aldun. The name of the social scientist is thought to have been adopted from a distant ancestor of ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Muhammad.
Born in Tunisia in 1332, Ibn Khaldun was raised by parents who were rich Yemenite Arabs. His family had made a home in Spain but then relocated to Tunisia after the fall of Seville in 1248.
In his teens, the Arab scholar served in the court of the Egyptian ruler al-Malik udh-Dhahir Barquq. He also received his early education in Egypt. He eventually left this service and relocated to Fez in Morocco in search of greater educational opportunities and more exposure to cutting-edge information.
Following this, his career was disrupted for a very long time by a political rivalry in the region. During this time of upheaval, he took shelter in the little Algerian village of Qalat Ibn Salama for three years, where he wrote “Al-Muqaddimah” (‘The Introduction’) – the first volume of his work on global history that would earn him an indelible place in the annals of history, sociology, and philosophy.
He also thought about an idea he termed as Asabiyyah . Under the term, he noted the cyclical nature of the development and fall of human civilization and the causes behind it.
Whereas most writers before Khaldun interpreted history primarily through a political lens, his contribution was to highlight the ecological, social, psychological, and economic forces that governed the visible occurrences. This sparked a revolution in historical research (i.e. sociology).
Some Interesting Facts about Ibn Khaldun
- Ibn Khaldun, a Muslim Arab philosopher, developed the foundations of modern economics 400 years before it was adopted by Scottish philosopher, Adam Smith.
- Khaldun contributed to the field of international economics by introducing the pioneering theory of growth.
- He had his education at the Ez-Zitouna University and also studied under renowned Islamic scholars.
- He was influenced by other renowned thinkers such as Ibn Sina, Muhammad and Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali.
- The Arab scholar is said to have a significant influence on the lives of Ibn al-Khatib, Ibn al-Sakkak and Mustafa Naima.
- Khaldun died in 1406 from natural causes as he was about to contest for the 6thtime for the office of the Maliki qadi (Judge). He was survived by a son.
Just like Ibn Sina, Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī was a Persian polymath who was best known for his works in mathematics and geography. Al-Khwarizm, whose works greatly influenced the prominent Egyptian mathematician Abu Kamil, served as one of the scholars in the House of Wisdom during the Islamic Golden age.
Al-Khwarizmi is credited as the inventor of algebra since he presented the first systematic method for addressing algebraic problems by providing analytical solutions to linear and quadratic equations. Among other things, Al-Khwarizmi distinguished algebra from other mathematical concepts like geometry. Al- Khwrizm’s method for solving linear or quadratic equations involved reducing the equation to one of six standard forms.
Al-Khwarizmi was also one of the earliest scholars to appreciate the Hindu numeral system for its mathematical potential. His significant effort in defining these symbols was a driving force behind the 10-digit system’s rapid growth throughout the Arab world. Due to its widespread adoption and use by Arabs, this 10-digit system is often referred to as the Arabic number system. One of the earliest mathematicians to use zero as a positional base was Al-Khwarizmi.
By introducing the sine function, Al-Khwarizmi helped mathematicians refine their tabulation techniques. As a result, Al-Khwarizmi is generally considered to be the first person to conceptualize an algorithm. A major focus of his work was the use of logical reasoning in solving mathematical problems.
In the same spirit as his contributions to mathematics, Al-Khwarizmi produced significant advancements in astronomy. He established astronomical standards by creating accurate tables that are still relevant in today’s world.
Interesting Facts about ibn Musa al-Khwarizm
- A big lunar crater was named 