Study on the life, work and scientific achievements aswell as method and motivation in the cultural context of

Islamic science

Intellectual World of al Tusi

Thesis prepared for International Seminar on Quranic Studies conducted byArabic Dept., University of Kerala, Trivandrum on 29th, 30th April and 1st May

2010

Muhammed Sulhaf KEditorial Assistant

State Institute of Encyclopaedic PublicationsTrivandrum-695 014 

By

Khaja Nasir al Din al Tusi (1201-1274) was a Persian scholar andnowadays he is highly revered and honored in the world of science byconsidering his contribution to modern science. His intellectual knowledgehad been touched almost all area of science such as astronomy, math-ematics, chemistry, medicine and even in the theory of evolution. IbnKhaldun describes him as “the greatest scholar of 13th century. During histime the Islamic Science reached its zenith. And, he was the key person toreplace Ptolemiac geocentric model of planetary theory by introducing‘new’ geometrical techniques, which inspired Copernicus to formulate hisheliocentric theory that led to modern scientific revolution. al Tusi’s intel-lectual field includes philosophy and ethics also.

It is significant to study about his life, work and scientific achieve-ments as these are relevant in modern science. It is also important to knowhis method and motivation for knowledge by concerning the contribution tophilosophy and ethics. This paper attempts to trace out al Tusi’s work andcontribution to science in the cultural context of Quran by put forwardingthe Islamic concept of knowledge.

Abstract

Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth; In the alterna-tion of the night and the days; In the sailing of ships through the ocean for theprofit of mankind; In the rain which God sends down from skies, and the lifewhich He gives there with. To an earth that is dead; In the beasts of all kindsthat He scatters through the earth; In the change of the winds, And the cloudswhich they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth; (Here) indeed,are signs for a people that are wise.

Holy Ouran 2: 164

The Science developed in Islamic world prior to modern science is commonlyknown as Islamic science. For the most westerners, and indeed for many Arabs, htspectacular achievements of science from eight to 16 Th century come as a starlingdiscover, as if an unknown continent had suddenly appeared on the horizon. As mostof the texts of Islamic science is written in Arabic language, Islamic science is alsocalled Arabic Science. The era, in which Islamic / Arabic science practiced, is Islamicgolden age too. During this period, artists, engineers, scholars, poets, philosophers,scientists and traders in the Islamic world contributed in various field like agriculture,arts, literature and science etc. both by preserving earlier tradition and by inventionsand innovations of their own. Thus, intellectual disciplines like mathematics, astronomy,medicine, optics, cartography, evolutionary theory, physics and chemistry, medievalArab and Muslim scientists, scholars, doctors and map makers were centuries aheadof Europe. Centers for scientific research and experiments emerged across Muslimlands- in Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, Samarkhand, Bukhara, Isfahan and Istanbul.

Nothing in Europe could hold a candle to what wasgoing on in the Islamic world until about 1600 CE

Dr. Jamil Rasgep(University of Oklahama)

Introduction

Eminent historian Howard R Turner observes this era as “Muslim artists, scientistsand labors together made a unique culture which directly and indirectly influencedsocieties on every continents”. There were many eminent scholars and philosopherslived under this culture. Ibrahim al Faziri, al Kharizmi, al Farghani, al Sufi, Avicenna,ibn Shatir, al Hassen and Ulug Beg etc. were some of them. Nasir al Din al Tusi (1201-1274) was also among them. As a scientist and all around genius, he is known for manythings: founding an observatory in Maragha, interpreting and developing the mathemat-ics of Euclid, predicting the existence of land west of the Atlantic ocean as well aswriting more than 80 influential books in Arabic and Persian about astronomy, geom-etry, physics, law, history, medicine, philosophy, logic and ethics. The biographicalsketches of al Tusi will give raise some hints of the development of Islamic scienceduring the Golden age of Islam.

It has been commonly says that the Islamic scientific inquiry was directed by onlyevery day practices of Islam. For example, development of astronomy was influencedby the fact that the times of Muslim prayers were defined astronomically and its direc-tion was defined geographically. This is a matter of fact, partially; beyond that theintellectual source of such a scientific inquiry comes from the basic text of Islam- Quranand Sunnah.

The Muslim inspiration for the study of nature comes straight from the Quran. TheQuran specifically and repeatedly asks Muslims to systematically investigate naturalphenomena, not simply as vehicle for understanding nature but also as a means forgetting close to God. In Holy Quran 10: 5, 6 read:

It is He, who made the sun a (source of) radiant light and the moon a light(relected) and has determined for its phases so that you might know how to computeyears and measure (time). ….. Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, Andin all that God hath created, in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those whofear Him”.

The Quran also devotes about one third of its verses to describing the virtue ofreasons. Scientific inquiry, based on reason, is thus seen in as a form of worship.Reason and revelations are complimentary and integrated methods for pursuit of truth.

As al Tusi was the strict follower of this concept, it is important to examine hisworks and achievements in this cultural context. This paper attempts to explore throughthe intellectual world of al Tusi and examine how he was inspired with quran and othertexts in his research methodology and acquisition of knowledge.

It is very relevant to study the concept of knowledge in Islam as al Tusi adoptedthis system of inquiry in scientific research during his career. And, it is important tonote that one of the first and famous work of him is Asas al iqtibas (The ground for theacquisition of knowledge), which was written during his ismaiili period.

The term used for knowledge is ilm, which has a much wider connotation than itssynonymous in English and other western languages. ‘Knowledge’ falls short of ex-pressing all the aspects of ilm. Knowledge in the western world means informationabout some thing divine or corporeal, while ilm is an all embracing term covering theory,action and education.

None of them equals ilm in depth of meaning aide incidence of use. There is nobranch of Muslim intellectual life, of Muslim religions and political life, and of the dailylife of the average Muslim that remain untouched by the all pervasive attitude towards‘knowledge’, as some thing at supreme value for Muslim being. So ilm is Islam, even ifthe theologians have been hesitant to accept the technical correctness of this equation.The very fact of their passionate discussion of the concept attests to its fundamental

Islamic Concept of Knowledge

God will raise up in rank those of you who have been given knowledgeHoly Quran 58: 11

important to Islam. So, it may be said that Islam is the path of Knowledge. No otherreligion or ideologies have no much emphasized the importance of ilm. In Quran theword alim (scholar) has occurred 140 places.

In Usul al kafi there is a tradition narrated by Imam Musa al kazim that ilm are ofthree types: Ayatun Muhakamah( irrefutable signs of God), Faridatun Adilah(just Obli-gation) and Sunnat al Qaiima( established traditions of prophets). This implies that ilmattainment of which is obligatory upon all Muslims covers the science of theology,philosophy, law, ethics, politics and the wisdom interpreted to the ummah by the prophet.It is important to note that, the Islamic revelation started with the word iqra, which meansread! Or recite!

Besides this verse, various others Quranic verses emphasizing the importance ofknowledge. In the holy Quran 2: 164 read: Behold! In the creation of the heavens andthe earth; In the alternation of the night and the days; In the sailing of ships throughthe ocean for the profit of mankind; In the rain which God sends down from skies,and the life which He gives there with. To an earth that is dead; in the beasts of allkinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the cloudswhich they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth; (Here) indeed, aresigns for a people that are wise.

Chapter 58 verse 11 read: God will raise up in rank those of you who have beengiven knowledge

Chapter 88 verses 17-21 reads: Do they not look at the camels, how they aremade? And at the sky, how it is raised high? And at the mountain, how they are fixedfirm? And at the earth, how it is spread out? There fore, do thou give admonition forthou art one to admonition.

Also, there are hundreds of prophetic traditions that encourage Muslims to ac-quire all type of knowledge from any corner of the world. The value placed on scholar-ship by Muslims at large is underscored by two sayings popular linked to the prophetMuhammed: “Search for learning evenif it is in china” and “the quest for learning is aduty for every Muslim”.

It is also significant that, there is much emphasis on the exercise of the intellect inthe Quran and the traditions, particularly in the matter of ijithihad. Exercise of intellect(aql) is of significance in the entire Islamic literature which played an important role inthe development of all kind of knowledge. Indian Muslim scholar Muhammed Iqbal in hisReconstruction of Religion thought in Islam pointed out that ijthihad as a dynamicprinciple in the body of Islam. He claims that much before Francis Bacon, the principleof scientific induction were emphasized by quran, which highlights the importance ofobservation and experiments in arriving at certain conclusion. It may also point that,Muslim fuqaha and mufassirun made a method of linguistic analysis in interpreting thequranic conjunction and sunnat of the prophet.

Ilm is referred in many quranic verses as light (nur), And Allah is also describedas the ultimate nur. It means that ilm in the general sense is synonymous with light ofAllah and usually darkness interpreted as ignorance. There are so many verses in theQuran as well as the tradition of prophet which emphasize that light may be attained bythose who struggle against darkness.

In brief, it may be justifiably claim that the Islamic theory of knowledge is respon-sible for blossoming of culture of free inquiry and rational scientific thinking that alsoencompassed the spheres of both theory and practice.

By examining the major works and scientific achievement of al Tusi, it is found thatthe development of his intellectual life has been lead by these concepts of knowledge. Inother words, the major influence of al Tusi was, indeed, the basic texts of Islam and itsencouragement for acquisition of ilm. Actually, he was on the path to fulfill his obliga-tion.

Al Tusi’s proper name was Muhammed ibn Muhammed ibn al Hassen al Tusi, wasborn in February 18, 1201 in Tus, which lies close to Meshed in Northern Iran high upin the Valley of Kashaf River. His intellectual development cannot be divorced from thedrama of his own life and catastrophe of the Mangol invasion of the Islamic east. Helived in a twelve shie milieu. His father, a jurist, however, was sufficiently broad mindedto encourage him beyond the scholastic studies to the philosophical and natural sci-ences and to acquaint him self with the doctrines of other schools and sects. He studiedthe religious science and elements of the intellectual science with his father. He alsovery likely studied logic, natural philosophy and metaphysics with his maternal uncle inTus. During this period he also received instructions in algebra and geometry. His mostfamous teachers were Farid al Din al Damad with whom Tusi studied philosophy; Qutbal Din Masri with whom he studied medicine and Kamal al Din ibn Yunus with whom hestudied mathematics.

From his late twenties or early thirties, al-Tusi was in the service of the localIsma’ili leaders of northern Iran, writing a number of theological and philosophical works

Intellectual Development of al Tusi

The Wise man regulates his conduct by the theories both of religion and scienceJBS Haldane

for them in both Persian and. With the Mongol invasion of Iran in the middle of thethirteenth century the Isma’ili strongholds were destroyed, and al-Tusi found himselfinvolved in the negotiations leading to the surrender of the Grand Isma’ili Master to theinvaders. His efforts were appreciated by the Mongol conqueror Hulagu who took himon as an advisor, in which capacity he assisted at the sacking of Baghdad in 1258.Later al-Tusi was put in charge of religious endowments (awqaf) and affairs. Hulagualso had the great observatory and library at Maraghah built for al-Tusi, where he led ateam of scientists and mathematicians from as far away as China. It is clear thatimmense resources were put at his disposal for this project, where the teaching andstudy of philosophy went on hand in hand with that of the exact sciences.

The end of the ismaili period, Hualgu ‘freed’al Tusi. During his last years he livedin Baghdad. In June 26, 1274 he died. He was buried near the mausoleum of the Musaal kazim, a few miles away from Baghdad.

al Tusi’s influence, especially in eastern Islam, was immense. Probably, if we takeall fields into account, he was more responsible for the revival of the Islamic sciencesthan any other individual. Today he is widely honored in the field of science and manyscientific institutions are named after him including the Tusi Pedagogical Institute inBaku, Azerbaijan and K N Tusi Institute of Science and Technology in Tehran, Iran.International Astronomical Union had named a minor planet and a moon crater as‘Naser’ .

Nearly 150 treatises and letters by al Tusi are known, of which 25 are in Persianand rest in Arabic. There is even a treatise on geomancy that al Tusi wrote in Arabic,Persian and Turkish, demonstrating his mastery of all three languages. It said that healso knew Greek. His writings concern nearly every branch of the Islamic science.More over, the writings of al Tusi distinguished by the fact that so many became authori-tative works in Islamic world and some times influential in modern science. Researchhave been done even now on his manuscript implies its relevance.

al Tusi composed five works in logic, of which Asas al iqtibas ( Acquisition ofknowledge), written in Persian, is the most important. In mathematics he composed aseries of tahrir (recensions) upon the works of Autolycus, Aristarchus, Euclid, Apollonius,Archimedes and Ptolemy etc. He also wrote many original treatises on arithmetic,geometryand trigonometry, of which most important are Jawami al Hisab bil Takht wal Turab(The comprehensive work on Computation with Board and Dust), al risala al Shifaya (The satisfying Treatise) and kashf al Qina fi Asrar shakl al Qita known as the ‘Book ofthe Priciples of Transversal’, which was translated in to Latin. The best known of al

Major Works of al Tusi

Any one who is not shocked by Quantum theory has not under stand itNiels Bohr

Tusi’s numerous astronomical works is zij i ilkhani (The ilkhani Table), written in Persianand later translated to Latin. Other major astronomical works are Thadkira al Haya (TheMemoir of Astronomy) and his treatises on practical astronomical subjects such as thaton astrolabe. He translated Suwar al Kawakib (Figures of Fixed Stars) of al Sufi, fromArabic to Persian. In other sciences al Tusi produced many works. Of which TankushNama (The Book of precious materials) is particularly noteworthy.

In Philosophy, Ethics and Theology, al Tusi composed a commentary on al Isharathwal Tanbihat (The Book of Directives and Remarks) of ibn Sina. The best known Ethicalwork of al Tusi in Persian is Akhlaq i Nasiri (The Nasirean Ethics)

al Tusi is best known for his contribution to astronomy. As early mentioned, withHulagu’s support he gained the necessary financial assistance and supervised theconstruction of the first observatory in modern sense. Its life span, which exceeds thatof its finder; its use as a center of instruction in science and philosophy; and thecollaboration of many scientists in its activities mark this observatory as a major scien-tific institution in the history of the science. The observatory was staffed by Qutb al DinShirazi, Muhyuddin al Magharib, Sadar al Din Magharibi and Chinese scholar FaoMunji. And, a huge library was attached to it, which was controlled by Kamal al Din Ayki.The observatory had excellent astronomical instruments like mural quadrants, armillaryspheres, astrolabe, solistical armill etc.

Twelve years of observation and calculation led to the compilation of Zij i ilkhani in1271, to which al Maghribi later wrote a supplement. The work of the observatory was

Scientific Achievements of al Tusi

Knowledge is part of the creed, When you know more, you see more evidence of GodDr. Farouk El-Baz

Geologist, Boston University

not confined to astronomy; however it played a mjor role in the revival of all the sciencesand philosophy. Here, he started a ‘new’ observation methodology and research systemstrictly based on Islam.

al Tusi’s another major work in astronomy is Tadhkira ( Memoir on Astronomy),which consist of a criticism of Ptolemiac astronomy and a proposal for new theory onplanetary motion. Later this theory greatly inspired by Copernicus to formulate hisheliocentric model of planetary system, as he followed closely the planetary models ofal Tusi’s students. In chapter 13 of the second treatise of Tadhkira al Tusi Prove that “ifone circle rolls inside the periphery of a stationary circle, the radius of the first beinghalf the second, then any point of the first describe a staright line a diameter of thesecond” E.S Kennedy, who first discovered this late medieval planetary theory issuingfrom Maragha, interprets as “ a linkage of equal length vectors, the second rotating withconstant velocity twice that of the first and in a direction of opposite the first”. He hadcalled this the “Tusi- couple”. It had demonstrated its application to planetary motionand its comparison with Ptolemiac model of geocentric theory by al Tusi and later ibnShatir.

This led to replace Ptolemaiac model of geocentric theory of planetary motion,which had been ‘ruled’ the world of astronomy for ten centuries. Thus, in his model, forthe first time in the history of astronomy, employed a theorem invented him self whichlater led to scientific revolution in modern science. There is Quranic verses relating toplanetary motion, which may inspire him to correct Ptolemy. In Holy Quran Chapter 36:38-40 reads:And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the decree of theAlmighty, the All-Knowing. And the moon, we have decreed for it stages, till it returnslike the old dried curved date stalk. It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nordoes the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.

It is important to note that these verses are mentioned in Quran as the sign of Godand to insist the believers to inquire about the ultimate truth.

In mathematics, al Tusi’s contributions were mainly in arithmetic, geometry andtrigonometry. He continued the work of al Khayyami in extending the meaning of num-ber to include irrationals. In his Shakl al Qita he showed the commutative property ofmultiplication between pairs of ratios (which are real numbers) and stated that everyratio is a number. Jawami al Hisab, which marks an important stage in the developmentof the Indian numerals, contains a reference to Pascal triangle and the earliest extantmethod of extracting fourth and higher roots of numbers. He also developed the compu-tational mathematics.

Probably, al Tusi’s most outstanding contribution to mathematics is in geometry. InShakl al Qita , which follows the earlier works of Abul Wafa and al Biruni, al Tusi for thefirst time, as far as modern research have been able to show, developed trigonometrywithout using Manelaus’ theorem or astronomy. This work is really the first in history ontrigonometry as an independent branch of pure mathematics. He also presented thetheory of sines: a/sin A=b/sinB=c/sinC. It is described clearly for the first time in thisbook, a lnad mark in the history of mathematics.

Regarding to chemistry, al Tusi’s major work include Tankhush Nama(The Book ofprecious materials), which consists of four chapters. In the first chapter he discussesthe nature of compounds. In second chapter, he devoted the space to mention thequalities and properties of jewels. In the third chapter, al Tusi turns to metals and givesan alchemical theory of metallic formation. A section on perfumes ends the book, whichis one of the major sources of mineralogy and is valuable as a source of Persianscientific vocabulary in this field.

Of all the major fields of science, al Tusi, was least interested in medicine, whichhe nevertheless studied, generally following the teachings of ibn Sina. He also com-posed a few works on medicine including Qawanin al Tibb( The Principles of Medicine)and a commentary on ibn Sina’s Canon. al Tusi’s view of medicine was mainly philo-sophical; and perhaps his greatest contribution was in psychosomatic medicine, whichis described in Akhlaq i Nasiri

Nowadays, Akhlaq i Nasiri has been studied by some western scientists as it isvery influential in ethical and pholpsohical studies. “Nasirean Ethics” was translated intoEnglish by G.M. Wickens and published by George Allen & Unwin in 1964. It is wonderthat Tusi said saome thing and developed a basic theory of evolution - more than 600years before Charles Darwin. But he had a different view on evolution from Lamark,Darwin etc. In this book he explains about the hereditary variation adaptation etc.Inakhlaq i Nasiri , al Tusi says: “The organisms that can gain the new features faster aremore variable. As a result, they gain advantages over other creatures.” This soundsremarkably like a simplistic form of Darwin’s writings about mutations. He used the wordTakamul for evolution, which means ‘perfection’. It implies, al Tusi observes the pro-cess of evolution as a journey to perfection.

Today al Tusi is highly revered and honored in the world of science. Probably, ifwe take all fields of science into account, he was more responsible for the revival of theIslamic sciences than any other individual. His bringing together so many competentscholars and scientists at Maragha resulted not only in the revival of mathematics andastronomy but also in the renewal of the Islamic philosophy. The motivation of al Tusiwas, indeed, the Islam and its encouragement to ‘know’ and ‘learn’. Islam attempts tosynthesize reason and revelation, knowledge and values, in its approach to the study ofnature. Knowledge acquired through rational human efforts and through the Qur’an isseen as complementary: both are ‘signs of God’ that enable humanity to study andunderstand nature.

Conclusion

Do they not look at the camels, how they are made? And at the sky, how it is raisedhigh? And at the mountain, how they are fixed firm? And at the earth, how it is spread

out? There fore, do thou give admonition for thou art one to admonitionHoly Quran 88: 17-21

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