Philosopher and Scientist: Biography of Abu Rayhan Muhammad Al-Biruni

Al-Biruni is a great scientist from Khorezm, the author of numerous capital works on history, geography, philology, astronomy, mathematics, geodesy, mineralogy, pharmacology, geology, etc. For the first time in the Middle East, Biruni expressed the view that the Earth could move around the Sun, determined the length Earth circumference.

Biruni can rightfully be called the triumph of the science of the medieval East. The American historian J. Sarton said this outstanding scientist and encyclopedist: 'The history of astronomy and mathematics, astrology and geography, anthropology and ethnography and philosophy, archeology and philosophy, botany and mineralogy would be orphaned without his great name.'

His full name is Abu Rayhan Muhammad al-Biruni. He was born on September 4, 973 in the ancient capital of Khorezm - the city of Kyat. Very little is known about the early years of Biruni's life, except that he was an orphan. He was nicknamed “Burunly” (“nosy”) for his big nose. But behind an ugly appearance there was a penetrating mind, which was noticed by the vizier and cousin of Khorezmshah Iraq. In his late years, Biruni will write: '... The Iraqi family nourished me with their milk and brought me to the people ...'

He received a brilliant mathematical and philosophical education. Biruni's first teacher was Abu Nasr Mansur ibn Iraq al-Jadi, the author of fundamental works in astronomy, mathematics and trigonometry. Biruni believed that in nature everything exists and changes according to the laws of nature itself, and these laws can only be comprehended with the help of science. His main works are devoted to mathematics and astronomy, which were of great practical importance for the economic life of Khorezm - for irrigated agriculture and trade trips.

The most important tasks of astronomy at that time were the improvement of the calendar and orientation methods on the Earth according to heavenly bodies. It was necessary to be able to determine the position of the sun, moon, stars in the sky as accurately as possible, and also measure with the greatest possible accuracy the so-called basic astronomical constants - the inclination of the ecliptic to the equator, the length of the solar and stellar year, etc. And this, in turn, required development mathematics, in particular flat and spherical trigonometry, on the one hand, and the improvement of instruments for accurate observations, on the other.

The results and achievements of Biruni in all these areas remained unsurpassed for several centuries. Biruni almost accurately determined the radius of the Earth (more than 6000 km), based on the idea of ​​its spherical shape. Biruni accepted and developed the progressive ideas of ancient Greek and ancient Indian philosophers on some common problems of astronomy: he affirmed the identical fiery nature of the Sun and stars, in contrast to dark bodies - planets; the mobility of stars and their enormous size compared to Earth; the idea of ​​gravity. Biruni expressed reasonable doubts about the justice of the geocentric system of the world of Ptolemy, arguing that it was not the Sun that revolves around the Earth, but the Earth, like other planets, revolves around the Sun.

He explained the phenomenon of morning and evening dawn as a consequence of the glow of dust particles in the rays of the sun hidden behind the horizon. He expressed the idea of ​​the 'smoke-like' nature of the luminous tails near the disk of the Sun during its eclipses (solar corona). Biruni developed astronomical methods of geodetic measurements. 600 years before V. Snellius proposed a trigonometric method for measuring distances. He improved the basic astronomical instruments that were used at that time (astrolabe, quadrant, sextant). He built the first stationary (wall) quadrant with a radius of 7.5 m for accurate observation of the Sun and planets, which for 400 years was the largest in the world. His measurements of the inclination of the ecliptic to the equator for many centuries remained unsurpassed in accuracy.

In the very first work 'Chronology of Ancient Peoples', Biruni collected and described all the calendar systems known in his time that were used by various peoples of the world. He described astronomical studies in the Book of Interpretation of the Fundamental Principles of Astronomy and other scientific works.

He lived in Kyat and Kurgan at the courts of local rulers, then in Khorezm at the court of Shah Mamun, headed the Academy, which brought together prominent scientists, including Ibn Sina (Avicenna), al-Khorezmi - the founder of algebra. His correspondence with Ibn Sina was preserved, in which they shared their thoughts on the books of Aristotle. Since 1017, after the conquest of Khorezm by Sultan Mahmud Ghaznevi, he lived in Ghazna at the court of Sultan Mahmud and his successors Masud and Maudud, and participated in the campaigns of Mahmud in India, where he lived for several years. The Ghazni period was the most fruitful in the work of al-Biruni. The trips made to India during these years resulted in the writing of the fundamental work “Explaining Indigenous Teachings Accepted by the Reason or Rejected”. After the death of Sultan Mahmud, the throne was taken by his son Masoud, who generously presented al-Biruni with his mercies. Biruni spoke of Masoud: 'He gave me the opportunity to devote the rest of my life to the service of science, allowing me to live in the shadow of his power ...' During these years, al-Biruni wrote his main work - “Masoud's Canon for Astronomy and Stars”, which describes the general picture of the world.

The scientific heritage of al-Biruni is approximately 150 works on mathematics, astronomy, geography, mineralogy, history, ethnography, philology, philosophy. As a natural scientist, he made his contribution to expanding the concept of number, the theory of cubic equations, spherical trigonometry, and compiled trigonometric tables. Based on the study of the reckoning of different nations, he proposed general principles for compiling calendars, including agricultural ones. Fluent in Arabic, Persian, Greek, Syriac, as well as Sanskrit, contributed to the development of principles for the translation of scientific terminology from one language to another.

In the work 'India', completed in 1030, al-Biruni gave a detailed description of the life, culture and science of the Indians, outlined their religious and philosophical systems. Al-Biruni used the comparative method in his work: “I bring the theories of the Indians as they are, and in parallel with them I touch on the theories of the Greeks to show their mutual proximity,” he wrote. At the same time, he referred to Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Galen and other Greek authors, compared Indian and Islamic thought, especially highlighting the teachings of the Sufis as the closest to Indian theories of Sankhya and Yoga. When comparing the customs of different nations, he mentioned the peculiarities of the life of the Slavs, Tibetans, Khazars, Turks, etc. The transcription system created by al-Biruni on the basis of Arabic graphics in many respects anticipated the modern system of transmitting Indian words in Urdu. Along with his work on India, al-Biruni translated Sankhya and the Yogasutra of Patanjali into Arabic and translated the Beginnings of Euclid and Ptolemy's Almagest into Sanskrit.

As a researcher, al-Biruni emphasized the need for a thorough examination of knowledge by experience: doubts arising during the study, 'eliminate ... could experience and re-test.' Al-Biruni contrasted experimental knowledge with speculative knowledge. As built on speculation, he questioned the space system of Aristotle.

In his old age, he lost his sight, but until the last minute of his life he considered a vigorous spirit to be the main 'mechanism' for continuing life. His body was interred in 1048 in Ghazna.

As a conclusion I would like to add in my opinion about Al-Biruni. To date, 31 works of al-Beruni have been translated into German, English, Russian and Uzbek, 24 works have been studied, 3 works have been published in the Arabic original. Tashkent State Technical University, Center for Oriental Manuscripts at the Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies, districts, streets, etc. are named after him. In addition, in accordance with the Decree of the President of our country “On measures to encourage students of Uzbekistan” for senior students of technical faculties with excellent academic performance and participating in creative work, a scholarship named after Beruni was established.Thus, the immortal scientific works of al-Beruni are invaluable in the development of world scientific thought. His greatness, as one of the encyclopedic scholars of the Middle Ages, is reflected in an immeasurable heritage, his contribution to the development of many sciences, not only that era, but also many millennia in advance.