ANNALS OF SAUDI MEDICINE Vol. 27 No. 6 November-December 2007 * Shawwal-Dhu Al Qada 1425 Reproduction of image trom the Kitab al Manazir (Book of Optics) by bn AlMaytham An international peer-reviewed journal of medicine and surgery Sponsored by the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre www.saudiannals.net464 Arab and Muslim Physicians and Scholars Ibn Al-Haytham: Father of Modern Optics Abdelghani Tbakhi, MD* Samir S. Amr, MDt from the “Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hoke Diew Grace Hospital, University of Wester Ontario, Winsor, Ont, {Gace andt Pathology Services Dkvston, Dhahran Hea Canter Saud Aramco Medial Sences Oiginication Dhara, Saud Arte Covrespondience and eprint requ Abdelghn! Tho, MD - Deparment of Pathology and Labortry Medicine: HéteLDieu Grace Hospital Tos Ovals Avenue Windsor“ ONNGA TEI" Canada 1: «1'519.973-44T ext 3579 Abelghan Toskhiwhdgh org ‘Ann Saudi Med 2007; 2716: 464467 Ihe Arab Muslim scholar Abu Ali al Hasan ibn al-Haytham , known in the west as Alhacen or ‘Alhazen was born in 965 in the city of Basea in Southern Irag, hence he is also known as Al-Basti.' He was educated in Basra and Baghdad, and died in Cairo, Egypt in ehe year 1040. ‘Many details of the life of Tbn al-Haytham have been lost over time. The stories related ro his life are often contradictory, depending on the historian relat- ing them. Most of the data on the biography of Tbn al-Haytham came feom the writings of the chieeeench century Muslim historian Ibn al-Cifti (1172-1248). Initially, Ibn al-Haytham was trained for a civil service job and was appointed as a judge for Basra. Due to the presence of various religious movements with diverse Original image, Diagram of the Eyes and Related Nerves, fom Kitab al Manazir(Book of Optics by Ibn al-Haytham, Istanbul, Eleventh Century. and conglicting views at that time, he became dsillu- sioned with religious studies and decided to dedicate his time and effort for the study of science, His know!- caige in mathematics and physics became legendary and. he was well known in Iraq, Syria and Egypt. He was invited by Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, he Fatimid Caliph ‘of Egypt to help in regulating the flow ofthe Nile dur- ing the floods. Al-Hakim, a Shiite of the Ismaili sect, was known to be an eccentric ruler who issued several arbitrary edicts and laws, prohibiting che consumption of certain foods, preventing women from leaving their homes, killing all the dogs, and forcing people to work during the night and rest by day. He was quite brutal and had killed his eutors and ministers on a whim, ‘When Ibn al-Haytham realized on his field work along, the Nile thac his scheme to regulace the Niles water flow by building a dam souh of Aswan was impeact- cal, he feared for his life. To avoid the potential of the deadly wrach and anger of his temperamental and men: tally unstable pacvon, be faked insanicy. He was stripped ‘of his possessions and books, and was kept under house arrest for about 10 years unsilehe time of Al-Hakim’s death in 1021, when he was assassinated in mysterious Following his release from house arest, he lived in a domed building (Qubbah) close to the Azhar Mosque in Cairo, teaching mathematis and physics, writing sci- cence texts, and making money by copying texts. During his period of incarceration, he weote his in- fluential “Kitab Al Manazer” or the Book of Optic in addition to several significant books and chapters on physics, mathematics, engineering, astronomy, medi- cine, psychology, anacomy, visual perception and ophe thalmology. He wrote his introduction of the scientific methods. ‘bnal-Haycham wasa prolific author. He wrote more than 200 works on a wide range of subjects, of which at lkast 96 of his scientific works are known, and approxi- mately 50 of them have survived to date. Neatly half of has surviving works are on mathematics, 23 of them are ‘on astronomy, and 14 of them are on optics, with afew ‘am Saud Med 276) Novenber-Deconber 2007 wavs cdusa/sanlsArab and Muslim Physicians and Scholars ‘on other areas of science." Noc all of his surviving works hrave yet been studied, but some of his mose important ‘ones are described below. These include: + Kitab Al Manazer (Book of Optics) + Risa fi al-Dawa’ (Treatise on Light) + Mizan al-Fikmab (Balance of Wisdom) + Magalah fi alQarastun (Treavise on Centers of Gravity} + Risaleh fi al-Makan (Treatise on the Place) + Al-Shukuk al Batlamyus (Doubts concerning Prolemy) + On che Configuration of the World «The model of che Motion of che Seven Planets Scientific Method Elements of modern scientific methods are found in carly Islamic philosophy, in particular, using experi- ments to distinguish berween competing scientific theo ries, and a general belief shat knowledge reveals nacure honestly. Islamic philosophy developed in the Middle ‘Ages and was pivotal in scientific debates. The key fig- ures for these debates were scientists and philosophers Iba al-Hayrham was quite influeneal in chs regard. An important observation in his book “Kitab Al Manazer” led him eo propose that the eyes receive light reflected from objects, rather chan emanating light themselves, contradicting contemporary beliefs, including those of Ptolemy and Euclid. The way in which Ibn al-Haytham combined observations and rational arguments had a great influence on Roger Bacon and Johnnes Kepler in particular, Bacon (1214-1296), Franciscan friar work ing under the tuition of Grosseteste, was inspired by che ‘writings of Ibn al-Haytham, who preserved and built upon Aristorls portrait of introduction. Ibn al-Haytham developed rigorous experimental methods of controlled scientific testing in order to verify theoretical hypotheses and substantiate inductive con- jectures. Iba al-Haythams scientific method was very similar to the modern scientific method and consisted of a repeating cycle of observation, hypothesis, exper- mentation, and the need for independent verifcation.”* Gorini wroce the following on Ibn al-Haythan’s in~ troduction of the seientfic method: “According to the majority of the historians al-Haytham was the pioneet of the modern scientific method, With his book, he changed che meaning of the cerm “optics; and estab- lished experiments as the norm of proof in the field. His investigations were based not on abstract theories, bur on experimencal evidences. His experiments were systematic and repeatable’? ‘An Sand Med 2718). November December 207 wa sauianal et Physics and Optics Tn al-Haythams theory of light and vision is neither idencical with nor directly descendant from any one of the theories known to have previously existed in the antiquity or in Islam. The first real appreciation of the action ofa lens, in particular the ability ofa convex form to produce a magnified image of an object. appears to be credited to Ibn al- Haytham.*? Ic was noc until the lace 13th century chat spectacles were invented, represent- ing the first practical use of magnification in society" Ibn al-Haytham made a thorough examination of the possage of light through various media and discovered the laws of refraction. He also carried our the first ex- periments on the dispersion of light into its constica- ‘ent coloes. Ibn Al-Haychams seven volume treatise on ‘optics, Kitab al-Manazer (Book of Optics), which he wrote while incarcerated between 1011 to 1021, which has been ranked alongside Isaze Newton’ Philosephiae ‘Naturalis Pineipia Mathematica as one of the most in- fluential books ever written in physics, drastically trans- formed the understanding of light and vision." He dealt ar length withthe theory of various physi- cal phenomena like shadows, eclipses, the rainbow, and speculated on the physical navure of light. He also 3¢- tempted to explain binocular vision, and gave a correct ‘explanation of che apparent increase in siz of the sun and the moon when near the horizon, He is known for the earliest use ofthe camera obscura and pinhole cam- eral! As stated above, he contradicted Prolemy’s and Fucli’s theory of vision that objects are seen by rays ‘of light emanating from the eyes; according co him the rays originate in the object of vision and not in the eye. Structure ofthe eye, by ton a- Hoytham, from the Book of Opies 465