Birth And Death

The Arab Islamic scholar Abu Ali al Hasan ibn al-Haytham, known in the west as Alhacen or Alhazen was born in 965 in the city of Basra in Southern Iraq, hence the name Al-Basri. He studied in Basra and Baghdad, and died in Cairo, Egypt in 1040.

Intriduction

Many details of the life of Ibn al-Haytham are lost over time. Stories about his life are often controversial, depending on the historian we discuss. Many details in the biography of Ibn al-Haytham come from the writings of the thirteenth-century Islamic historian Ibn al-Qifti (1172-1248). Initially, Ibn al-Haytham was trained for public service and was appointed judge of Basra. Because of the existence of various religious organizations with differing views and concepts at the time, he became disillusioned with theology and decided to devote his time and energy to the study of science. His knowledge of mathematics and physics became a myth and was well known in Iraq, Syria and Egypt. He was invited by Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, President of Fatimid Egypt to help control the flow of the Nile during floods. Al-Hakim, a Shiite of the Ismaili sect, was known as a separate ruler who issued several laws and regulations, forbidding the use of certain foods, preventing women from leaving their homes, killing all dogs, and forcing people to work nights and rest during the day. He was very cruel and deliberately killed his ministers and ministers. When Ibn al-Haytham realized in his field service on the Nile coast that his plan to control the Nile water by building a dam south of Aswan was in disrepair, he feared for his life. To avoid the power of deadly anger and the rage of his weak and mentally unstable boss, he is acting insane. He was stripped of his possessions and books, and he was kept indoors for about ten years until the death of Al-Hakim in 1021, when he was killed in a mysterious case.

After his release from house arrest, he lived in the ruling building (Qubbah) near the Azhar Mosque in Cairo, teaching mathematics and physics, writing scientific literature, and making money by copying documents.

During his imprisonment, he wrote his influential "Kitab Al Manazer" or Book of Optic, in addition to various books and chapters dealing with physics, mathematics, engineering, astronomy, medicine, psychology, anatomy, visual and ophthalmology. He has written his presentation of scientific methods.

Books

Ibn al-Haytham was a great writer. He wrote more than 200 works on various subjects, at least 96 of his scientific works are known, and about 50 of them are still in existence. About half of his surviving careers are in mathematics, 23 of which are in astronomy, 14 of which use optics, and the rest in other fields of science. Not all of his surviving works have yet to be read, but some of his most important works are described below. These include:

• Kitab Al Manazer (Book of Optics)
• Risalah fi al-Dawa’ (Treatise on Light)
• Mizan al-Hikmah (Balance of Wisdom)
• Maqalah fi al-Qarastun (Treatise on Centers of Gravity)
• Risalah fi al-Makan (Treatise on the Place)
• Al-Shukuk al Batlamyus (Doubts concerning Ptolemy)
• On the Configuration of the World
• The model of the Motion of the Seven Planets

Scientific Method

expressions of modern scientific methods are found in early Islamic philosophy, in particular, using experiments to distinguish between conflicting scientific ideas, as well as the common belief that knowledge reveals nature honestly. Islamic philosophy was developed during the Middle Ages and was an important part of scientific discussions. The key figures in these discussions were scientists and philosophers. Ibn al-Haytham was very influential in this regard. An important commentary on his book "Kitab Al Manazer" led him to suggest that the eyes receive light from objects, rather than from the light itself, which contradicts modern beliefs, including those of Ptolemy and Euclid. Ibn al-Haytham's combination of perceptions and logical arguments had a profound effect on Roger Bacon and Johnnes Kepler in particular. Bacon (1214-1296), a Franciscan activist who worked under the tutelage of Grosseteste, was inspired by the writings of Ibn al-Haytham, who retained and built on the image of Aristotle's introduction.

Ibn al-Haytham developed strong experimental methods for controlled scientific experiments to confirm speculative assumptions and reinforce illegal themes. Ibn al-Haytham's scientific method was very similar to the modern scientific method and contained a recurring cycle of observation, hypothesis, testing, and the need for independent validation.

Gorini wrote the following about Ibn al-Haytham's introduction to the scientific method: “According to most historians, al-Haytham was a pioneer of modern science. Through his book, he changed the meaning of the word "optics", and introduced experiments as a standard of evidence in the field. His inquiry was based, not on speculation, but on experimental evidence. His tests were systematic and repetitive.

Physics and Optics

Ibn al-Haytham's view of light and vision is not the same as the direct birth of any of the other ideas known to have existed in ancient times or in Islam. The real appreciation of the action of the lens, especially the ability of the circular form to produce a magnified image of an object, seems to be given to Ibn al-Haytham. It was not until the end of the 13th century that exhibitions were established, representing the first use of public augmentation. Ibn al-Haytham conducted a thorough examination of the movement of light through various media and found the rules of opposition. He also performed the first experiments on light scattering with its colors. Ibn Al-Haytham's seven books on light, Kitab al-Manazer (Book of Optics), written during his imprisonment between 1011 and 1021, are placed next to Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica as one of the most influential books ever were written in physics, it greatly changed the understanding of light and vision.

He worked long and hard with the idea of ​​various physical objects such as shadows, eclipses, rainbows, and thought about the nature of light. He also tried to explain the vision of the eye, and he provided a clear explanation of the apparent increase in the number of solar and lunar eclipses. It is known for its first use of obscura camera and pinhole camera. As noted above, he challenged Ptolemy and Euclid's view of the supernatural; according to him the rays come from the object of view and not from the eye. With this in-depth optics study, he is considered the father of modern optics.

In addition to the Book of Optics, Ibn al-Haytham wrote the appendix "Risala fi l-Daw" (Treatise on Light). This appendix contains further research on the properties of light and radiant distribution through various transparent and flexible media. In his essay, Mizan al-Hikmah (Balance of Wisdom), Ibn al-Haytham discussed the vastness of the universe and linked it to heights. He also learned the atmosphere. His visual writings influenced many Westerners such as Roger Bacon, John Pecham, Witelo and Johannes Kepler.