Mathematician, scientist, one of the
founders of algebra (B. ?- D. 986?). His full name is Ebu’l-Fadl ‘Abdulhamid ibnVâsi’ bin Türk al-Huttalî (or) el-Cîlî. He is a Turkish Muslim
mathematician who lived in the ninth century. There is little information about
his life. It is assumed that Ebu Berze Fazl b. Muhammed b. Abdulhamid b. Türk
(Death. Baghdad, 4 November 910) was his grandchild. His and his grandchild’s
who was also a mathematician tag “Ibn Turk” shows that they were Turks. It is
assumed that they lived two or three centuries after the Hegira. A story claims
that they lived during the period of Caliph Vasık (Death 847). Various sources
claim that his last name was written differently, so the place he was born and
lived in is not precise, however according to them this place should be Gilan
at the south of Caspian Sea or Huttal in the west of Chinese Turkmenistan.
Abdülhamid İbn Türk produced some
researches about the theory of numbers and algebra. It is certain that he lived
and worked in Baghdad in the first half of 9th century and published
mathematical works. İbnün-Nedim in his “el-Fihrist”inde
mentions Abdülhamîdb. Vâsi and states that he is the author of two books titled
“Kitabü’l-Câmifil-hisâb” and “Kitabü’I-Mu’amelât”. When
İbnü'l-Kıftîmentions him, he says that he was known as İbn Türk el-Cîlî. He
claims that he was very knowledgeable and competent in calculus, members of
this science always mentioned him. He added that he was the author of two
additional books titled “Kitabü Nevadiri’l-hisab”and “Havassül-â’dad”. However, it is possible that these
two titles belong to the same work.
Kâtip Çelebi in his “Keşfü
z-zünun” conveys the knowledge Ebu Berze gave about his grandfather
Abdülhamid b. Vasî that he was the founder of algebra and preceded in this
field Muhammed b. Musa el-Harizmî. He adds later words of Ebû Kâmileş-Şüci
el-Eslem who is assumed to have lived a short time after Ebû Berze which accuse
Ebû Berze of distorting facts and which claim that the real founder of algebra
was Harizmî
One book of Ebu Kâmil and two
books of Harizmî came until today in their Arabic originals and translations.
It is difficult to determine who was the first author in the field of algebra
since neither Abdülhamid b. Vasî’s nor Ebu Berze’s works are present
except for a short writing of him published by Aydın Sayılı. According to Salih
Zeki it is known with certainty that Abdülhamid b. Vasî’nin lived before Harizmî.
Aydın Sayılı on the other hand expressed after researching the issue at
depth that both lived around the same years and maybe Abdülhamid b. Vasî lived
slightly earlier than Harizmî; besides that Harizmi did not claim to be a
pioneer in this science could justify Ebu Berze, but as for today nothing
could be said with certainty.
According to Aydın Sayılı who
analyzed Abdülhamid İbn Türk’s works he solved three types of second degree
equations in a detailed way, in a systematic approach and with wide
explanations. The method he chose for the solution is the geometrical method
and it continues the Mesopotamian tradition, reaching the conclusion without
using formula and in an oral manner. His studies of equations are slightly
different from his precedents and in such a way that it guides his successors.
It is seen that Harizmi who
researched about the same issue in his “Kitabü’l-Cebrvel-mukabele”
did not analyze equations in a systematic fashion unlike Abdülhamid b. Vâsiand
reached the solution with a very short explanation without going to details.
Aydın Sayılı interprets this in such a way that for Harizmî the issue was not
unknown; therefore he did not see it necessary to go into details. He comes to
the conclusion that the possibility of him writing the first book on algebra
earlier than Harizmi who is regarded as the founder of algebra in Islamic and
Western Worlds could not be deemed very weak.
İbn-I Haldun in the 3rd
volume of his “Mukaddime” only
mentions Harizmî and Ebu Kâmil and probably refers to Omar Khayyam.
Although İbn-i Haldun did not mention his name, İbn-ün Nedim and İbn-ul Kıfti
spoke highly of him and Ebu Kâmil strongly opposed Ebu’l Berze’s claim and
revealed that he saw him as an opponent of Harizmi. All these expose that
Abdulhamid b. Vasî was a great mathematician of that period with certainty.
Kitabü’l-Câmifil-hisâb, Kitabü’I-Mu’amelât (‘Kapsamlı Hesap Kitabı’. This book is written
in six booklets and is lost. Probably it is part of the book ‘Kitāb al-Jabrwa’l-moqābala’ ‘Logical
Necessities in Mixed Equations’) Kitabü Nevadiri’l-hisab,Havassül-â’dad
(‘Book of Calculations’, it
is lost. A book with the same title and another book titled ‘Kitāb al-Mesha’ / ‘Book of
Calculation’ are attributed to Ebu Barza by İbn el-Nedīm.), Nawāder al-hesāb
va kavaşş al-adād (‘Book of
Calculation and Varieties of Characteristics of Numbers’. It is lost.), Kitāb
al-Jabrva’l-moqābala (‘Logical Necessities in Mixed Equations’).
REFERENCE: Sâlih Zeki / Âsâr-ı
Bâkiye (II,
s. 246, 1913), Prof. Dr. Aydın Sayılı / Abdülhamîd İbni
Türk'ün Katışık Denklemlerde Mantıkî Zaruretler Adlı Yazısı ve
Zamanın Cebri: Logical Necessities in Mixed Equations by Abd al Hamîd İbn Türk and the Algebra of His Time (Ankara 1962), Prof. Dr. Aydın Sayılı / Abdülhamid İbn Vâsî İbn Türk'ün Cebir Konusundaki
Bir Yazısı (VI. Türk
Tarih Kongresi Bildiriler,
s. 95-100, 1967), Ülkü Kumral / Müslüman Bilim Adamları (Akit, s.16-18),
TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi (c. I, s. 297, 1988), İhsan
Işık / Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) -
Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).