T.C. HARRAN ÜNĠVERSĠTESĠ ĠLAHĠYAT FAKÜLTESĠ

I. ULUSLARARASI KATILIMLI BĠLĠM DĠN VE FELSEFE TARĠHĠNDE HARRAN OKULU SEMPOZYUMU

28-30 Nisan 2006

I. CĠLT

Editör

Prof. Dr. Ali BAKKAL

ġANLIURFA 2006 186 I. Uluslararası Katılımlı Bilim, Din ve Felsefe Tarihinde Harran Okulu Sempozyumu

BAYT AL-HIKMAH(THE HOUSE OF WISDOM) IS A CENTRE OF INTELLECTUAL RADIATION, AND THE ROLE OF HARRAN SCHOLARS IN ITS FLOURISHMENT

Ziad KHRAIS*

uring the first century after the birth of Islam, Muslim armies conquered lands Dfrom northern Africa, southern Europe, through the Middle East and east up to India. . it came face to face with the sciences of antiquity whose heritage had been preserved in centers which now became a part of Islamic world. The impetus for the interest of the Islamic world in the development of the sciences arose to meet the new challenges, taking in consideration the following facts: A- The acheivemant of Isam goals based upon knowledge for it is ultimately knowledge of the Oneness of God combined with faith and total commitment to Him that saves man. The text of the Quran is replete with verses inviting man to use his intellect, to ponder, to think and to know, for the goal of human life is to discover the truth which is none other than worshiping God in his oneness. The Hadith literature is also full of references to the importance of knowledge such as the saying of the Prophet ―Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave ―. B- Seeking solutions for the problems that arose as a result of the growing complexities of running an ever-expanding commercial, political, and military empire. C- The need for preparing individuals who are able to meet the intellectual and religious challenges which confronted the Islamic world.

The begginning of the translation movement The first signal to the importance of translation was during the life of Prophet (PBUH) when he insured in his speech (Hadeeth), that who learned a language of foreign people he would be safe of their evil. Zeid Ibn Thabit (one of the Prophet companions) learned the Syriac language in sixty days. He also, learned Persian and

* Dr., Yarmouk University, Department of Planning and Development, Irbed, Jordan, [email protected] I. Uluslararası Katılımlı Bilim, Din ve Felsefe Tarihinde Harran Okulu Sempozyumu 187

Roman languages. Later on, in Umayyad era, the prince khalid Ibn Yazeed Ibn Mua'wiyyah, send messengers to Alexandaria in request of some books in medicine and chemistry in order to translate them to Arabic. In his book (Elfhrst), Ibn Al-Nadeem mentioned that Khalid Ibn Yazeed "the wise of Marwan family" was virtuous and very passionate for art and science.He recruited scholars from Egypt, who had good knowledge of Arabic, to translate books from Coptic and Greek . But however it was individual attempts and soonly vanished when those who adopted them disappeared.

The development and prosperity of translation A century later, the Abbasid whose capital was Baghdad, continued this respect for knowledge. The second Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur (754-75) sent emissaries to the Byzantine emperor requesting mathematical texts and received in response a copy of Euclid's Elements. This single gift, more than any other perhaps, ignited a passion for learning that was subsequently systematized under Harun al-Rasheed who founded an institution expressly for this purpose, called Bayt al-Hikmah or the House of Wisdom, which contained a library and instructional unit and both were funded by the state.

Bayt al-Hikmah (The House of Wisdom) Bayt al-Hikmah reached the peak under Al-Ma'amun reign, and it became the gathering place for scientists and scholars, and particularly for a group of translators who would be responsible for the translation of the entire canon of Greek scientific and philosophical works into Arabic. Al-Ma'mum was responsible for a large scale translation project of as many ancient works as could be found. Greek manuscripts were obtained through treaties. By the end of the century, the major works of the Greeks had been translated. In addition, they learned the mathematics of the Babylonnians and the Hindus. Through these efforts, the foundations for Islamic scholarship for the following centuries were established. Unlike the Byzantines, with their suspicion of classical science and philosophy, the Muslims were actively enjoined by the Traditions - the dicta of the Prophet - to "seek learning, though it be in China." Another well-known Tradition states: "The search for knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim"; another that "The ink of scholars is worth more than the blood of martyrs." In obedience to these injunctions, the first generations of Muslim scholars had devoted themselves to making the language of the Koran a vehicle for the expression of scientific ideas. Now, with the establishment of the House of Wisdom, with its library and staff of scholar-translators, the work could begin. Al-Ma'mun wrote to the Byzantine emperor asking his permission to obtain a 188 I. Uluslararası Katılımlı Bilim, Din ve Felsefe Tarihinde Harran Okulu Sempozyumu selection of old scientific manuscripts, stored and treasured in the country of the Byzantines. After first refusing, he finally complied, and al-Ma'mun sent forth a number of scholars, among them al-Hajjaj ibn Matar, Ibn al-Batrik, Salman, the director of the House of Wisdom and many others. They selected books from those they found and brought them back to al-Ma'mun, who ordered them to prepare translations of them. The enormous quantity of works translated from the Greek, the Syriac, Pahlavi and Sanskrit in the third through ninth, and again from the fourth through tenth centuries resulted in the fact that there are more translations of the works of Aristotle and other Greek commentators into Arabic today than in any language . The schoolars of House of Wisdom were'nt occupied with task of translation only, they generally were concerned to understand, codify, correct, and, most importantly, assimilate the learning of the ancients to the conceptual framework of Islam. The greatest of these scholars were original and systematic thinkers of the first order, like the great Arab philosopher al-Farabi who died in 950. His Catalog of Sciences had a tremendous effect on the curricula of medieval universities. The Muslim mind has always been attracted to the mathematical sciences in accordance with the ―abstract‖ character of the doctrine of Oneness which lies at the heart of Islam. . The first great advance on the inherited mathematical tradition was the introduction of Arabic numerals. Scholars working at the House of Wisdom first became aware of them in translations of Indian astronomical works, and hence called them "Indian." These numerals embodied the place-value theory which allowed numbers to be expressed by nine figures plus zero (Arabic sifr, "cipher") and not only simplified calculation of all sorts but made possible the development of algebra. The great Muslim mathematician, al-Khwarazmi who lived in the 9th century, seems to have been the first to systematically explore their use in his book, Addition and Subtraction in Indian Arithmetic, later translated at Toledo into Latin under the title Algorismi denumero indorum and introduced as "Arabic numerals" into the West. Al- Khwarizmi used both Greek and Indian sources and their cross fertilization led to his famous Kitab al-Jabr wa al-Muqabala, the first book on algebra; the word "algebra" is derived from the second word in his title and originally meant "bone- setting." Al-Khwarizmi used it as a graphic description of one of the two operations he uses to solve quadratic The study of geometry was sustained by a remarkable series of scholars, the Banu Musa or "Sons of Musa," who were all, quite literally, sons of the al-Ma'mun's court astronomer, Musa ibn Shakir. Their activities were all the more noteworthy because they carried on their research and writing as private citizens, devoting their lives and expending their fortunes in the pursuit of knowledge. Not only did they sponsor the translation of numerous Greek works but contributed substantial works of their own. Al-Hasan, one of the sons, was perhaps the foremost geometrician of his time, translating six books of the Elements and working out the I. Uluslararası Katılımlı Bilim, Din ve Felsefe Tarihinde Harran Okulu Sempozyumu 189 remainder of the proofs on his own. But it wasn't only the pure or abstract sciences that received emphasis in these early years. The practical and technical arts made advances as well, medicine the first among them. Here several great scholars deserve mention. Hunain ibn lshaq not only translated the entire canon of Greek medical works into Arabic,but wrote 29 works by his own pen, the most important a collection of ten essays on ophthalmology. The greatest of the 9th century physician-philosophers was perhaps Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known to the west as Rhazes. He wrote over 184 books and was an early advocate of experiment and observation in science. . He emphasized clinical medicine and observation. He was a master of prognosis and psychosomatic medicine . He identified and treated smallpox. He used alcohol as an antiseptic and make medical use of mercury as a purgative. Yuhanna ibn Masawaih was one of the early directors of the House of Wisdom. He served under four caliphs - al-Ma'mun, al-Mu'tasim, al-Wathiq and al- Mutawakkil. He wrote almost exclusively about medical problems, in particular gynecology. Hunain also wrote at least 29 original treatises on medical topics. The most significant of these was a collection of 10 essays on ophthalmology. This work covers, in systematic fashion, the anatomy and physiology of the eye and the treatment of various diseases which afflict the vision. It is the first Arabic medical work to include anatomical drawings, and those that illustrate surviving manuscripts are very accurately drawn. This book was translated into Latin and for centuries remained the authoritative treatment of the subject in both Western and Eastern universities. Hunain lived a life of exemplary piety and by his example did much to lend dignity to the medical profession. The Caliph al-Mutawakkil, seeking to test Hunain's integrity, ordered him to prepare a poison; "I have learned only the actions of beneficial drugs, confident that this is all that the Commander of the Faithful would want of me," replied Hunain, and was rewarded by being made the director of the House of Wisdom. In chemistry Jabir Ibn Haiyan., is generally known as the father of ehemistry. His major contribution was in the field of chemistry. He introduced experimental investigation into alchemy, which rapidly changed its character into modern chemistry. On the ruins of his well-known laboratory remained after centuries, but his fame rests on over 100 monumental treatises, of which 22 relate to chemistry and alchemy. His contribution of fundamental importance to chemistry includes perfection of scientific techniques such as crystalization, distillation, calcination, sublimation and evaporation and development of several instruments for the same. The fact of early development of chemistry as a distinct branch of science by the Arabs, instead of the earlier vague ideas, is well-established and the very name chemistry is derived from the Arabic word al-Kimya, which was studied and developed extensively by the Muslim scientists. Unlike their modern counterparts, these Muslim scholars did not specialize. 190 I. Uluslararası Katılımlı Bilim, Din ve Felsefe Tarihinde Harran Okulu Sempozyumu

They investigated any subject that interested them, for they regarded all fields of knowledge as essentially one. Perhaps the best illustration of this is al-Kindi, "The Philosopher of the Arabs," of whom Ibn al-Nadim says: "He was the most distinguished man of his time and unrivaled during his period for his knowledge of the ancient sciences as a whole." Al-Kindi was the first Muslim philosopher to show that there was no essential conflict between Greek rationalism and Revelation. He was profoundly religious, and sought to use Aristotelian logic to support essential Islamic dogmas. But what is astonishing about al-Kindi is the range and depth of his speculations. He wrote about logic, philosophy, geometry, calculation, arithmetic, music, astronomy and a great many other things. Al-Kindi, and to a certain extent, al-Farabi, his successor, demonstrate the liveliness of Muslim thought as the 10th century drew to a close. Al-Farabi wrestled with many of the same philosophical problems as al-Kindi and wrote a book entitled The Perfect City, which expresses the degree to which Islam had first assimilated Greek ideas and then impressed them with its own indelible stamp. The Perfect City is an essay on what might be called ethical urbanism - the ideal city should be founded on moral and religious principles, and from there would flow the physical infrastructure. Al-Farabi undoubtedly had the magnificent round city of Baghdad, The City of Peace, in mind, which was consciously constructed on the pattern of the ancient cosmological cities of the east, its round form representing the Cosmos and its four gates the cardinal points of the compass. The enormous intellectual energy unleashed by the Abbasid dynasty left no field of knowledge and speculation untouched. In addition to mathematics and geometry, Abbasid scholars in the House of Wisdom made important and lasting contributions in astronomy, ethics, mechanics, music, medicine, physics, and philosophy . In the process men of enormous intellect and productivity rose to prominence. One of these was Thabit ibn Qurra. In addition to his translations of key works, such as Archimedes' Measurement of the Circle (later translated into Latin by Gerard of Cremona in the 12th century), he also wrote over 70 original works on a wide range of subjects. His sons, too, were to found a dynasty of scholars that lasted until the 10th century. Throughout the classical period of Islam, intellectual activity in every field was vigorous, first in Baghdad, later in Cairo and the regional capitals of Anatolia, Iran and, still later, in India. The Arabs accepted the classical heritage, fertilized it with the thought of India and the East and elaborated, criticized and corrected it; they then passed it on to the West where it formed the basis for the great technological achievements that have since transformed the world.

The role of Harran Scholars Harran is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited communities on earth. According to the Bible, it was here in which Abraham lived when God told him to I. Uluslararası Katılımlı Bilim, Din ve Felsefe Tarihinde Harran Okulu Sempozyumu 191 go forth to the land of Canaan: "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and my thy name great; and though shalt be a blessing..." (Genesis 12:2) Harran was also an important center for the worship of the Assyrian moon god Sin for over 1600 years. It was governed by Many different civilization like Assyrians, Romans, Persians and Muslems. Harran during the Assyrian period was an important center of astronomy and mathematics which was used to calculate the movement of planets the prediction of eclipses and other astronomical events. It should not surprise us that such knowledge had survived a thousand years later in that city perhaps because Harranians refused to convert to Christianity and the planetary worship was still part of their religion which made such knowledge necessary. In 528 A.D when Jostinian(527-565A.D) closed Athenes School, a great number of the Greek scientists left their countries because of religous persecution and sectarianism and proceed eastward in many urban centres. Harran was one of the famous centres of Assyrians which attracted many of them. Harran scholars soonly assimilated the Greek thought and philosophy and translated them to Syriac. Harran had become to be a distiguished centre of science not merely because of the scholars efforts in translation , but also because of their intellectual innovations that were expressed in commentaries and additions to the books they had translated as well as in writing orinigal books. During the early Islamic period they were called Sabians a name mentioned in Koran which they adopted to join the ranks of the tolerated people. At times they have been confused with the Sabians living in southern Mesopotamia. One of the first translators of the Harranian school in the House of Wisdom was al-Hajjaj ibn-yusuf ibn-Matar (786-833).He was among the scholars that al- Ma'mun sent them to select old scientific manuscripts stored and treasured in the country of Byzantines . He is credited with having made the first translation of Euclid' Elements and one of the first of ptolemy's astronomical work in Arabic "Almagest" in 827-28 from a former Syriac version. It was revised by Hunayn ibn- Ishaq and later by Thabit ibn Quarrah At about 872, as a result of the schism that happened amongst the Harranians, a group of scholars moved on to Baghdad. The most famous of them is Thabit ibn Qurra, who was introduced to the caliph al-Ma'mun, and attained high favour at court; and he got the government to recognize him and his companions as a separate and independent community of ‗Sabians, with a head of its own. Most of the learned men of Harran probably migrated to Baghdad and joined him. . The great Muslim mathematician Muhammad Ibn Musa Ibn Shakir, impressed by his knowledge of languages, and realising his potential for a scientific career, selected him to join the scientific group at Baghdad that was being patronised by the Abbasid Caliphs. There, he studied under the famous Banu Musa brothers. It was in this setting that Thabit contributed to several branches of science. He lead a team of Syriac speaking translators of the Harranians. They are credited with having translated most of the Greek mathematical and astronomical works including the 192 I. Uluslararası Katılımlı Bilim, Din ve Felsefe Tarihinde Harran Okulu Sempozyumu writings of Arachmedes (212 B.C., and Apollonius of Perga (262 B.C.), plus they improved on the earlier translations. He carried further the work of the Banu Musa brothers and later his son and grandson continued in this tradition, together with the other members of the group. His translations as well as his original books, accomplished in the 9th century,exerted a positive influence on the development of subsequent scientific research. Thabit was succeeded by his son Sinan (943) and his two grandsons Thabit (893) and Ibrahim (946) and one great grandson, abu-al-Faraj continued the family contributions to the world of science. The greatest of Qurra family was al-Battani (929) the grand son of Sinan .He was a famous astronomer, and mathematician . He has been held as one of the greatest astronomists of Islam. He is responsible for a number of important discoveries in astronomy, which was the result of a long career of 42 years of research beginning at Raqqa when he was young. His well-known discovery is the remarkably accurate determination of the solar year as being 365 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes and 24 seconds, which is very close to the latest estimates. In mathematics, he was the first to replace the use of Greek chords by sines, with a clear understanding of their superiority.He also developed the concept of cotangent and furnished their table in degrees. His treatise on astronomy was of great importance, and was translated to several languages. Among other luminaries of the Harran Scholars were abu-Ishaq ibn-Hilal al- Sabi, younis al-Harrani, and Jaber ibn Hayyan who is known the father of chemistry. Their contributions in different fields of sciences were not less than their counterparts. As a conclusion it is possible to say that Harran scholars formed the backbone of Bayt al-Hikmah(the House of Wisdom) staff, and exerted a positive influence in its development and prosperity. Nevertheless their original books as well as their translations accomplished in different fields of science, were extremely influential on the development of subsequent scientific research.

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