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Yaqub Ibn Ishaq al-Kindi
(800-873 A.D.)
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A Commemorative Stamp
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Abu Yousuf Yaqub Ibn Ishaq al-Kindi was born at Kufa around 800 A.D. His father was an official of Haroon al-Rashid. Al-Kindi
was a contemporary of al-Mamun, al-Mu'tasim and al-Mutawakkil
and flourished largely at Baghdad. He vas formally employed by
Mutawakkil as a calligrapher. On account of his philosophical views,
Mutawakkil was annoyed with him and confiscated all his books.
These were, however, returned later on. He died in 873 A.D. during
the reign of al-M'utamid.
Al-Kindi was a philosopher, mathematician, physicist, astronomer, physician, geographer and even an expert in music. It is
surprising that he made original contributions to all of these fields.
On account of his work he became known as the philosopher of the
Arabs.
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In mathematics, he wrote four books on the number system and laid the foundation of a large part of modern arithmetic. No
doubt the Arabic system of numerals was largely developed by al-
Khawarizmi, but al-Kindi also made rich contributions to it. He
also contributed to spherical geometry to assist him in astronomical
studies.
In chemistry, he opposed the idea that base metals can be
converted to precious metals. In contrast to prevailing alchemical
views, he was emphatic that chemical reactions cannot bring about
the transformation of elements. In physics, he made rich contributions to geometrical optics and wrote a book on it. This book later
on provided guidance and inspiration to such eminent scientists
as Roger Bacon.
In medicine, his chief contribution comprises the fact that he
was the first to systematically determine the doses to be administered of all the drugs known at his time. This resolved the conflicting views prevailing among physicians on the dosage that caused
difficulties in writing recipes.
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Very little was known on the scientific aspects of music in
his time. He pointed out that the various notes that combine to
produce harmony, have a specific pitch each. Thus, notes with too
low or too high a pitch are non-pleatant. The degree of harmony
depends on the frequency of notes, etc. He also pointed out the
fact that when a sound is produced, it generates waves in the air
which strike the ear-drum. His work contains a notation on the
determination of pitch.
He was a prolific writer: the total number of books written by
him was 241, the prominent among which were divided as follows:
Astronomy 16
Arithmetic 11
Geometry 32
Medicine 22
Physics 12
Philosophy 22
Logic 9
Psychology 5
Music 7
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The first page of al-Kindi's manuscript "On Deciphering Cryptographic Messages", containing the oldest known description of cryptanalysis by frequency analysis.
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In addition, various monographs written by him concern tides,
astronomical instruments, rocks, precious stones, etc. He was also
an early translator of Greek works into Arabic, but this fact has
largely been over-shadowed by his numerous original writings.
It is unfortunate that most of his books are no longer extant, but
those existing speak very high of his standard of scholarship and
contribution. He was known as Alkindus in Latin and a large
number of his books were translated into Latin by Gherard of
Cremona. His books that were translated into Latin during the
Middle Ages comprise Risalah dar Tanjim, Ikhtiyarat al-Ayyam,
Ilahyat-e-Aristu, al-Mosiqa, Mad-o-Jazr, and Aduiyah Murakkaba.
Al-Kindi's influence on development of science and philosophy
was significant in the revival of sciences in that period. In the
Middle Ages, Cardano considered him as one of the twelve greatest
minds. His works, in fact, lead to further development of various
subjects for centuries, notably physics, mathematics, medicine and
music.
This page last updated 10/11/2009 12:39 p.m.
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