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Al-Kindi
c.801–873 · Iraq (Baghdad)
Description
Abū Yūsuf Yaʻqūb ibn ʼIsḥāq aṣ-Ṣabbāḥ al-Kindī was an Arab polymath who was active as a philosopher, mathematician, physician, and music theorist. Al-Kindi was the first of the Islamic peripatetic philosophers, and is hailed as the "father of Arab philosophy".
Facts
| Born | c. 801, Kufa, Abbasid Caliphate |
| Died | c. 873 (aged approximately 72), Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate |
| Era | Islamic Golden Age |
| Region | Islamic philosophy |
| School | Aristotelianism |
| Main interests | Philosophy, Islamic theology (kalam), logic, ethics, mathematics, cryptography, physics, chemistry, psychology, pharmacology, medicine, metaphysics, cosmology, astrology, music theory |
| Notable works | Manuscript on Deciphering Cryptographic Messages, Epistle on Informative Parts on Music, De radiis, De aspectibus |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Mu'tazila |
Life & work in brief
Summarised by section — one row per topic, for fast reading.
| Work / contribution | Significance |
|---|---|
| Early life | Al-Kindi was born in Kufa to an aristocratic family of the Arabian tribe of the Kinda, descended from the chieftain al-Ash'ath ibn Qays, a contemporary of Muhammad. |
| Accomplishments | According to Arab bibliographer Ibn al-Nadim, al-Kindi wrote at least two hundred and sixty books, contributing heavily to geometry (thirty-two books), medicine and philosophy (twenty-two books each), logic (nine books), and physics (twelve books). |
| Philosophical thought | While Muslim intellectuals were already acquainted with Greek philosophy (especially logic), al-Kindi is credited with being the first real Muslim philosopher. |
| Legacy | Al-Kindi was a master of many different areas of thought and was held to be one of the greatest philosophers. |