Mathematician
and algebra scholar. (B. 840 – D. 910). He is accepted as one of the founders
of algebra. He is the grandchild of the mathematician and scholar of
mathematics and algebra İbn Türk el-Cili. His full and real name is Ebu’l-Fazl
Abdülhamid b.Vasî b. Türk el-Huttelî el-Hasib. He is assumed to be a Turk
because of his name and his grandchild’s Ebu Berze’s name who was also a
mathematician. It is thought that he lived between the 2nd and 3rd
centuries of hegira (T.N. Islamic migration of the Holy Prophet and His
Companions from
İbnü’n-Nedim
mentioned Abdülhamid b.Vasî in his “el-Fihrist”
as the author of two books titled “Kitabü’l-Câmi fil-hisâb” and “Kitabü’I-Mu’amelât”. İbnü’l-Kıftî stated that he
was known as İbn Türk el-Cilî, was very skilled and knowledgeable in
mathematics and scholars 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” conveyed 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.
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.
Aydın
Sayılı analyzed in his mentioned work two incomplete copies of a part
titled “ez-Zarürat fil’l-mukterinât min-Kitabi’l-cebr
ve’l-mukabele liebi l-Fazl’ Abdülhamid b. Vasî b. Türk el-Cilî”
comparatively which is meant to belong to a book of Abdülhamid b. Vasî. Arabic
text and Persian translation of this booklet was published by Ahmet Ararim
under the title “Risalei ez Karni
Sivvom-i İlmi-i Hicri der Cebr u Mukabele”, (Mecelle-i Sühan, III/II-12,
and
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 mentiones 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.