THE ROLE OF MUSLIM SCIENTIST & THEIR

CONTRIBUTIONS IN BIOLOGY

Submitted By: Tasneem Ahmed

Submitted To: Ma’am Zainab

Roll Number: 44881

Department of Education

Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan

December 2018
 Role of Muslim Scientist in Biology
Muslim scientists contributed a lot of knowledge in to the science of biology and medicines from
8th to 15th century. There have been hundreds of notable Muslim scientists who have made
contributions to civilization and to society by furthering the development of science in the High
Middle Ages. Their views were highly respected and taken as authority. Some of the famous
Muslim scientist are:

Jabir Bin Hayan (721-815 AD)

He was born in Iran and practiced medicine in Iraq. He introduced experimental chemistry and
wrote several books on plants and animals. Among these, “AL-Nabtat” and “Al-Hayawan” are
noteworthy. He was also an Astronomer, Pharmacist, Physician, Philosopher and Engineer.

Abdul Malik Aasmai (740-828)

He was born in Busra. He was regarded as a specialist in animal sciences. He wrote many books on animals
and plants. one of his books “AL-Kheil” is about horses, another, “AL-Ibil” about camels, a third “A-Sha”
about sheep and fourth “AL-Wahoosh” is about wild animals. In the book “” Khalaq-ul-Insan”, he had
described different parts and functions of human body.

Bu Ali Sina (980-1037)

He was born near Bukhara. He was among the greatest Muslim scientist and his most valuable
contribution was in the field of medicines. He was an expert in Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics
and Paleontology. He worked on the structure, function, and diseases of the eye. He describes 130
diseases of the eye in his book. His book “Al-Qanun-Fil-Tibb” was translated into many European
languages.

Abu Usman Umar Al Jahiz (776-868 Basra)

He wrote famous book “Al Haywan” which described his own observation on animals, such as the
seasonal migration of fish river Tigris, Similarly, he described the life system of an ant.

AL FARABI (870-950AD)
This renowned Hakim and biologist lived in 870-950 AD. He wrote two books “Kitab-ul-Nabatat”
which is about plants and “Kitab-ul-Haywanat” which is about animals.
Ibn UL haithan (965-1039)

He was one of the most outstanding biologists and ophthalmologist of Muslim world. He corrected
the Greek Concept of Vision locating retina as the seat of vision. His famous book is “Kitab ul
Manazir” and “Mizanul Hikma” were translated into Latin, Hebrew, Greek, and other western
languages.

Ibn al-Baitar (1227-1248(21)

The most credited botanist Ibn al-Baitar was an Pharmacist, Botanist, Physician and Scientist. His
main contribution was to systematically record the additions made by Islamic physicians in the
Middle Ages, which added between 300 and 400 types of medicine to the one thousand previously
known since antiquity. “Kitab al-Jami li Mufradat al-Adwiya wa-l-Aghdhiya” is one of the greatest
botanical compilations dealing with medicinal plants in Arabic. In his pharmaceutical
encyclopedia, Al-Baitar lists 1,400 plants, herbs, and foods. Among 1,400 plants, 200 were
discovered by him and he gave the proper guidelines for their usage in medicine. It enjoyed a high
status among botanists up to the 16th century. The book refers to the work of some 150 authors
mostly Arabic, and it also quotes about 20 early Greek scientists. It was translated into Latin and
published in 1758.After his services, he was appointed as chief herbalist in Damascus in 1224 AD

Ibn al-Nafis (1213- Dec 17-1288 A.D)

He was a renowned biologist of 13 century A.D and born in Damascus, Syria, in 1213 AD. He
describes the circulation of blood in human body. Ibn al-Nafis was a doctor and physician of
Islamic Golden Age. He is famously known for his work on blood circulations. He describes the
right sided circulation, while William Harvey, after 400 years, describe right sided circulation.

Invention: Describe right sided pulmonary circulation.

 Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas Al-Zahrawi (936-1013/1004.)

Title: The Father of Modern Surgery.

Medical students, especially surgeons, may have heard his name before because of his contribution
in the field of medical. AL-Zahrawi was a Muslim surgeon born in Medina Azahara, modern day
Spain. He was famous surgeon of medieval age in Europe. He was famous for the removal of stone
from Urinary Bladder. He is best known for his original work on Surgical Encyclopedia “Al-
Tasrif’ which was consider as standard reference in medicine for 500 years. The encyclopedia is
based on Zahrawi’s operations that he performed for decades. Additionally, Al-Zahrawi is also an
inventor of several surgical instruments like, instrument for inspecting urethra and others. He was
also famous for the removal of stone from urinary bladder.

Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi

When it’s about medical, it’s about al-Razi. He is a very renowned doctor of medieval age.
Beside medical, his contributions in chemistry are also remarkable. He has got many titles, like
the world’s first best doctor, father of phycology (not modern phycology), father of
psychotherapy, and father of pediatrics. Furthermore, he wrote 200 books on various sciences in
which half of them were on medical. His work and treatises were the part of Western University
curriculum. His book on medical – Kitab al-Mansouri – is among the only two most influential
medical books of medieval age, and interesting fact, both were written by him. Al-Razi’s another
book – Kitab al-Hāwī fī al-Tibb – is a comprehensive encyclopedia on medical, which gained
success under the Latin name Liber Continents. Have you ever been through smallpox and
measles? Most probably, you have. Thanks to al-Razi, the first person who identity the disease
and gave most trustworthy treatment of that time. For his enormous contribution in medical field,
he was honored the title “Doctor’s Doctor”. Indeed, he was greatest Muslim scientist. His end
was not justified, in later life al-Razi became blind because of the tortured. He was tortured to
not successfully convert base metals into precious metals like silver and gold. He died in in 925
or 935 in Ray, Iran.
 Al-Kindi (801–873 AD)

Al-Kindi was born in Kufa and educated in Baghdad. The Italian Renaissance scholar Geralomo
Cardano (1501–1575) considered him as one of the twelve greatest minds. There are more than
thirty treatises attributed to al-Kindi in the field of medicine, His most important work in this field
is probably De Gradibus, in which he demonstrates the application of mathematics to medicine,
particularly in the field of pharmacology. According to Plinio Prioreschi, this was the first attempt
at serious quantification in medicine.

Bu Ali Sina (Avicenna) (980-June 21-1037)

Ibn-Sina (Latinized, Avicenna) born in Bukhara, present day Uzbekistan, in 980 AD. Like
Philosophy, Ibn-Sina contributed in the field of medicine. He wrote many books on medicines, in
which 40 survived. He worked on the structure, function, disease of eyes. He Described 130
disease of the eye in his book “Al Qanoon Fil Tib”. His medical encyclopedia – The Canon of
Medicine – became standard medical book in universities. Another encyclopedia (The Book of
Healing) on philosophy gained fame in medieval time.

Aziz Sancar

Muslim Nobelist from Turkey that won Nobel Prize in 2015 on his work on DNA repair. Only
three Muslim scientists have won Nobel Prize.

1. Aziz Sancar
2. Ahmed Zewali
3. Muhammad Abdus Salam
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