Sunset)”.

– The book of “Al-Amel bil Astrolabe (Using the Astrolabe)”.

– The book of “Al-Amel bil Astrolabe Al-Musattah (Using the Flat Astrolabe)”

– “Al-Urjuza fi Al-Hudud”.

– “Al-Qassida fi Ilm An-Nujum (A Poem on Astrology) written in the book of Al-Biruni” translated and commented by the orientalist D. Pingree.

– “Qassidat Az-Zij (The poem about Zij)” according to Al-Mirzabani, it is a very long poem of about ten thousand lines.

Sources:

Al-Qifti: Akhbar Al-Ulama; P50. Sezgin: History of Sciences; part 5/ P264, part 6/ P155

Yumna Khuli: Research in the History of Sciences among the Arabs, Zuhair Kutubi: Encyclopedia of Arabs; part 1/ P75; part 2/ P275.  

Written by: Dr. Mohamed Babaami  

Translated by: Toufik Achour

Date: 10/06/2023

The Article title in Arabic: الفزاري

عن د. محمد باباعمي

د. محمد باباعمي، باحث جزائري حاصل على دكتوراه في العقيدة ومقارنة الأديان، سنة 2003م، بموضوع: "أصول البرمجة الزمنية في الفكر الإسلامي مقارنة بالفكر الغربي"، وحصل على الماجستير في نفس التخصص سنة 1997 بموضوع: "مفهوم الزمن في القرآن الكريم"، وعلى دبلوم الدراسات المعمقة في العقيدة والفكر الإسلامي، سنة 1994م، بموضوع: "مراعاة الظروف الزمنية والمكانية، والأحوال النفسية، في تفسير الآية القرآنية". صاحب الدعوى العلمية لتأسيس "علم الزمن والوقت"، بإشراك ثلة من الباحثين والأساتذة. للاطلاع على السيرة الذاتية التفصيلية: https://timescience.net/2021/11/13/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%8a-%d9%85%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%af-%d8%a8%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b3%d9%89-%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a9-%d8%b0%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a9/

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