Hall of Fame
The Islamic Golden Age was a period of advancements in many fields, here are ten individuals who broke new academic ground
Jabir ibn Hayyan
c. 721 – 816
Also known as Geber, Jabir ibn Hayyan is considered the father of Islamic chemistry and was a noted alchemist. According to the Library of Congress he was known for his ability to translate complex ideas into simple language so that they could be enjoyed by the public at large and not just the scholarly elite. There is debate as to whether the large number of works attributed to him were actually written by the author or were in fact composed by a number of others.
Hunayn ibn Ishaq
808 – 873
Hunayn ibn Ishaq is perhaps best remembered for his work translating classical Greek texts into Arabic and Syriac. He is suspected to have spent some time in Alexandria, where he most likely acquired his linguistic expertise. Although born in al-Hira, Hunayn studied and later worked in Baghdad. However, Hunayn’s skills were not limited to translation and he was also a noted physician and scientist. Indeed, he only began working in translation after he quarrelled with his medical tutor and left his studies – although the pair later reconciled. Some of Hunayn’s translations mean that the text of several important Greek manuscripts survive, despite the originals having been lost to time.
IBN HAZM
994 – 1064
A noted scholar, Hazm was one of the leading forces in the Zahiri school of thought, which proposes the literal interpretation of the Quran. His opposition to the then leading allegorical interpretation of sacred texts (as well as certain political opinions) saw him reviled in his own time, with some of his books being publicly burnt. Hazm was said to have been incredibly productive, creating some 400 literary works, though only 40 remain in existence.
ABBAS IBN FIRNAS
810 – 887
As with the other great minds of his time, Abbas ibn Firnas was a man of many talents. An astronomer and poet among a variety of other occupations, Ibn Firnas was obsessed with devising a means to fly. Finally he constructed himself a set of wings, in reality probably a primitive form of glider. While he did indeed glide through the air, he crashed and sustained several injuries, which likely contributed to his death ten years later.
MUHAMMAD AL-IDRISI
1100 – 1165
Al-Idrisi was a noted traveller and geographer who spent a great deal of time exploring Africa and the Mediterranean, using his experiences to compose his maps. For a number of years he worked in Sicily for King Roger II. His most famous creation was the Nuzhat al-Mushtaq, which comprised of a map on a six
