Abu'l Hassan Ali ibn Ridwan Al-Misri () (c. 988 - c. 1061) was an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

of Egyptian origin who was a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either o ...

, born in

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9. ...

. He was a commentator on

ancient Greek medicine Ancient Greek medicine was a compilation of theories and practices that were constantly expanding through new ideologies and trials. Many components were considered in ancient Greek medicine, intertwining the spiritual with the physical. Specifi ...

, and in particular on

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be on ...

; his commentary on Galen's ''Ars Parva'' was translated by Gerardo Cremonese. However, he is better known for providing the most detailed description of the supernova now known as SN 1006, the brightest stellar event in

recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world hi ...

, which he observed in the year 1006. This was written in a commentary on

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...

's work ''

Tetrabiblos ''Tetrabiblos'' () 'four books', also known in Greek as ''Apotelesmatiká'' () "Effects", and in Latin as ''Quadripartitum'' "Four Parts", is a text on the philosophy and practice of astrology, written in the 2nd century AD by the Alexandrian ...

''. He was later cited by European authors as Hali, Haly, or Haly Abenrudian. According to

Alistair Cameron Crombie Alistair Cameron Crombie (4 November 1915 – 9 February 1996) was an Australian historian of science who began his career as a zoologist. He was noted for his contributions to research on competition between species before turning to histor ...

he also contributed to the theory of induction. He engaged in a celebrated polemic against another physician,

Ibn Butlan Abū 'l-Ḥasan al-Muḫtār Yuwānnīs ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbdūn ibn Saʿdūn ibn Buṭlān ( ar, أبو الحسن المختار إيوانيس بن الحسن بن عبدون بن سعدون بن بطلان; ; ca. first quarter of the 11t ...

of Baghdad. Ali Ibn Ridwan is the likely inspiration for

Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by ...

's use of the name, Hali, in his short story, ''An Inhabitant of Carcosa''. The name, Hali, was subsequently used by Robert W. Chambers and other authors of 'weird' horror fiction.

Works

* A commentary on

's ''Tetrabiblos'' (the pseudo-Ptolemaic '' Centiloquy'' and its commentary, which is sometimes attributed to Ali, is actually the work of Ahmad ibn Yusuf ibn al-Daya) * ''De revolutionibus nativitatum'' (The Revolutions of Nativities), edited by

Luca Gaurico Luca Gaurico (in Latin, Lucas Gauricus) (Giffoni March 12, 1475 – March 6, 1558 in Rome) was an Italian astrologer, astronomer, astrological data collector, and mathematician. He was born to a poor family in the Kingdom of Naples, and studi ...

, printed in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

(1524) * ''On the Prevention of Bodily Ills in Egypt'': a treatise written to refute Ibn al-Jazzar's claim that Egypt was a very unhealthy place. Ibn Ridwan also argues that air (together with other environmental aspects) was fundamental to the health of a population.

References

External links

History of Islamic Science

2001 Columbia dissertation by Jennifer Ann Seymore ''The Life of Ibn Ridwan and his commentary of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos''; not open link
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ali ibn Ridwan 980s births 1061 deaths People from Giza Medieval Egyptian astrologers Medieval Egyptian astronomers Physicians from the Fatimid Caliphate 11th-century physicians 11th-century astrologers 11th-century Arabs