11th Century Arab-Muslim Scientist’s Writings Revolutionized Optics, Transforming Physics in Europe

Researchers from the University of Sharjah and the Warburg Institute are studying the work of an 11th century Arab-Muslim scientist named al-Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham, also known as Alhazen in Latin. They want to show how his writings, especially his famous Book of Optics, fundamentally changed the study of physics and optics in Europe from medieval times up through today.

Ibn al-Haytham was born in 965 AD in Basra, Iraq. He was a true polymath, making significant contributions in mathematics, astronomy, and especially optics. His most influential work, the Book of Optics, was originally written in Arabic and later translated into Latin, allowing it to circulate widely in Europe.

The Book of Optics was a massive tome, covering everything from the physics of light rays to the anatomy of the eye in meticulous detail. Ibn al-Haytham developed rigorous scientific methods involving precise mathematics and repeated experimentation, earning him a reputation as perhaps the greatest physicist of the medieval Islamic world.

“He deals with both the mathematics of rays of light and the physical aspects of the eye in seven comprehensive books. His reinstatement of the entire science of optics sets the scene for the whole of the subsequent development of the subject,” notes the Warburg Institute.

Ibn al-Haytham’s Book of Optics Had Profound Impact from Middle Ages to Modern Era

The Warburg Institute has been working on translating parts of Ibn al-Haytham’s Book of Optics into English to make his groundbreaking ideas more accessible to modern readers. So far, they have published English versions of Books I-III and most recently Books IV-V, which focus on reflection and images seen by reflection.

“The role of Alhazen [Ibn al-Haytham] in these processes is simultaneously well-known, but limited; only half of his scientific works have English translation and a quarter are not yet edited,” the Institute points out. By investing in these translations, they aim to spotlight the immense impact Ibn al-Haytham had on the development of science in Europe.

Indeed, the Book of Optics went on to influence a long list of famous European thinkers, including William of Ockham, Kepler, Descartes, and Christaan Huygens. It introduced revolutionary ideas about the mathematical modeling of light and laid the foundations for the science of physical optics as we know it today.

Professor Nader El-Bizri from the University of Sharjah, who is working with the Warburg Institute to reintroduce Ibn al-Haytham’s work to Western audiences, recently published a review emphasizing the continued relevance and influence of the Book of Optics over a vast span of history.

“Ibn al-Haytham’s Book of Optics indicates with evidence the impact of Arabic sciences and philosophy on the history of science and the architectural and visual arts in Europe,” writes Prof. El-Bizri, “as well as demonstrating how science and the arts influence each other in the manner the studies of optics in their mathematized physics inspired the invention of projective geometric constructions of perspective as a novel Renaissance method of painting and architectural design.”

Ancient Arabic Text Still Relevant for Modern Science and Art

The impact of Ibn al-Haytham’s Book of Optics extended far beyond the realm of science. By mathematizing the study of vision and perspective, it planted the seeds for the development of linear perspective in art during the Renaissance.

Translating and analyzing the writings of Ibn al-Haytham thus sheds light not only on the history of physics, but on the very intertwined relationship between science and art over the centuries. Nearly a millennium after it was first penned, the Book of Optics remains “seminal” and its author hugely influential.

“The impact of this book is fundamental not only in the history of science from the High Middle Ages till the early-modern period in Europe, but it was also foundational for architecture and the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance and up till the late Baroque era,” stresses Prof. El-Bizri.

“Moreover, it has further significance in modern conceptions of the mathematization of physics, the reliance on experimentation in science, and the philosophical analysis of perception.” The work started by an 11th century Muslim polymath in Iraq, in other words, is still very much relevant in the 21st century.

Keyword/Phrase: Ibn al-Haytham Book of Optics