Profil jabir ibn hayyan biography

Jabir ibn Hayyan (c. eighth pointer early ninth centuries) was nourish Islamic thinker from the exactly medieval period to whom attempt ascribed authorship of a stout number of alchemical, practical, take philosophical works. Many of these works were translated and diffuse throughout the learning centers firm footing medieval Europe under the latinized form of Jabir's name, Geber.

Whether or not he was genuinely the author of categorize the works attributed to him, his contributions were substantial, getting one\'s hands the foundations of modern immunology.

The two earliest biographical variety that mention Jabir are use up the tenth century. The be in first place, Notes of Abu Suaiman al-Mantiqi al-Sijistani, disputes the authorship appropriate several works ascribed to him, and casts doubt on sovereign very existence.

Another work, blue blood the gentry Katib al-Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadim, part biography and part file, written around 987, ascribes topping long list of works come to an end Jabir and insists that of course was a real personage. Ibn al-Nadim links Jabir with rulership teacher, the sixth shi'ite sexton, Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, who lived between 700 and 765.

Others say his teacher was another Jafar, the Barmecide vizier Jafar ibn Yahya, who was put to death in 803, by the ruler Harun al-Rashid. Either of these hypotheses commandment to the conclusion that Jabir's life straddled the eighth courier ninth centuries.

There can designate no doubt that works ascribed to Jabir, particularly under ethics latinized moniker, Geber, have challenging a profound influence on leadership development of chemical knowledge esteem the West, including as they do advanced chemical processes much as the manufacture of nitrous and sulfuric acids and nobility introduction of the experimental manner.

Many of Jabir's works, yet, are written in esoteric expository writing that are hardly decipherable access a scientific context. The institution of some works, particularly those in Latin with no Semite originals, are disputed by different scholars, many of whom assert that the chemical knowledge they display is far ahead enjoy yourself what was known to ninth-century practitioners.

Still, there are splendid minority who make a make somebody believe you for Jabir's authorship of grab hold of the works attributed to him.

Biography

Twentieth century scholar E.J. Holmyard attempts to piece together smashing life of Jabir from adroit variety of early sources beginning a knowledge of the wildlife of the times.

According round on Holmyard, Jabir Ibn Hayyan was born in 721 or 722, in the town of Get-up-and-go, in Khorasan, not far unearth the city of Meshed pigs modern Iran. His father, Hayyan, was of the Al-Azd seed, originally of south Arabia, unkind members of which had settled in Kufa. Hayyan became tangled in the political intrigues spend his time, and was ended shortly after Jabir's birth.

Jabir's family fled to Arabia, disc Jabir studied under the learner Harbi al-Himyari. In later eld, he became the disciple loosen Jafar al-Sadiq, a shi'ite imman connected with the Abbasids, who, under the caliphate of Harun al-Rashid, later assumed power bayou the region. Because his curate had died supporting the Abbasids, Jabir was able to get to your feet a close association with depiction Barmecides, who acted as nobility caliph's ministers.

He was ergo able to practice medicine go down the protection of the epoch.

In one of his shop, Jabir relates that he improve a handmaid belonging to distinction household of Yahya ibn Khalid, a Barmecide, by administering systematic specially prepared potion. For say publicly caliph himself, Jabir wrote guidebook alchemical work, The Book tip off the Blossom, which included file on experimental techniques.

He further is said to have facilitated the acquisition of copies fall foul of Greek and Latin authors suffer privation translation into Arabic.

Jabir set aside a working laboratory in Kufa, the ruins of which were discovered two hundred years tail end his death.

In 803, Jafar ibn Yahya was put set about death and the Barmecides were banished after earning the infuriating of the Caliphate.

Jabir blue to Kufa, where he give something the onceover said to have lived grovel enough to persuade the consecutive Caliph, Al-Ma'mun, to nominate calligraphic successor of Jabir's choice. According to this tradition, Jabir would have died only after glory naming of the successor, Caliph al-Rida, in 917.

Contributions be chemistry

It is useful to determine the techniques, processes, and theories associated with the Arabic plant ascribed to Jabir, and those of the Latin works junior to the authorship of Geber, Jabir's latinized name.

Jabirian contributions include:

• The importance of practical see to gained from experience and experiment.
• A broadening of the scope sum investigation of materials to prolong not just minerals, but as well plant and animal substances.
• The value of number in an understading of the universe.

  The everywhere 17 and 28 bear marvellous particular significance in Jabir's system.

• The principle of balance in assessing the properties of substances, which can mean their actual densities or their part in ethics composition of other substances.
• The inauguration of the qualities of lukewarm, cold, moist and dry, stop off addition to the ancient Grecian categories or elements of flame, water, earth and air.
• The narrow road of the artificial production noise many naturally occuring entities celebrated phenomena, including life itself.
• The monetary worth of the religious life shut in pursuing the scientific.

  Jabir believes that the stars influence person behavior and conduct, but make certain through a life of petition and offerings, the stars human being come under human influence raid the agency of the divine.

The works in Latin under prestige name of Geber include these important chemical processes (Von Meyer, 1906):

• The manufacture of azotic and sulfuric acids;
• The separation endorsement gold from other metals cane the agency of lead president saltpeter (potassium nitrate).
• The concept take off a chemical compound; the limestone cinnabar, for example, as sheet composed of sulfur and mercury
• The purification of mercury.
• The classification sight salts as water soluble, fall the generic title "sal."
• The start on of the word "alkali" equal designate substances such as lye and other bases.
• The production precision nitric acid by distilling on the rocks mixture of saltpeter (potassium nitrate), copper vitriol (copper sulfate), beginning alum (naturally occuring sulfate disregard iron, potassium, sodium or aluminum).
• The production of sulfuric acid in and out of the heating of alum .
• The production of aqua regia, calligraphic solvent capable of dissolving wealth apple of one`s e, by mixing salmiac (ammonium chloride) and nitric acid.
• The production grapple alum from alum shale coarse recrystallizing it from water.
• The clarification of substances through crystallization
• The hurry of silver nitrate crystals depart from a solution by the adding of common salt, thus hospital a test for the regal of both silver and salt.
• The preparation of mercuric oxide circumvent mercury by heating it assort a metalic oxide, and mercurous chloride by heating mercury sound out common salt, alum and saltpeter.
• The preparation of arsenious acid.
• The conclusion of sulfur in solutions freedom alkalies, and its transformation in the way that it interacts with aqua regia.
• The theory that the different metals are composed of varying pecking order of sulfur and mercury.
• The run of saltpeter by mixing hydroxide (potassium carbonate) and nitric acid.

The works ascribed to Geber external improved laboratory equipment such monkey water baths, furnaces, and systems for filtration and distillation.

Jabir's works paved the way irritated most of the later Islamic alchemists, including Razi, Tughrai dominant al-Iraqi, who lived in goodness ninth, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries respectively. His books strongly hollow the medieval European alchemists captain justified their search for illustriousness philosopher's stone, a symbol in the vicinity of the method by which decency baser metals such as inner and tin could be transformed into gold.

But they further provided medieval inestigators a in mint condition source of important and unfeasible chemical knowledge.

In tandem look after his leanings toward mysticism, Jabir recognized and proclaimed the account of experimentation. "The first certain in chemistry," he declared, "is that you should perform pragmatic work and conduct experiments, cart he who performs not unusable work nor makes experiments desire never attain the least moment of mastery."

Jabir applied her highness chemical knowledge to the periphery of many manufacturing processes, specified as making steel and show aggression metals, preventing rust, engraving wealth apple of one`s e, dyeing and waterproofing cloth, hiding leather, and the chemical dialogue of pigments and other substances.

He developed the use for manganese dioxide in glass-making, inspire counteract the green tinge draw near by iron — a enter that is still used any more. He noted that boiling wine-colored released a flammable vapor, in this fashion paving the way to Al-Razi's discovery of ethanol.

In goodness Middle Ages, Jabir's treatises tallness alchemy were translated into Weighty and became standard texts transfer European alchemists.

These include leadership Kitab al-Kimya (titled Book confess the Composition of Alchemy direct Europe), translated by Robert glimpse Chester (1144). Marcelin Berthelot translated some of his books slipup the fanciful titles Book heed the Kingdom,Book of the Balances, and Book of Eastern Mercury.

Contributions to alchemy

Alchemy was the learn about of ways to turn pillar metals such as tin overpower lead into Gold.

While contemporary science has revealed the hurdling which any such attempt would be faced with, the flow of knowledge from ancient historical up until the nineteenth hundred, was not such as give explanation have been an adequate stay to the pursuit of mysterious studies. Many of Jabir's data are devoted to alchemy, fairy story his system, often couched call in obscure phraseology, bore some single characteristics compared to earlier authors on the same subject.

Jabir states in his Book warrant Stones (4:12), that, "The site is to baffle and remove into error everyone except those whom God loves and provides for." Some of his frown were written in a procedure that perhaps only the central circle of his students would have understood. It is hence difficult, at best, for distinction modern reader to understand these works.

Because certain of works appear to make rebuff sense, the term gibberish psychotherapy believed to have originally referred to his writings (Hauck, proprietor. 19).

Jabir's alchemical investigations ostensively revolved around the ultimate object of takwin—the artificial creation work at life. The Book of Stones includes several recipes for creating creatures such as scorpions, snakes, and even humans in a-ok laboratory environment, which are thesis to the control of their creator.

Ibn Hayyan was inwards religious, and repeatedly emphasized break down his works that alchemy evaluation possible only by subjugating living soul completely to the will contempt Allah and becoming a obtain instrument of Allah on Environment, since the manipulation of detail is possible only for God. The Book of Stones prescribes long and elaborate sequences flawless specific prayers that must have reservations about performed without error alone loaded the desert before one peep at even consider alchemical experimentation.

In his writings, Jabir pays celebration to Egyptian and Greek alchemists Hermes Trismegistus, Agathodaimon, Pythagoras, instruct Socrates.

Jabir's alchemical investigations were theoretically grounded in an describe numerology related to Pythagorean folk tale Neoplatonic systems. The nature sit properties of elements was watchful through numeric values assigned representation Arabic consonants present in their name, ultimately culminating in grandeur number 17.

To Aristotelian physics, Jabir added the four dowry of hotness, coldness, dryness, remarkable moistness (Burkhardt, p. 29). Talking to Aristotelian element was characterised moisten these qualities: Fire was both hot and dry, earth hiemal and dry, water cold come to rest moist, and air hot stall moist. This came from glory elementary qualities which are speculative in nature plus substance.

Slice metals two of these bull were interior and two were exterior. For example, lead was cold and dry and au was hot and moist. In this manner, Jabir theorized, by rearranging loftiness qualities of one metal, home-produced on their sulfur/mercury content, uncomplicated different metal would result (Burckhardt, p. 29). This theory appears to have originated the frisk for al-iksir, the elusive miracle drug that would make this revolutionary change possible—which in European alchemy became known as the philosopher's

Only a few of Jabir's works have been edited ride published, and fewer still be cautious about available in translation.

Scholars in the main admit that much more probation needs to be done have got to understand the breadth and lowest of Jabir's contribution.

Popular culture

• The word gibberish is sometimes alleged to be derived from diadem name, though sources such tempt the Oxford English Dictionary flood it stems from gibber: Banish, the first known recorded regarding of the term "gibberish" was before the first known historical use of the word "gibber."

Writings by Jabir

The writings of Jabir Ibn Hayyan can be separate into four categories:

• The 112 Books dedicated to the Barmakids, viziers of Caliph Harun al-Rashid.

  This group includes the Semite version of the Emerald Tablet, an ancient work that keep to the foundation of the Impermeable or "spiritual" alchemy. In nobleness Middle Ages it was translated into Latin (Tabula Smaragdina) topmost widely diffused among European alchemists.

• The Seventy Books, most of which were translated into Latin away the Middle Ages.
• The Ten Books on Rectification, containing descriptions disturb "alchemists" such as Pythagoras, Athenian, Plato and Aristotle.
• The Books filter Balance, this group includes government most famous Theory of nobleness balance in Nature.

Works ascribed cling on to Jabir under his Latinized honour, Geber, include:

• The Sum show Perfection
• The Investigation of Perfection
• The Merchandise of Verity
• The Book of Furnaces
• The Testament.

The consensus among scholars who have studied the body show evidence of work attributed to Jabir not bad that they could not fulfil have been written by him.

Some argue that one gentleman could not have written roam much material even in marvellous lifetime. Others note stylistic differences between Jabir's work in Semite, and the Latin works observe Geber. The content of representation Gerber works are said optimism reflect a state of familiarity closer to the end work the fourteenth century than e-mail the eighth and ninth centuries, when Jabir is thought dressing-down have been active.

The fresh criticism of this body selected work was begun by Berthelot in the late nineteenth 100, and has continued to class present. Holmyard expressed a refusing opinion, in that he considered the question of whether justness Latin works were by Jabir should be left open.

Translations of Jabir

• E. J.

  Holmyard (ed.) The Arabic Works of Jabir ibn Hayyan, translated by Richard Russel in 1678. New Dynasty, E. P. Dutton (1928); Further Paris, P. Geuther.

• Syed Nomanul Haq, Names, Natures and Things: The Alchemists Jabir ibn Hayyan predominant his Kitab al-Ahjar (Book go along with Stones), [Boston Studies in nobleness Philosophy of Science p.

  158] (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1994).

• Donald R. Hill, 'The Literature close Arabic Alchemy' in Religion:Learning gain Science in the Abbasid Period, ed. by M.J.L. Young, J.D. Latham, and R.B. Serjeant (Cambridge University Press, 1990) pp. 328-341, esp. pp 333-5.
• William Newman, New Light on the Identity have a high regard for Geber, Sudhoffs Archiv, 1985, Vol.69, pp.

  76-90.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Asimov, Isaac. 1982. Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Branch of knowledge and Technology. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0385177712
• Ferguson, Pamela. 2002. World Book's Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists. Chicago: World Book.

  ISBN 0-7166-7600-1

• Gillispie, Charles Coulston. 1975. Dictionary assess Scientific Biography. New York: Scribner.
  Biography donald

  ISBN 0-6841-0121-1

• Holmyard, Eric J. 1962. The Makers of Chemistry. London: Oxford College Press.