Zahir al-Din Abu'l-Hasan Ali ibn Zayd-i Bayhaqi (; c. 1097 – 1169) also known as Ibn Fondoq (ابن فندق) was a

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

and historian. He is the author of ''

Tarikh-i Bayhaq ''Tarikh-i Bayhaq'' () is a book on the history of Bayhaq, written in the Persian language in the 12th century, by Abu'l-Hasan Bayhaqi. Contents The ''Tarikh-i Bayhaq'' contains invaluable information about the Eastern parts of Iran during Gha ...

''.

Ancestry

Bayhaqi was a descendant of

Khuzaima ibn Thabit Khuzayma ibn Thabit Dhu al-Shahadatayn al-Ansari (; d. July 657) was one of the companions of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Biography 610–632: Muhammad's era He was an Ansar''A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims'' oAl-islam.org ...

(died 657), a companion of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. Most of his forefathers were either judges or Imams.

Biography

Bayhaqi was born in

Sabzevar Sabzevar (; ) is a city in northeastern Iran. It is located in the Central District (Sabzevar County), Central District of Sabzevar County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, serving as the capital of both the county and the ...

, in northeastern Iran, the main city of the Bayhaq district, where his father’s estates were located. In 1114, Bahyaqi along with his father visited

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīshābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131) (Persian language, Persian: غیاث الدین ابوالفتح عمر بن ابراهیم خیام نیشابورﻯ), commonly known as Omar ...

, the famous Persian mathematician and astronomer, in

Nishapur Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Ni ...

and while there Bayhaqi began his education in literature and science. He moved to Marv to complete his studies in Islamic

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

by 1123. He returned to Nishapur in c.1127 where according to

Yaqut al-Hamawi Yāqūt Shihāb al-Dīn ibn-ʿAbdullāh al-Rūmī al-Ḥamawī (1179–1229) () was a Muslim scholar of Byzantine ancestry active during the late Abbasid period (12th–13th centuries). He is known for his , an influential work on geography con ...

, his studies were "interrupted by marriage". Bayhaqi became the

qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

of Bayhaq through the efforts of his father-in-law, Shehab-al-Din Moḥammad b. Mas'ud, along with patronage from the Seljuq Sultan Sanjar. He may have made some enemies while in charge, he soon grew tired and resigned. Bayhaqi then traveled to Ray and devoted himself to

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

, and later studied in Nishapur to improve his understanding of astrology. While living in

Sarakhs Sarakhs () is a city in the Central District (Sarakhs County), Central District of Sarakhs County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Sarakhs was once a stopping po ...

he squandered all of his money, and returned to Nishapur. After an attempt to establish himself in Bayhaq failed "because of his relatives’ envy", Bayhaqi finally returned again to Nishapur and settled down to life in the seminary and the mosque. In 1148, Demetrius I of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

presented inquiries ("of unknown purport") in Syriac and Arabic to Sultan Sanjar through an envoy. Bayhaqi was given the task of responding to Demetrius' inquiries by Sultan Sanjar.

Works

Bayhaqi authored over 70 works ranging from Arabic grammar to astrology to philology.

Notes

References

* * {{Authority control 1090s births 1169 deaths 12th-century Iranian astronomers 12th-century Iranian historians 12th-century Iranian mathematicians Astronomers of the medieval Islamic world genealogists Iranian people of Arab descent Medieval Iranian astrologers People from Sabzevar Year of birth uncertain

Ancestry

Biography

Works

See also

Notes

References