Al-Khwarizmi

Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, born in c. 780, was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer and a scholar in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. The House of Wisdom was a scientific research and teaching center.

Al-Khwarizmi developed the concept of the algorithm in mathematics, which is a reason for his being called the grandfather of computer science by some people. Al-Khwarizmi’s algebra is regarded as the foundation and cornerstone of the sciences. To al-Khwarizmi, we owe the world “algebra,” from the title of his greatest mathematical work, Hisab al-Jabr wa’al-Muqabala.

His most recognized work is the mathematical concept Algorithm. The modern meaning of the word relates to a specific practice for solving a particular problem. Today, people use algorithms to do addition and long division, principles that are found in Al-Khwarizmi’s text written about 1200 years ago. Al-Khwarizmi was also responsible for introducing the Arabic numbers to the West, setting in motion a process that led to the use of the nine Arabic numerals, together with the zero sign.

He systematized and corrected Ptolemy’s research in geography, using his own original findings that are entitled as Surat al-Ard (The Shape of the Earth). The text exists in a manuscript; the maps have unfortunately not been preserved, although modern scholars have been able to reconstruct them from al-Khwarizmi’s descriptions. He supervised the work of 70 geographers to create a map of the “known world”. When his work became known in Europe through Latin translations, his influence made a permanent mark on the development of science in the West.

While his major contributions were the result of original research, he also did much to synthesize the existing knowledge in these fields from Greek, Indian, and other sources. A number of minor works were written by al-Khwarizmi on topics such as the astrolabe, on which he wrote on the Jewish calendar. He also wrote a political history containing horoscopes of prominent persons.

Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi died in c. 850 being remembered as one of the most seminal scientific minds of early Islamic culture.