Here, let me make it a little easier for you Otto:
AL-BATTANI
c.855 - 929
Arab Astronomer
Al-Battani's great astronomical work 'De motu stellarum' exercised a great influence on European astronomy. Al-Battani was born in an area which is now in Turkey and lived in Syria, where he carried out astronomical observations. As a mathematician he found more accurate values for the length of the year, for the annual precession of the equinoxes, and for the inclination of the ecliptic. He also improved the calculation for sinus functions.
AL-BIRUNI
973 - 1048
Arab Scholar
Al-Biruni was one of the most learned men of his age who corresponded with the great philosopher Ibn Sina. He spent a large part of his life in Ghazna, Afghanistan. In 1017 he travelled to India. Conversant in Turkish, Persian, Sanskrit, Hebrew and Arabic Al-Biruni became the most important interpreter of Indian science to Islam.
In astronomical works he discussed the theory of the earth's rotation on its axis, in physics he advanced hydrostatic laws and in geography he advanced the visionary view that the Indus valley had once be a sea basin.
ABU KASIM
936 - 1013
Arab Surgeon
Abu Kasim was a physician in Cordoba, Spain, and he is considered the 'Father of Modern Surgery'.
Abu Kasim was the most famous physician of his time and he treated patients from all over Europe. He is best known for several original breakthroughs in surgery, as an inventor of several surgical instruments, and for his famous Medical Encyclopedia. He employed vivisection of animals for his research, and wrote a standard text book on surgery which was translated into Latin and many other European languages.
AL-HASSAN
965 - 1039
Arab Optician
Al-Hassan was born in Basra, Iraq and died in Cairo. He made the first important contribution to optical theory since the time of Ptolemy in the second century A.D.
He made studies about optics, atmosphere, physics and astronomy, and he was the first to recognize the optical nerve in the human eye.
AL-KARISMI
c.778 - c.850
Arab Mathematician
Al-Karismi, or Al-Khwarizmi, was born in central Asia. He lived most of his life in Baghdad during the first golden age of Islamic science. He developed the decimal system by using the Indian notion of Zero, and he invented the term 'algebra'. The term 'algorism' derives from the title of his book on Hindu-Arabic numerals. In another book he presented more than 800 examples of calculation of integration and equation. His works were instrumental in introducing the subjects of algebra and Hindu numerals into European mathematics.
AL-RASI
c.864 - 930
Arab Physician
Al-Rasi, born near modern Tehran, was the greatest physician of Islam and the Medieval Ages, and was the undisputable authority on medicine up to Seventeenth century. His original work on smallpox, measles and infectious diseases is still cited in modern textbooks.
Al-Rasi was the first person to introduce the use of alcohol (Arabic Al-Kuhl) for medical purposes. He was also an expert surgeon and was the first to use opium for anaesthesia. As a director of a hospital he wrote the most complete Arabic medicinal encyclopaedia. Al-Rasi was also known as a philosopher and he developed the atomic theory of the Greek philopher Democritus.
AL-KINDI
c.789 - c.873
Arab Naturalist
Al-Kindi was born of noble Arabic descent and flourished in Iraq. He is considered one of the twelve greatest minds of the Middle Ages. Al-Kindi was the first genuine philosopher to write in Arabic. He was a universal scholar who wrote over 200 texts about mathematics, astronomy, optics, medicine, music and psychology. In addition he worked as a chemist, optician, and music theorist.
Writing of chemistry, Al-Kindi argued that base metals cannot be converted to precious metals. He also researched on the scientific aspects of music. He stated that the various notes that combine to produce harmony have a specific pitch, and he stated that when a sound is produced it generates waves in the air. He made important contributions to the Arabic system of numerals. His original work provided the foundation for modern arithmetic.
Omar Al-Khayyam, a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher from Persia, worked at the court of the turkish Seljuk Sultan. Based on his astronomical observations Al-Khayyam created the most exact calendar up to that time. He developed a method for the solution of equations based on geometry and he made major contributions in Mathematics, particularly in Algebra.
In the West, he is best known for his poetic work 'Rubaiyat' which was translated by Edward Fitzgerald in 1859. His themes involved complex mystical and philosophical thoughts. Although a pious Muslim, in his later life he developed a free-thinking philosophy.
IBN SINA
980 - 1037
Persian Scientist
Ibn Sina was the most famous of the philosopher - scientists of Islam.
Ibn Sina, or Avicenna, was born in Bukhara then a leading city in Persia. His youth was spent in the company of the most learned men of his time and he became accomplished in all the sciences and arts. Ibn Sina collected in over 100 books the entire scientific knowledege of his time and is called the "Prince of Science". He spent the last years of his life in Hamadan, where he composed the 'Canon of Medicine', which is among the most famous books in the history of medicine.
Suleiman the Magnificent
1494-1566
Suleyman in his time was regarded as the most significant ruler in the world, by both Muslims and Europeans. His military empire expanded greatly both to the east and west, and he threatened to overrun the heart of Europe itself. In Constantinople, he embarked on vast cultural and architectural projects. Istanbul in the middle of the sixteenth century was architecturally the most energetic and innovative city in the world. While he was a brilliant military strategist and canny politician, he was also a cultivator of the arts. Suleyman's poetry is among the best poetry in Islam, and he sponsored an army of artists, religious thinkers, and philosophers that outshone the most educated courts of Europe.
I think that's more than a few contributions to the sum total of human knowledge....don't you?
Ravs
