Al-Jildaki
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Ali bin Mahammad Aydamir or ʿIzz al-Dīn al-Jildakī (
Egyptian Arabic Egyptian Arabic, locally known as Colloquial Egyptian, or simply as Masri, is the most widely spoken vernacular Arabic variety in Egypt. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and originated in the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt. The esti ...
: عز الدين الجلدكي; Coptic: Ⲉⲍ ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ ⲉⲗϫⲗⲇⲕⲓ), also written al-Jaldakī (d. 1342 CE / 743 AH) was an
Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...
alchemist Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...
from the 14th century
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of Egypt. A scientist and author who specialized in chemistry and lived in the eighth century AH. He copied entire paragraphs from the works of Jabir bin Hayyan,
Abu Bakr al-Razi Abū Bakr al-Rāzī, also known as Rhazes (full name: ), , was a Persian physician, philosopher and alchemist who lived during the Islamic Golden Age. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of medicine, and al ...
, Ibn Arfa` Ras, Abu al-Qasim al-Iraqi, and others, thus serving the
history of chemistry The history of chemistry represents a time span from ancient history to the present. By 1000 BC, civilizations used technologies that would eventually form the basis of the various branches of chemistry. Examples include the discovery of fire, ex ...
in
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, as he recorded in his works much of what had disappeared from the books of his predecessors. Haji Khalifa, the author of " Kashf al-Zunun", stated that al-Jildakī has 26 books.


Life

Despite being one of the most important Islamic scholars of the 14th century, almost nothing is known about his early life. Al-Jildaki was probably born in
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. In his writings he reveals that he spent seventeen years traveling through
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,
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,
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,
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, and
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. Historical scholars almost unanimously agree that he belongs to Egypt, so they called him al-Masry (the Egyptian).Al-Itihad newspaper (7 Oct 2017). "ع
الدين الجلدكي.. رائد علم الكيمياء والنبات."
''Al-Itihad newspaper.'' Archived fro
the original
on 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2024-02-17
Based on a speculative vocalization of his Nisba as "al-Jaldaki ", some 20th century writers like Henry Corbin suggested that he was originally from Jaldak, a town in Khorasan before emigrating to
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. Nicholas G. Harris has criticized this theory noting that it was never mentioned in any pre-modern source before. Instead, he notes that all the biographical information known about him –like his Turkic name "Aydamir", places of residence and native language – would make sense only when set against a
Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
background. Harris further notes that the name "Jildak" and its derivative Nisba "Al-Jildaki" are attested Turkic names, especially among
Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
amirs. Al-Jildaki was one of the last and one of the greatest of medieval Islamic alchemists, he was the author of scientific works such as the ''al-Misbah fi Ilm al-Miftah'' (, ''Key of the Sciences of Lights'') and alchemical treatise ''Kitab al-Burhan fi asrar 'ilm al-mizan'' (, ''The Proof Regarding Secrets of the Science of the Balance''). He was a prolific author of alchemical writings, of which the
United States National Library of Medicine The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. I ...
has three. His treatises, which reflect interests much broader than simply alchemy, preserve extensive quotations from earlier authors.


Works

Al-Jaldaki grew up loving science, and devoted himself to reading all the chemistry books he could find, and read them critically. He was fascinated by Jabir ibn Hayyan, to the point that he called him "the Imam". He collected 42 works from his books that he studied and discussed. He also read Al-Razi and other scientists, and made many comments and many explanations of some theories and mysterious issues in chemistry. He is famous for his concern for the authenticity of transmission, so his works are considered of high value to historians of science. In addition, his collection of the works of the predecessors in chemistry, his preservation of them, and his analysis of their content preserved much of the heritage that was lost from them. He was also fond of the natural sciences and plants, and was keen to delve into their topics and read the most important books on these sciences. He did not leave a book on chemistry without reading and commenting on it. He was known for his generosity, piety, spreading knowledge, and caring for seekers of knowledge. He would open his home to students of knowledge, and would open his heart to anyone who asked him for questions or clarification on issues of chemistry or other branches of knowledge. Al-Jaldaki was distinguished by his writing in a style that was difficult to understand. Some people sometimes accuse him of being a style that is closer to
talisman A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...
for the average reader, but this does not fault him because he was writing for specialists in the field of chemistry. Manouchehr Taslimi mentioned in his doctoral thesis from the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
in 1954 that Al-Jaldaki spent seventeen years on his scientific travels. He laid the basic building block for the creation of the "
Law of definite Proportions In chemistry, the law of definite proportions, sometimes called Proust's law or the law of constant composition, states that a given chemical compound contains its constituent elements in a fixed ratio (by mass) and does not depend on its source ...
" in chemical union, and explained it in detail, which
Kepler Johannes Kepler (27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws of p ...
,
Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...
, and Newton later relied on in their studies. It is the law that
Joseph Proust Joseph Louis Proust (26 September 1754 – 5 July 1826) was a French people, French chemist. He was best known for his discovery of the law of definite proportions in 1797, stating that chemical compounds always combine in constant proportions. ...
, who was born five centuries after Al-Jaldaki, falsely claimed for himself. Al-Jaldaki developed a chemical method for separating
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
from
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
by
nitric acid Nitric acid is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but samples tend to acquire a yellow cast over time due to decomposition into nitrogen oxide, oxides of nitrogen. Most com ...
, a method still used today. He gave a detailed description of the method of prevention and necessary precautions against the danger of inhaling gases resulting from chemical reactions, and thus he was the first to think of inventing and using
respirator A respirator is a device designed to protect the wearer from inhaling hazardous atmospheres including lead, lead fumes, vapors, gases and particulate matter such as dusts and airborne pathogens such as viruses. There are two main categories o ...
s in chemistry laboratories. His contributions extended to the in-depth study of
alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The a ...
s and
acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...
s, which enabled him to make some improvements to the method of
soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...
making that was known at the time. He explained the currently used
distillation Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...
method, such as filter papers, distillation under a water bath, and double distillation. He was the first to say that the substance gives its own color when burned. He also researched various fields, in addition to chemistry and botany, such as mechanics, acoustics, and air and water waves. He made comments, explanations, and corrections to many chemistry books written by his predecessors, Western scientists. Al-Jaldaki was aware of the electronic structure of the atom, as he compared it to the
Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...
in his famous poetry and wrote many scientific books that were circulated in many libraries around the world, but most of them are still in manuscript form. Omar Rida Kahhala says in his book العلوم البحتة في العصور الإسلامية ''Pure Sciences in Islamic Ages'':
"...However, Al-Jaldaki is considered one of the greatest scholars knowledgeable about the history of chemistry and what was written about it before him. He was fond of collecting chemical works and interpreting them, and it was his habit to quote entire paragraphs from famous people who preceded him, such as Jabir bin Hayyan and Abu Bakr Al-Razi. Thus, he performed a great service for the history of chemistry in Islam, as he recorded in his relatively recent books what had disappeared and been lost from the books of his predecessors. His works were the best source for knowledge of chemistry and chemists in Islam.
Al-Jaldaki was one of the scientists who believed that base metals could be transformed into precious metals, by making elixirs. Therefore, he collected the most famous Arabic works on this science that appeared in the East and West of the Islamic world, and studied and explained them. Ahmad Shawkat Al-Shatti says about him in his book مجموعة أبحاث عن تاريخ العلوم الطبيعة في الحضارة الإسلامية ''A Collection of Research on the History of the Natural Sciences in Islamic Civilization'':
"Al-Jaldaki is one of the famous scientists in chemistry, not only among Western and Muslim scientists, but also among chemists in general."
Eric John Holmyard says about him in his book Makers of Chemistry:
"Al-Jaldaki is truly considered one of the scientists who have a great role in the science of chemistry. Al-Jaldaki was very interested in reading what was written about the science of chemistry, so he took from his readings and analysis a way to build a scientific path in the science of chemistry. This is what is called the literature of Egyptian and Islamic chemistry. Al-Jaldaki carried out experiments in the field of chemistry, and although most of his work is analytical, he is one of the scientists to whom modern scientists owe a great deal."
Al-Jaldaki has important opinions in chemistry, including: that chemical substances do not interact with each other except in certain proportions, and this was the basis for the law of definite proportions in chemical reactions. He also reached the possibility of separating gold from silver by nitric acid, which dissolves the silver, leaving pure gold. He was interested in studying the properties of mercury, because he believed that all stones had their origin in mercury. Eric John Holmyard mentions in his book ''Chemistry to the Time of Dalton'':
"Al-Jaldaki concluded with complete aplomb that substances do not interact with each other except in fixed proportions and weights."
Abdul Razzaq Nofal adds in his book "المسلمون والعلم الحديث ''Muslims and Modern Science''":
"Five centuries after Al-Jaladaki's death, the scientist Joseph Proust announced the law of definite proportions in the chemical union, and its meaning is the same as Al-Jaldaki's theory."


Books

He has a book entitled ''natayij al-fikr fi 'ahwal al-hajar'' (نتائج الفكر في الكشف عن أحوال الحجر, ''The Results of Thought in Revealing the Conditions of Stone''), which he wrote in Cairo in the year 742 AH/1341 AD. The Zahiriyya Library in
Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
contains several rare manuscripts containing some of his works: * ''al-Burhan fi asrar 'ilm al-mizan'' (کتاب البرهان فی اسرار علم المیزان, ''The Proof Regarding Secrets of the Science of the Balance''). This manuscript contains eight articles and 224 pages. In this book, Al-Jaldaki sought to achieve the following matters: # Explanation of the book of
Apollonius of Tyana Apollonius of Tyana (; ; ) was a Greek philosopher and religious leader from the town of Tyana, Cappadocia in Roman Anatolia, who spent his life travelling and teaching in the Middle East, North Africa and India. He is a central figure in Ne ...
called "The Secret of Creation and the Work of Nature in the Seven Bodies," known as the "Book of Causes". # Explanation of Jabir ibn Hayyan's book on bodies, and most of Jabir's books of scales were also mentioned in it. # Mentioning some theories related to the science of mechanics, the science of sounds and waves that travel in water and air, relying on the works of
Ibn al-Haytham Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham (Latinization of names, Latinized as Alhazen; ; full name ; ) was a medieval Mathematics in medieval Islam, mathematician, Astronomy in the medieval Islamic world, astronomer, and Physics in the medieval Islamic world, p ...
, al-Tusi, and al-Shirazi. It contained many laws from nature regarding the chemistry industry. This book was detailed and classified, indicating Al-Jaldaki's depth in the method of scientific research. The book contains eight articles on divine wisdom and hidden secrets. The first article includes the introduction, the second on the origins of the four elements and what relates to the scales of each one of them, and the third on humans, animals, plants, and minerals and their features. The fourth examines the seven bodies, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon and their features. The fifth deals with salts. The sixth deals with adornments. The seventh deals with certainty about the balances of the mineral bodies and the wisdom of their manufacture and in explaining metals. The eighth deals with the implications of the science of balance and work to arrive at the preparation of the elixir and its benefits, followed by the conclusion. * ''Nihayat al-Talb fi Sharh Kitab al-Muqtasab fi Ziraeat al-Dhahb'' (نهاية الطلب في شرح كتاب المكتسب في زراعة الذهب, ''The end of the request in explaining the book acquired in the cultivation of gold''). There are three manuscripts of it in the Zahiriyya Library, one of which is complete and two of which contain text. Al-Jaldaki mentioned in the introduction to the book the reasons that prompted him to classify it. He mentioned that he was able to solve the problems of the science of the ancients, and what was transmitted from the virtuous masters of wisdom... after taking the path of request and diligence, and spending a fortune of life and money, and migrating to the sheikhs and notables, within the borders of Iraq and the outskirts of the Romans, to the borders of Morocco, the lands of Egypt, and the outskirts of Yemen, the Hejaz, and the Levant, for a period of more than seventeen years, he studied the Jabriya methods in business, and looked into the secrets of nature and impossibilities.
George Sarton George Alfred Leon Sarton (; 31 August 1884 – 22 March 1956) was a Belgian-American chemist and historian. He is considered the founder of the discipline of the history of science as an independent field of study. His most influential works were ...
said about it in his book "Introduction to the History of Science": "It is considered one of the most important books produced by the Egyptian mind. Because of the accurate information it contains, it is based on the production of giants of Islamic scholars such as: Jabir bin Hayyan and Al-Razi." * ''al-Misbah fi Ilm al-Miftah'' (المصباح فی علم المفتاح, ''Key of the Sciences of Lights''). Al-Jaldaki divided this book into four sections, and each section has ninety keys. This book includes many topics, including: the manufacture of chemistry and metallurgy, medicine and anatomy, animal generation, elixirs, the cultivation of gold and silver, the science of divine craftsmanship, the science of sacred stones, drugs and medicines, human natures, zodiac signs, and talisman. * ''Matalie Al-Badur fi Sharh Diwan al-Shadhur'' (مطالع البدور في شرح ديوان الشذور) and ''Al-Badr al-Munir fi Marefat al-Elixir'' (البدر المنير في معرفة الإكسير): two small treatises written by al-Jaldaki, in the first of which he explains three verses from the beginning of the Diwan al-Shadhur by Sheikh Burhan al-Din Ali bin Musa al-Andalusi, known as Ibn Arfa' Ras (515-593 AH/ 1121-1196 AD). As for the Al-Badr Al-Munir, Al-Jaldaki explained the ninth verse of the Diwan Al-Shadhur in it. * "The Luminaries of Luminous Thoughts in Explanation of the Paper Water and the Astral Earth": It is a manuscript in the Explanation of the Five Books of Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Amil Al-Tamimi.


Death

Historical sources differed on the date of his death. Some references stated that he died in 743 AH / 1342 AD, and the German orientalist " Karl Brockelmann" stated that he died in 762 AH / 1361 AD.


References


Sources

*C. Brockelmann, Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur, 1st edition, 2 vols. (Leiden: Brill, 1889–1936). Second edition, 2 vols. (Leiden: Brill, 1943–49). Page references will be to those of the first edition, with the 2nd edition page numbers given in parentheses, vol. 2, p. 138-9 (173-5) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jildaki, al- Egyptian alchemists 1342 deaths Alchemists of the medieval Islamic world Mamluks Year of birth unknown 14th-century alchemists 14th-century Egyptian people 14th-century slaves Egyptian chemists 14th-century people from the Mamluk Sultanate 14th-century Arabic-language writers Writers from Cairo Arab chemists