MUHAMMAD IBN MUSA AL-

KHWARIZMI

(780 – 850 AD)

 Europe colonized and civilized much of the world. But long before then, this
Persian scholar single-handedly civilized Europeans with his superior
mathematics. He was the mastermind who improved horary quadrants, refined
trigonometric tables, and introduced the Hindu decimal system to Europe. His
brilliance and influence were such that the word “algorithm” was derived from his
surname: Al-Khwarizmi. And after Europeans were awestruck by his publication
whose title was shortened to Al Jabr, (but in full is Al-Kitab Al-Mukhtasar Fi Hisab
Al-Jabr Wa’l-Muqabala), the term Algebra was devised for that branch of
mathematics. Till today, Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi is acknowledged by many as
the “Father of Modern Algebra”. He is also fondly appreciated as one of the
pioneers of modern science during the Islamic Golden Age (which is Middle
East’s equivalent of the Renaissance). As an inspirational teacher and writer, his
efforts (more than anyone else’s) helped in advancing the mathematical
knowledge of medieval Europe. It was Al-Khwarizmi’s works which honed the
mathematical skills of Abu-Kamil Ibn-Aslam Shuja: the first person who employed
irrational numbers as coefficients and solutions to equations. Abu-Kamil would in
turn influence Leonardo Fibonacci, who gained fame in Europe by introducing
and popularizing the Asian math methods, which Al-Khwarizmi had advanced
and preserved. Due to his enormous reputation as a mathematician, Al-
Khwarizmi’s contributions to astronomy, geography and other fields are often
overshadowed by the ones he made to mathematics. The lunar impact crater, Al-
Khwarizmi, is named after him: in addition to numerous concepts, awards and
research centers.

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