Athir al-Din al-Abhari

AthÃÂ«r al-DÃÂ«n al-MufaÃ¡Â¸ÂÃ¡Â¸Âal ibn ÃÂ¿Umar ibn al-MufaÃ¡Â¸ÂÃ¡Â¸Âal al-SamarqandÃÂ« al-AbharÃÂ« (Persian): ÃÂ§ÃÂ«ÃÂÃÂ±ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂ¯ÃÂÃÂ ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¶ÃÂÃÂÃÂ ÃÂ¨ÃÂ ÃÂ¹ÃÂÃÂ± ÃÂ¨ÃÂ ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¶ÃÂÃÂÃÂ ÃÂ³ÃÂÃÂ±ÃÂÃÂÃÂ¯ÃÂ ÃÂ§ÃÂ¨ÃÂÃÂ±ÃÂ; d. 1262 or 1265 also known as AthÃÂ«r al-DÃÂ«n al-Munajjim (ÃÂ§ÃÂ«ÃÂÃÂ±ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂ¯ÃÂÃÂ ÃÂÃÂÃÂ¬ÃÂ) was an Iranian Muslim polymath, philosopher, astronomer, astrologer and mathematician. Other than his influential writings, he had many disciples.

Life

His birthplace is contested among sources. According to the Encyclopaedia of Islam and the Encyclopaedia Islamica, he was born in Abhar, a small town between Qazvin and Zanjan in the North-West of Iran. The claim of G.C. Anawati making him a native of Mosul in Iraq, taken from the fact that al-AbharÃÂ« was educated by a scientist from Mosul, KamÃÂl al-DÃÂ«n ibn YÃÂ«nus al-MawÃ¡Â¹Â£ilÃÂ«, must also been dismissed. None of his oldest biographers mentioned Mosul as his birthplace, and al-AbharÃÂ« himself indicated that he had gone to Mosul for this purpose. Beside the city of Abhar, the epithet al-AbharÃÂ« could suggest that he or his ancestors originally stem from the Abhar tribe.

In his youth al-AbharÃÂ« was a student of the theologian Fakhr al-DÃÂ«n al-RÃÂzÃÂ«, probably in the city of Ghazni or Herat. Beside philosophy and logic, from al-RÃÂzÃÂ« it is likely that al-AbharÃÂ« received an orthodox Sunni instruction in theology (kalÃÂm), jurisprudence (fiqh), and QurÃ¢ÂÂanic exegesis (tafsÃÂ«r). When Mongol took Khwarezmian Empire, al-AbharÃÂ«, in 1228 he flew to Erbil, then to Damascus, where he studied to MuÃ¡Â¸Â¥yÃÂ« al-DÃÂ«n MuÃ¡Â¸Â¥ammad b. SaÃ¢ÂÂÃÂ«d b. NadÃÂ«. Then he went to Mosul, where he studied mathematics, especially astronomy, under the direction of KamÃÂl al-DÃÂ«n al-MawÃ¡Â¹Â£ilÃÂ«.

Among his students were Najm al-Din al-Qazwini al-Katibi, AbÃÂ« Zakariya al-Qazwini, and Ibn KhallikÃÂn.

According to most accounts, al-AbharÃÂ« died in Mosul between 660/1261Ã¢ÂÂ62 and 663/1264Ã¢ÂÂ65, during the reign of KhÃÂn HÃÂ¼legÃÂ¼.

Works

Astronomy

RisÃÂla fÃÂ« al-hayÃÂ¾a (ÃÂ±ÃÂ³ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂ ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¦ÃÂ©; lit. Treatise on astronomy).
MukhtaÃ¡Â¹Â£ar fÃÂ« al-hayÃÂ¾a (ÃÂÃÂ®ÃÂªÃÂµÃÂ± ÃÂÃÂ ÃÂ¹ÃÂÃÂ ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¦ÃÂ©; lit. Epitome on astronomy).
Kashf al-Ã¡Â¸Â¥aqÃÂÃÂ¾iq fÃÂ« taÃ¡Â¸Â¥rÃÂ«r al-daqÃÂÃÂ¾iq (ÃÂÃÂ´ÃÂ ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ§ÃÂ¦ÃÂ ÃÂÃÂ ÃÂªÃÂÃÂ±ÃÂÃÂ± ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂ¯ÃÂÃÂ§ÃÂ¦ÃÂ), where he accepts the view that the celestial bodies do not change and maintains that stars have volition and it is the source of their motion.

Mathematics

Several works on IÃ¡Â¹Â£lÃÂÃ¡Â¸Â¥ (ÃÂ§ÃÂµÃÂÃÂ§ÃÂ; lit. Correction) of Euclid, one of which is an attempt to prove the parallel postulate, which was commented upon and criticized by Shams al-DÃÂ«n al-SamarqandÃÂ«.

Philosophy

(ÃÂÃÂ¯ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂ©ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂÃÂ©ÃÂÃÂ; lit. Guide on Philosophy): a book dealing with the complete cycle of Hikmat, i.e., logic, natural philosophy, and metaphysics.
' (ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂ³ÃÂ§ÃÂºÃÂÃÂ¬ÃÂ ÃÂÃÂ ÃÂ§ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ·ÃÂ; Commentary on Porphyry's Isagoge), a treatise on logic. Latin Translation by Thomas Obicini; ÃÂªsÃÂghÃÂ«khÃÂ«, Isagoge. Id est, breve Introductorium Arabicum in Scientiam Logices: cum versione latina: ac theses Sanctae Fidei. R. P. F. Thomae Novariensis (1625).

Notes

References

(PDF version)

Masjid Darus Salam. "al- AbharÃÂ«, AtÃÂ²hÃÂ²ÃÂ«r al-DÃÂ«n MufaÃ¡Â¸ÂÃ¡Â¸Âal b. ÃÂ¿Umar." A Brief Biographical Sketch of ImÃÂm AthÃÂ«r al-DÃÂ«n al-AbharÃÂ« By Mohammad Mustafa Ali (4th Year Alim Student, DarusSalam Seminary).

Further reading

External links

Isagoge of al-AhbÃÂrÃÂ« with Latin translation and a theological treatise by Thomas Obicini (Gallica, BibliothÃÂ¨que nationale de France).