Al Razi; The Intellectual Figure Of The Abbasid Dynasty

Mohammad ibn Zakariya al Razi was born in Reyy, Tehran. Razi was a polymath, chemist, philosopher and physician. He won the title of ‘firsts’ in many of his works such as diagnosing smallpox from measles and discovering chemical compounds such as kerosene and alcohol. Razi served at courts as a physician and was in charge of two hospitals in Reyy and Baghdad. Some of his works under the title of medicine such as “Kitab al- Mansoori”, “Kitab al-Hawi fi al-tibb” and “Kitab al-Mulooki” are used till present and his contributions to medicine are considered to be everlasting. Razi is known to have written around 200 books on subjects such as medicine, philosophy, alchemy, astronomy, theology and logic.

Contributions to Alchemy:
Razi’s main contribution in Alchemy was the ability to transmute lesser metals to silver and gold. He wrote two books on Alchemy which gained everlasting recognition: “Al Asrar” and “Sirr al Asrar”. In his first book “Al Asrar”, Razi divided the subject of ‘Matter’ into three categories:
1. Knowledge and identification of drug components which originate from plants, animals and minerals along with the description for each of the components in treatment.
2. Knowledge of equipment and tools used in alchemy.
3. Knowledge of several procedures used in alchemy such as sublimation and condensation of mercury, precipitation of sulfur and arsenic calcinations of minerals.

His second book “Sirr al Asrar” is about chemical operations regarding pharmacology such as the instruments used in laboratory and chemical reactions. “Sirr al Asrar” gained special recognition in the West and was translated to Latin.

Contributions to Medicine:
Razi’s main contribution to medicine was the ability to diagnose smallpox from measles. ...

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...t as there is a time, in this sense, that is not defined or limited by motion. (Al-Razi, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya: Metaphysics. Muslim Philosophy Web site). Some of Razi’s known books on philosophy include: “Modern Philosophy”, “The small book on Theism” and “Ghasideye Elahi”.

Razi’s outstanding contribution to medicine has had a major influence on the development of medical practice in the Europe as well as on the science technology we use today. Around 50 of Razi’s manuscripts are available in museums and libraries of Iran, Britain and Paris. There are numerous hospitals and universities named under Razi around the globe, for instance ‘Razi University’ in Kermanshah, Iran. In addition to this, every 27th of August is commemorated in Iran as ‘Razi day’. In the modern world, Razi is known as one of the greatest and most original of all the physicians.