TÜRKÇE

Bîrûnî, Orta Asya'da tarihi bir bölge olan Harezm'de doğdu. Küçük yaşta babasını kaybetti. Harezm'de Afrigoğulları (Âl-i Irak) hanedanı tarafından korundu, sarayda matematik ve astroloji eğitimi aldı. Buradaki hocaları İbn-i Irak ve Abdussamed bin Hakîm'dir. Bu dönemde daha 17 yaşındayken ilk kitabını yazdı. Harezm, Me'mûnîler hanedanının yönetimine girince Bîrûnî de İran'a giderek bir süre burada yaşadı. Daha sonra ise Ziyârîler tarafından korunmaya başlandı. El Âsâr'ul Bâkiye adlı kitabını Ziyârîlerin sarayında yazmıştır. İki yıl da burada çalıştıktan sonra memleketine geri döndü ve Ebu'l Vefâ ile gökbilim ve astroloji üzerine çalışmaya başladı.

 

1017'de Gazneli Mahmut, Harezm'i zapt ettiğinde Birûnî de Gazne şehrine gelerek burada Gazneliler'in himayesine girdi. Sarayda büyük itibar gördü ve Gazneli Mahmut'un Hindistan seferine katıldı. Burada Hint bilim adamlarının dikkatini çekti ve Hint ülkesi alınınca da Nendene şehrine yerleşerek bilimsel çalışmalarına burada devam etti. Sanskritçeyi öğrenerek Hint toplumunun yaşamı ve kültürü üzerine çalıştı.

 

Buradan tekrar Gazne şehrine döndü ve yaşamının geri kalan kısmını bu şehirde tamamladı. Bu dönem Bîrûnî'nin en verimli zamanı sayılmaktadır. Uzun zamandır hazırladığı Tahdîdu Nihâyet'il Emâkin adlı eserini bu döneme denk gelen 1025 yılında yayınladı. Astronomi üzerine yazdığı Kanûn-i Mes'ûdî adlı eserini Gazneli Mahmud'un oğlu Sultan Mesud'a ithaf etmiştir. Birûni 13 Aralık 1048 yılında ölmüştür. Genel görüş Birûni'nin İrani kökenli olduğu yönündedir.  Bununla beraber bazı kaynaklarda Türk kökenli olduğu ya da olabileceği belirtilmektedir.

 

ÇALIŞMALARI

Çok yönlü bir bilim adamı olan El-Birûnî, ilköğrenimini Yunan bir bilginden aldı. Tanınmış ve seçkin bir aileden gelen Harezmli matematikçi ve gökbilimci Ebu Nasr Mansur tarafından kollanan El-Birûnî, ilk çalışmalarını bu âlimin yanında yaptı. İlk eseri, "Asar-ül Bakiye"dir.

 

El-Bîrûnî’nin eserlerinin sayısı yüz seksen civarındadır. Yetmiş adet astronomi ve yirmi adet de matematik kitabı bulunmaktadır. Tıp, biyoloji, bitkiler, madenler, hayvanlar ve yararlı otlar üzerinde bir dizin oluşturmuştur. Ancak bu eserlerden sadece yirmi yedisi günümüze kadar gelebilmiştir. Özellikle Bîrûnî'nin eserlerinin Orta Çağ'da Latinceye çevrilmemiş olması, kitaplarının ağır bir dille yazılmış olmasının bir sonucudur. Ancak Bîrûnî kendisinin de dediği gibi, yapıtlarını sıradan insanlar için değil bilginler için yazmaktaydı.

 

Yine Harezmi "Zîci'nin Temelleri" adlı yapıtının 12. yüzyılda Abraham ben Ezra tarafından İbraniceye çevrildiği bilinmektedir. Batı'nın Birûni ilgisi ise 1870'lerde başladı. O günden bugüne Birûni eserlerinin bazılarının tamamı veya bir kısmı Almanca ve İngilizceye çevrildi.

 

Mektuplarından, Bîrûnî'nin Aristo'yu bildiği anlaşılır. İbn Sînâ gibi önemli bilginlerle beraber çalışan Bîrûnî, Hindistan'a birçok kez gitti. Bu nedenle Hindistan'ı konu alan bir kitap yazdı. Onun bu kitabı birkaç dile çevrildi. Birkaç dile çevrilen bu kitap çoğu bilgine örnek oldu. Birûni’nin bir tane de romanı vardır.

 

ESERLERİ

180 civarında eser yazdığı tahmin edilen Biruni’nin maalesef sadece 32 eseri günümüze kadar ulaşmıştır. Bu eserlerden en önemlileri şunlardır;

1. El-Âsâr’il-Bâkiye an’il-Kurûni’i-Hâli-ye: Günümüzde Beyazıt Devlet Kütüphanesinde korunan ve Biruni’nin eski uygarlıklar ile ilgili kronolojik bilgiler verdiği ve astronomiden bahsettiği eseridir.

2. El-Kanûn’ül-Mes’ûdî: Biruni’nin Gazneli Sultanı Mesud’a ithafen yazdığı bu eserinde astronomi,astroloji,jeodezi,coğrafya ve meteroloji konusunda yaptığı çalışmalara yer vermiştir.

3. Kitâb’üt-Tahkîk Mâ li’l-Hind: Biruni’nin 1030 yılında Hindistan’da kaleme aldığı bu eserde Hint kültürü,tarihi ve coğrafyasından bahsetmiştir.

4. Tahdîd’ü Nihâyeti’l-Emâkin li Tas-hîh-i Mesâfet’il-Mesâkin: İstanbul Kütüphanesinde bulunan bu değerli eserde Biruni farklı şehirler arası enlem ve boylamı bulma, kıbleyi tayin etmenin yanı sıra coğrafi,astronomik,astrolojik ve jeolojik bir takım bilgilere de yer vermiştir.

5. Kitâbü’l-Cemâhir fî Mâ’rifet-i Cevâ-hir: Birçok disiplini içerisinde barındıran bu eserinde psikoloji,fizyoloji,sosyoloji,tıp,kimya ve madencilik ile ilgili bilgiler vermiştir. Bu eserinde yer verdiği çalışmasında 23 katı ve 6 sıvı maddenin özgül ağırlığını günümüzdeki değerlerine çok yakın şekilde tespit etmiştir.

6. Kitâbü’t-Tefhîm fî Evâili Sıbaâti’t-Tencîm: Yıldızlar hakkındaki bu eseri genellikle soru cevap şeklinde olup 1029 yılında tamamlamıştır.

7. Kitâbü’s-Saydele fî Tıp: Biruni’nin bu eserinde tıp ve eczacılıkla ilgili bilgiler vermiştir. Bu eser 1930 yılında Bursa’nın Kurşunlu Cami kütüphanesinde bulunmuştur.

ENGLISH

Abu Rayhan al-Biruni (973 – after 1050) was an Iranian scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been variously called as the "founder of Indology", "Father of Comparative Religion" "Father of modern geodesy", and the first anthropologist

 

Al-Biruni was well versed in physics, mathematics, astronomy, and natural sciences, and also distinguished himself as a historian, chronologist and linguist. He studied almost all the sciences of his day and was rewarded abundantly for his tireless research in many fields of knowledge.[ Royalty and other powerful elements in society funded Al-Biruni's research and sought him out with specific projects in mind. Influential in his own right, Al-Biruni was himself influenced by the scholars of other nations, such as the Greeks, from whom he took inspiration when he turned to the study of philosophy A gifted linguist, he was conversant in Khwarezmian, Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and also knew Greek, Hebrew and Syriac. He spent much of his life in Ghazni, then capital of the Ghaznavids, in modern-day central-eastern Afghanistan. In 1017 he travelled to the Indian subcontinent and wrote a treatise on Indian culture entitled Tārīkh al-Hind (History of India), after exploring the Hindu faith practiced in India He was an admirably impartial writer on the customs and creeds of various nations, his scholarly objectivity winning him the title al-Ustadh ("The Master") in recognition of his remarkable description of early 11th-century India.

In Iran, Abu Rayhan Biruni's birthday is celebrated as the day of the surveying engineer

 

LIFE

He was born in the outer district (Bīrūn) of Kath, the capital of the Afrighid dynasty of Khwarezm (Chorasmia) in Central Asia - now part of the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan in the northwest of Uzbekistan.

Al-Biruni was born in the Bīrūn distric of Kath, in Chorasmia

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Al-Biruni spent the first twenty-five years of his life in Khwarezm where he studied Islamic jurisprudence, theology, grammar, mathematics, astronomy, medicine and philosophy and dabbled not only in the field of physics, but also in those of most of the other sciences The Iranian Khwarezmian language, which was Biruni's mother tongue, survived for several centuries after Islam until the Turkification of the region - as must some at least of the culture and lore of ancient Khwarezm - for it is hard to imagine that the commanding figure of Biruni, a repository of so much knowledge, should have appeared in a cultural vacuum He was sympathetic to the Afrighids, who were overthrown by the rival dynasty of Ma'munids in 995. He left his homeland for Bukhara, then under the Samanid ruler Mansur II the son of Nuh. There he corresponded with Avicenna] and there are extant exchanges of views between these two scholars.

 

In 998, he went to the court of the Ziyarid amir of Tabaristan, Shams al-Mo'ali Abol-hasan Ghaboos ibn Wushmgir. There he wrote his first important work, al-Athar al-Baqqiya 'an al-Qorun al-Khaliyya (literally: "The remaining traces of past centuries" and translated as "Chronology of ancient nations" or "Vestiges of the Past") on historical and scientific chronology, probably around 1000 A.D., though he later made some amendments to the book. He also visited the court of the Bavandid ruler Al-Marzuban. Accepting the definite demise of the Afrighids at the hands of the Ma'munids, he made peace with the latter who then ruled Khwarezm. Their court at Gorganj (also in Khwarezm) was gaining fame for its gathering of brilliant scientists.

 

In 1017, Mahmud of Ghazni took Rey. Most scholars, including al-Biruni, were taken to Ghazni, the capital of the Ghaznavid dynasty. Biruni was made court astrologer and accompanied Mahmud on his invasions into India, living there for a few years.

 

He was forty-four years old when he went on the journeys with Mahmud of Ghazni Biruni became acquainted with all things related to India. During this time he wrote his study of India, finishing it around 1030.  Along with his writing, Al-Biruni also made sure to extend his study to science while on the expeditions. He sought to find a method to measure the height of the sun, and created a makeshift quadrant for that purpose. Al-Biruni was able to make much progress in his study over the frequent travels that he went on throughout the lands of India

Belonging to the Sunni Ash'ari schoolal-Biruni nevertheless also associated with Maturidi theologians. He was however, very critical of the Mu'tazila, particularly criticising al-Jahiz and Zurqan.  He also repudiated Avicenna for his views on the eternality of the universe.

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An illustration from al-Biruni's astronomical works, explains the different phases of the moon.

 

Ninety-five of 146 books known to have been written by Bīrūnī were devoted to astronomy, mathematics, and related subjects like mathematical geography. He lived during the Islamic Golden Age, when the Abbasid Caliphs promoted the research of astronomy. This contributed to his research of astronomy, since in Islam worship and prayer require knowing the precise directions of sacred locations, which can only be accurately found using astronomical data.

 

To conduct research, Al-Biruni used different methods to tackle the various fields he studied.

 

Biruni's major work on astrologyis primarily an astronomical and mathematical text; he states: "I have begun with Geometry and proceeded to Arithmetic and the Science of Numbers, then to the structure of the Universe and finally to Judicial Astrology, for no one who is worthy of the style and title of Astrologer who is not thoroughly conversant with these for sciences." In these earlier chapters he lays the foundations for the final chapter, on astrological prognostication, which he criticises. He made the first semantic distinction between astronomy and astrology In a later work, he wrote a refutation of astrology, as opposed to astronomy which he supports. Some suggest that his reasons for refuting astrology were due to the methods used by astrologers being based on pseudoscience rather than empiricism and also due to the views of astrologers conflicting with Sunni Islam.

 

He wrote an extensive commentary on Indian astronomy in the Taḥqīq mā li-l-Hind mostly translation of Aryabhatta's work, in which he claims to have resolved the matter of Earth's rotation in a work on astronomy that is no longer extant, his Miftah-ilm-alhai'a (Key to Astronomy):

 

The rotation of the earth does in no way impair the value of astronomy, as all appearances of an astronomic character can quite as well be explained according to this theory as to the other. There are, however, other reasons which make it impossible. This question is most difficult to solve. The most prominent of both modern and ancient astronomers have deeply studied the question of the moving of the earth, and tried to refute it. We, too, have composed a book on the subject called Miftah-ilm-alhai'a (Key to Astronomy), in which we think we have surpassed our predecessors, if not in the words, at all events in the matter.

 

In his description of Sijzi's astrolabe he hints at contemporary debates over the movement of the earth. He carried on a lengthy correspondence and sometimes heated debate with Ibn Sina, in which Biruni repeatedly attacks Aristotle's celestial physics: he argues by simple experiment that vacuum must exist he is "amazed" by the weakness of Aristotle's argument against elliptical orbits on the basis that they would create vacuum; he attacks the immutability of the celestial spheres.

 

In his major astronomical work, the Mas'ud Canon, Biruni observed that, contrary to Ptolemy, the sun's apogee (highest point in the heavens) was mobile, not fixedHe wrote a treatise on the astrolabe, describing how to use it to tell the time and as a quadrant for surveying. One particular diagram of an eight geared device could be considered an ancestor of later Muslim astrolabes and clocks. More recently, Biruni's eclipse data was used by Dunthorne in 1749 to help determine the acceleration of the moon and his data on equinox times and eclipses was used as part of a study of Earth's past rotation

 

Al-Biruni was the person who first subdivided the hour sexagesimally into minutes, seconds, thirds and fourths in 1000 while discussing Jewish month

 

REFUTATION OF ETERNAL UNIVERSE

Similar to later Asharis, such as al-Ghazali, al-Biruni is famous for vehemently defending] the majority Sunni position that the universe has a beginning, being a strong supporter of creatio ex nihilo, specifically refuting the philosopher Avicenna in a multiple letter correspondence.

 

Al-Biruni stated the following

"Other people, besides, hold this foolish persuasion, that time has no terminus quo at all.''

 

He further stated that Aristotle, whose arguments Avicenna uses, contradicted himself when he stated that the universe and matter has a start whilst holding on to the idea that matter is pre-eternal. In his letters to Avicenna, he stated the argument of Aristotle, that there is a change in the creator. He further argued that stating there is a change in the creator would mean there is a change in the effect (meaning the universe has change) and that the universe coming into being after not being is such a change (and so arguing there is no change – no beginning – means Aristotle believes the creator is negated).

Al-Biruni was proud of the fact that he followed the textual evidence of the religion without being influenced by Greek philosophers such as Aristotle.

WORKS

Most of the works of Al-Biruni are in Arabic although he seemingly wrote the Kitab al-Tafhim in both Persian and Arabic, showing his mastery over both languages. Bīrūnī's catalogue of his own literary production up to his 65th lunar/63rd solar year (the end of 427/1036) lists 103 titles divided into 12 categories: astronomy, mathematical geography, mathematics, astrological aspects and transits, astronomical instruments, chronology, comets, an untitled category, astrology, anecdotes, religion, and books he no longer possesses

 

SELECTION OF EXTANT WORKS

1. A Critical Study of What India Says, Whether Accepted by Reason or Refused (تحقيق ما للهند من مقولة معقولة في العقل أو مرذولة); or Indica; or Kitāb al-Hind; Kitab al-Bīrūnī fī Taḥqīq mā li-al-Hind. or Alberuni's India (Translation)] – compendium of India's religion and philosophy.

2. Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology (Kitab al-tafhim li-awa’il sina‘at al-tanjim[); in Persian

3. The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries (الآثار الباقية عن القرون الخالية) – a comparative study of calendars of cultures and civilizations, (including several chapters on Christian cults) with mathematical, astronomical, and historical information.

4. Melkite Calendar, or Les Fetes des Melchites – Arabic text with French translation extract from The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries.

5. The Mas'udi Law (قانون مسعودي) – encyclopedia of astronomy, geography, and engineering, dedicated to Mas'ud, son of Mahmud of Ghazni of the eponymous title.

6. Understanding Astrology (التفهيم لصناعة التنجيم) – a question and answer style book about mathematics and astronomy, in Arabic and Persian.

7. Pharmacy – on drugs and medicines.

8. Gems (الجماهر في معرفة الجواهر) – geology manual of minerals and gems. Dedicated to Mawdud son of Mas'ud.

9. Astrolabe

10. A Short History

11. History of Mahmud of Ghazni and his father

12. History of Khawarezm

13. Kitab al-Āthār al-Bāqīyah ‘an al-Qurūn al-Khālīyah.

14. Risālah li-al-Bīrūnī (Epître de Berūnī)