Al-Biruni, a polymath, Founder of Indology and geodesy

Abū Rayḥān Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Bīrūnī

Al-Biruni is regarded as one of the greatest scholars of the medieval Islamic era and was well versed in physics, mathematics, astronomy, and natural sciences, and also distinguished himself as a historian, chronologist and linguist. He was conversant in Khwarezmian, Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and also knew Greek, Hebrew and Syriac. He spent a large part of his life in Ghazni in modern-day Afghanistan, capital of the Ghaznavid dynasty which was based in what is now central-eastern Afghanistan. In 1017 he traveled to the Indian subcontinent and authored “Tahrikh Al-Hind” (History of India) after visiting India. He is given the titles the "founder of Indology". He was an impartial writer on custom and creeds of various nations, and was given the title al-Ustadh ("The Master") for his remarkable description of early 11th-century India. He also made contributions to Earth sciences, and is regarded as the "father of geodesy" for his important contributions to that field, along with his significant contributions to geography.

Born: 4/5 September 973 Kath, Khwarezm, Samanid Empire (modern-day Uzbekistan)  
Died: 13 December 1048 (aged 75) Ghazni, Ghaznavid Empire (modern-day Afghanistan)
Residence: Khwarezm, Central Asia Ziyarid dynasty (Rey) Ghaznavid dynasty (Ghazni)  
Religion: Islam
Influences: Prophet Muhammad pbuh, Aristotle, Ptolemy Abū Ḥanīfa Dīnawarī, Rhazes, al-Sijzi, Iranshahri, Abu Nasr Mansur, Avicenna, al-Battani  
Era: Islamic Golden Age
Fields: Geology, physics, anthropology, comparative sociology, astronomy, astrology, chemistry, history, geography, mathematics, medicine, psychology, philosophy, theology  
Notable Idea: Founder of Indology, geodesy  

Al-Biruni was born in the province of Khorasan, in Northeastern Persia in 973. Like many other children in his time, he was educated at a young age, learning the Arabic and Persian languages, as well as basic Islamic studies, and natural sciences. Early on, he took an interest in mathematics and astronomy, which he specialized in under the eminent astronomers of the day.

Al-Biruni continued a remarkable career in the early 1000s, doing research into fields such as:

• How the earth spins on its axis
• How wells and springs transport water to the surface
• Combining statics and dynamics into the study of mechanics
• Recording the latitude and longitude of thousands of cities, which allowed him to determine the direction towards Makkah for each city
• The optical nature of shadows, particularly their use for the calculation of prayer times
• Separating scientific astronomy from superstitious astrology

 During his 75 years, al-Biruni managed to revolutionize the way numerous subjects were understood. By the time he died in 1048, he had authored well over 100 books, of which many have not survived till today. His intellect and mastery of various subjects, and his ability to relate them together to gain a better understanding of each puts him among the greatest Muslim scholars of all time. His life serves as proof of the ability of Muslim scholars of the past to push the limits of knowledge and establish new frontiers in the sciences. It also serves to show the ability of the best scholars to rise above political problems, wars, and and general instability to still do world-changing research and make remarkable discoveries.