JABIR IBN HAIYAN

(Died 803 A.D.)

Jabir Ibn Haiyan, the alchemist Geber of the Middie Ages, is generally known as the father of ehemistry. Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan, sometimes called al-Harrani and al-Sufi, was the son of the druggist (Attar). The precise date of his birth is the subject of some discussion, but it is established that he practised medicine and alchemy in Kufa around 776 A.D. He is reported to have studied under Imam Ja'far Sadiq and the Ummayed prince Khalid Ibn Yazid. In his early days, he practised medicine and was under the patronage of the Barmaki Vizir during the Abbssid Caliphate of Haroon al-Rashid. He shared some of the effects of the downfall of the Barmakis and was placed under house arrest in Kufa, where he died in 803 A.D.
Jabir's major contribution was in the field of chemistry. He introduced experimental investigation into alchemy, which rapidly changed its character into modern chemistry. On the ruins of his well-known laboratory remained after centuries, but his fame rests on over 100 monumental treatises, of which 22 relate to chemistry and alchemy. His contribution of fundamental importance to chemistry includes perfection of scientific techniques such as crystalization, distillation, calcination, sublimation and evaporation and development of several instruments for the same. The fact of early development of chemistry as a distinct branch of science by the Arabs, instead of the earlier vague ideas, is well-established and the very name chemistry is derived from the Arabic word al-Kimya, which was studied and developed extensively by the Muslim scientists.
Perhaps Jabir's major practical achievement was the discovery of mineral and others acids, which he prepared for the first time in his alembic (Anbique). Apart from several contributions of basic nature to alchemy, involving largely the preparation of new com- pounds and development of chemical methods, he also developed a number of applied chemical processes, thus becoming a pioneer in the field of applied science. His achievements in this field include preparation of various metals, development of steel, dyeing of cloth and tanning of leather, varnishing of water-proof cloth, use of manganese dioxide in glass-making, prevention of rusting, letterring in gold, identification of paints, greases, etc. During the course of these practical endeavours, he also developed aqua regia to dissolve gold. The alembic is his great invention, which made easy and systematic the process of distillation. Jabir laid great stress on experimentation and accuracy in his work.
Based on their properties, he has described three distinct types of substances. First, spirits i.e. those which vaporise on heating, like camphor, arsenic and ammonium chloride; secondly, metals, for example, gold, silver, lead, copper, iron, and thirdly, the category of compounds which can be converted into powders. He thus paved the way for such later classification as metals, non-metals and volatile substances.
Although known as an alchemist, he did not seem to have seriously pursued the preparation of noble metals as an alchemist; instead he devoted his effort to the development of basic chemical methods and study of mechanisms of chemical reactions in them- selves and thus helped evolve chemistry as a science from the legends of alchemy. He emphasised that, in chemical reactions, definite quantities of various substances are involved and thus can be said to have paved the way for the law of constant proportions.
A large number of books are included in his corpus. Apart from chemistry, he also contributed to other sciences such as medicine and astronomy. His books on chemistry, including his Kitab-al-Kimya, andKitab al-Sab'een were translated into Latin and various European languages. These translations were popular in Europe for several centuries and have influenced the evolution of modern chemistry. Several technical terms devised by Jabir, such as alkali, are today found in various European languages and have become part of scientific vocabulary. Only a few of his books have been edited and published, while several others preserved in Arabic have yet to be annotated and published.
Doubts have been expressed as to whether all the voluminous work included in the corpus is his own contribution or it contains later commentaries/additions by his followers. According to Sarton, the true worth of his work would only be known when all his books have been edited and published. His religious views and philosophical concepts embodied in the corpus have been criticised but, apart from the question of their authenticity, it is to be emphasised that the major contribution of Jabir lies in the field of chemistry and not in religion. His various breakthroughs e.g., preparation of acids for the first time, notably nitric, hydrochloric, citric and tartaric acids, and emphasis on systematic experimenta- tion are outstanding and it is on the basis of such work that he can justly be regarded as the father of modern chemistry. In the words of Max Mayerhaff, the development of chemistry in Europe can be traced directly to Jabir Ibn Haiyan


Source: http://wzzz.tripod.com/HAIYAN.html

Muhammad Al-Faatih: about whom the Prophet gave glad tidings

For eight centuries, the conquest of Constantinople, now Istanbul,Turkey, was a dream for the Muslim commanders. Ever since the era of the revered companion, Mu`aawiyah Ibn Abu Sufyaan, there had been many attempts to conquer it, but none had succeeded.

Every Muslim commander wanted to be the conqueror praised in the narration in which the Prophet  said: "You will conquer Constantinople. Its commander is the best and its army (that will conquer it) is the best."

Who was then the person about whom the Prophet  gave glad tidings? It was Muhammad Al-Faatih son of the Ottoman Sultan Murad II.

Muhammad Al-Faatih as a child and his excellent preparation:

Muhammad Al-Fatih was born on 27^th  Rajab, 835 A.H.,  30^th  March, 1432. He was brought up under the supervision of his father, Sultan Murad II, the seventh Ottoman Sultan. His father prepared and trained him to shoulder the responsibilities of the position of a Sultan. Muhammad Al-Fatih memorized all the Quran, learnt the Prophetic narrations, Islamic jurisprudence, mathematics, astronomy and the skills required for war.

He also learnt Arabic, Persian, Latin and Greek languages. He joined his father in his battles and conquests.

His father appointed him as a ruler of a small emirate so that he could receive practical training on administering state affairs under the supervision of some of the top scholars of that time. This matter influenced the character of the young prince and tinted his personality with Islamic morals and manners.

Shaykh Aaq Shamsd-Deen, one of the scholars who supervised the upbringing and education of Muhammad Al-Faatih, managed to inculcate in his heart the spirit of Jihaad and the desire to be a person with high ambition.

The Shaykh also told Muhammad Al-Faatih that he may be the one referred to in the Prophetic narration mentioned above. All this shaped the character of Muhammad Al-Faatih. He was devoted to Jihaad, highly ambitious, widely cultured, and had deep knowledge of the skills of war and combat.

Taking power and his efforts to achieve the glad tiding:

After the death of his father, Sultan Murad II on 5^th Muharram, 852 A.H., 7^th February, 1451 A.C., Muhammad Al-Faatih took over and became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was a strong young man, only twenty years old, very enthusiastic and ambitious. He was thinking of the conquest of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. This dream overwhelmed him to the extent that he would not talk about any subject except for the conquest of Constantinople. He would not even allow anyone who was sitting with him to talk, except about the expected conquest.

The first step in achieving his dream was to take control of the Straitof Bosporus so that he could prevent any support or supplies that might come to Constantinople from Europe. So he built a huge castle on the European seashore of the Strait of Bosporus. Along with top senior officials, he personally participated in building the castle. It took three months to build this castle that came to be known as the Roman Castle. On the other bank of the Strait of Bosporus, there was the Castle of Anatolia. It then became impossible for any ship to cross unless it obtained permission from the Ottoman forces.

At that time, a talented engineer managed to make a number of cannons for the Sultan, Muhammad Al-Faatih. One of these cannons, never known before that time, was 700 tons and its projectile weighed 1,500 kilograms.

The sound of its shell could be heard from a long distance away. It was pulled by one hundred oxen aided by one hundred strong men. This giant cannon was called the Sultanic Cannon.

The conquest of Constantinople and the realization of the glad tidings:

After completing his preparations, Sultan Muhammad Al-Faatihmarched to Constantinople with an army of two hundred and sixty-five thousand fighters. This army had infantry forces as well as horsemen. Huge cannons supported this army. The army besieged Constantinopleand the Ottoman cannons started to fire their missiles at the fortified walls of the city day and night. From time to time, the Sultan surprised the enemy with a new war plan until the city defenders lost control and their forces gave up.

At dawn of Tuesday, 20^th Jumaadaa Al-Awwal, 827 A.H.,  29^th May, 1453 A.C., the Ottoman forces managed to penetrate the walls and drive away the defenders who fled. The people of Constantinople were taken by surprise when they saw the Ottoman flags waving on their walls and the soldiers flooding into the city.

After the Ottoman forces conquered the city, Sultan Muhammadarrived on his horse in a great procession that included his ministers and army commanders. Ever since that time, the Sultan was known as Muhammad Al-Faatih (the Conqueror). The soldiers were shouting:

Mash-Allaah! Mash-Allaah! Long live our Sultan! Long live our Sultan!

The Sultan's procession marched until it reached Hagia Sophia church where the people of the city had gathered. When they knew that the Sultan had arrived, they bowed and prostrated and they were all weeping and crying because they did not know their fate; what Sultan Muhammad Al-Faatih would do to them.

When the Sultan arrived, he dismounted from his horse and prayed two Rak`ahs thanking Allaah Who had blessed him with this conquest. Then the Sultan addressed the people of the city who were still bowing and prostrating in tears:

Stand up! I am Sultan Muhammad and I would like to tell you, your brothers, and all the people present that your lives and freedoms are protected.

The Sultan ordered that the church be turned into a mosque and for the first time, the call for prayer was heard from this place. Until now, this mosque is still known as the Mosque of Hagia Sophia. He also decided to take Constantinople as a capital of his country. It was called Islambul, meaning the House of Islam. Later on the word was viciously twisted to become Istanbul.

The Sultan was very tolerant and merciful with the people of the city, and acted according to the teachings of Islam. He commanded his soldiers to treat their prisoners of war in a good manner. The Sultan himself paid the ransoms for a large number of prisoners of war from his own money. He also allowed those who left the city when it was under siege to return home.

The aftermath of the conquest of Constantinople:

Muhammad Al-Fatih attained this victory when he was twenty three years old. This indicated his early military genius. He also deserved the glad tidings of the Prophet  who foretold that a good person would conquer that city.

Later on, Muhammad Al-Faatih headed to complete his conquests in the Balkan. He managed to conquer Serbia, Greece, Romania,Albania and Bosnia Herzegovina. He also looked forward to conquering Rome so that he would have another source of pride in addition to the conquest of Constantinople.

In order to achieve this great hope, he needed to conquer Italy. He prepared a tremendous fleet for this mission. He managed to land his forces and a large number of cannons near the Italian city Otarant. Consequently he managed to capture its castle in Jumaadaa Al-Awwal 885 A.H., July 1480 A.C.

Muhammad Al-Fatih decided to take Otarant as a base for his northern military operations until he could reach Rome. The European world was terrified because of this attempt and they expected the fall of the historical city, Rome, into the hands of Muhammad Al-Fatih. However, he died suddenly (on  4^th  Rabee' Al-Awwal, 886 A.H.,  3^rd  May, 1481 A.C.) while he was preparing to realize this dream. AllEurope was very happy when they knew about his death. The Pope of Rome ordered that thankfulness prayer be held in churches as a means of expressing joy and happiness over the news.

Muhammad Al-Fatih  as a statesman and a sponsor of civilization

During the reign of Muhammad Al-Faatih and because of his wise leadership and well-planned policy, the Ottoman State reached boundaries that it had never done before.

All these conquests were not the only achievements of Muhammad Al-Faatih may Allaah have mercy on him. Through the help of some of his loyal men, he managed to establish a constitution based on the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Prophet  and the Ottoman state adhered to this constitution for about four centuries.

Although he was very busy, he managed to establish more than 300 mosques, 192 of which were in Istanbul alone. He also built 57 schools. Among his most famous architectural monuments are the Mosque of Sultan Muhammad, the Mosque of Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansaari, and Sarai Tub-Qabu Palace.

Muhammad Al-Faatih was known for his love for literature. He was a good poet and a regular reader. He liked the company of scholars and poets and made some of them ministers. Whenever he heard about a great scholar in any field, he would help and support him or ask him to come to Istanbul in order to benefit of his knowledge.

The character of Muhammad Al-Faatih:

Muhammad Al-Faatih was a committed Muslim who abode by the rulings of Islamic jurisprudence. Because of the way he was brought up, he was a pious man. As for his military conduct, it was very civilized and it was unfamiliar to Europe in its Medieval Ages.

Owing to his ambition fostered by his teachers who always encouraged him to be the conqueror of Constantinople, he managed to make the greatest of his achievements by conquering this city.

Muhammad Al-Faatih managed to realize his dreams through hard, continuous work, and well-organized planning. For example, before besieging Constantinople, he prepared for the war by making cannons, preparing his fleet, and making use of all the factors that might render him victorious.

Through high ambition, determination, and the effort to achieve his goals, he managed to materialize his dream, make his hope an existing reality which made him one of the great Muslim heroes and conquerors.

http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?id=136061&page=articles

The House in which the Quran is Recited

It is reported that ‘Abdullâh b. Mas’ûd – Allâh be pleased with him – said:
The house in which the Qur’ân is not recited is like a derelict house that has no one to maintain it.


It is also reported that he said:
Verily the emptiest of houses are those that are empty of the Book of Allâh.


It is reported that Abû Hurayrah – Allâh be pleased with him – used to say about the house in which the Qur’ân is recited:


It becomes spacious for its inhabitants, the good of it becomes plentiful, the angels come to it and the devils leave it. And the house in which the Qur’ân is not recited becomes cramped for its inhabitants, 
has little good in it, and the devils come to it.


Ibn Abî Shaybah, Al-Musannaf articles 30645, 30647 and 30650.