04/03/2022
Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khawārizmī was born around 780 CE and he is a man known as one the most important and influential thinkers of all time!
Without algebra and algorithm, we could not measure anything, make anything or build anything. There would be no money, houses or roads. No hospitals or food production, no internet, no defence, etc.
But do you know who is known as "the as the father of algebra and algorithm"? It is none other than Ibn Mūsā al-Khawārizmī. One of the greats!
Is math the language of science? If that is the case, then we should be thankful to him for translating it for us. Al-Khawārizmī became the director of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, in modern-day Iraq, which was the capital of the Islamic empire at that time. There, he was part of a community of scholars from across the world who translated and studied ancient manuscripts. He blended and improved mathematical concepts from ancient Babylonian, Greek, and Hindu scholars, revolutionizing how we do math.
In the western world, he is also known as "Algoritmi" and the word “algorithm” is derived from the Latinization of his name, and the word “algebra” is derived from the Latinization of “al-Jabr“, which is a part of the title of his most famous book, in which he introduced the fundamental algebraic methods and techniques for solving equations.
We cannot today imagine the world without algebra, but have you ever heard of this man before? If not, you now probably know the reason why. He was a Muslim, with a turban and beard.
