Abu Nasr Muhammad al-Farabi

Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Farabi was born in the town of Farab in Iran in 870 A.C.

His father was a Turkish nobleman who had formerly been a commanding officer in Turkestan.

Al-Farabi received his early education at Farab and at the age of twenty went to Baghdad, where he acquired higher education and mastered the Arabic language. He studied the logic of Aristotle, and also studied mathematics, astronomy, the natural sciences, chemistry and medicine.

He lived in Baghdad for about forty years, during which he studied and later wrote essays on Philosophy. Towards the latter period of his stay in Baghdad, there was considerable agitation and political and religious unrest in the Muslim world. In less than half a century, there were six new Khalifas. Al-Farabi was a quiet and peaceful man who loved solitude. philosophy and music. He suffered greatly as a result of these troubles, so he left Baghdad and settled in Aleppo, Syria.

Under Emir Sayf-al-Dawla, the city of Aleppo had become the centre of literature and science. The Emir appreciated al-Farabi's worth and tried to win him over by offering him a high salary, but, al-Farabi would only accept sufficient money for his daily needs - four silver dirhem.

Although al-Farabi studied medicine, there is no evidence that he practised medicine. He however wrote a book on the subject of comparison of the human body with the human societies which provide sufficient proof of his medical knowledge.

Al- Farabi's learning covered many fields and he was bold enough even a thousand years ago - to conceive the idea of a single world state. But Al-Farabi was a man of an extremely modest nature. His works began to appear in translations in German, French, Hebrew and Latin towards the end of the nineteenth century.

Al-Farabi was the first person to speak of evolution in psychology. He was the first to recognise the faculty of discerning good and evil by oneself and to preach rational morality. Ibn Sina and al-Razi followed upon this lead and developed philosophical theology. Thus al-Farabi is the founder of a reputed philosophical school of Islam. He did not take any interest in politics and gave up his whole life to science.

Al-Farabi was also a poet and a musician. His poems dealt not only with philosophical subjects but also with the suffering of humanity. His knowledge of music was so great that his book entitled: Kitab-al-Musiga al-Kabir is regarded as the work of undisputed historical value. He was also the inventor of a musical instrument.

Al-Farabi spoke several languages. He used his great gift of intellect in attempting to solve the immense possibility of human intellect, human personality and human systems of knowledge, culture and truth.

He died in Damascus in 950 A.C. at the age of 80 and is buried in the city near the tomb of Amir Muawiya.