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The history of Arabic numerals (2)

Gamal Khairy

Published On: 16/10/2011 A.D. - 18/11/1432 H. Visited: 28660 times

Zero
Its importance:

No doubt that the development, which the people witness in material civilization, is based on this magical zero which facilitated counting and digitization, opened the gates of open space, and made it the core for the modern technology, no matter its different shapes.[1]

Its original function:

Zero has two important functions which are: Denoting the meaning of (Nothing) and filling the empty space to keep the alphabetical order.[2]

Its origin:

Historians differed about the origin of zero, where most of them predominated —including Dr. Ahmad Salim Sa`idan, the professor of the history of sciences in the Jordan university, the prior dean of the faculty of sciences, and a member in the Arabic Language Academy in Jordan, who is counted in our time one of the pioneers of the history of mathematics at Arabs— that zero is of Indian origin.

Previous scientists who spoke about the Indian figures and mathematics mentioned zero in their writings.[3]

He mentioned also that the form of zero was like (O) a small circle, and most Indian manuscripts drew zero as a small circle.

However, the later wrote number five as a small circle and drew zero as a small point. As for the Maghreb, they narrowed the circle until it became like a small point (.).

Zero was drawn in Arabic books that were written since (274 AH) as a small point. When Muslims discovered zero or developed it, they drew it as a circle contains a point. The East chose the center of the circle which is the point.

The role of Arabs and Muslims in reinforcement its use :

Those who attributed zero to non-Muslims did not forget to mention the pioneer role of Muslims in enabling and spreading its use. Dr. Ahmad Salim Sa`idan said: Arabs did not invent zero nor its shape but they took it from the Indian mathematic.

However, if Arabs do not have a merit in inventing zero, perhaps their merit is in stabilizing the use of zero to fill the empty space in all cases without exception."[4]

Is zero a figure?

Arab historians and arithmetic until recent time counted nine figures for letters and they referred to zero as something to fill the empty space without considering it as figure.[5]

Ibn Al Yasmin Al Fasy stated that when he said: "Zero is not a number but it denotes the next figure if the value is null."[6] And Allah knows best !

Types of Arabic numerals :

Arabic numerals are of two types :

The first type is: What was used in the East and was known as figures or Indian letters, whereas some people call them "the Eastern figures". Some people called them Arabic numerals but the most famous among those names was the first (Indian figures).[7]

The second type is: What was used in Maghreb and was known as dusty figures or drawing on the dust.[8]

In modern time, some scientists and researchers attributed the eastern and Maghreb figures to its Indian origin, of them was Dr. Ahmad Salim Sa`idan. Of his saying in this matter: "No doubt that our figures, whether those used in the East under the name of Indian figures or those used in the Maghreb under the name of Arabic numerals, were of Indian origin."

Prof. Qadry Hafizh Tawqan, the member of the Arabic Academic in Damascus said: "Arabs have known the Indian figures and took from them the digitization system. Indians used to have several shapes of figures but Arabs arranged some of them into two series: One of them was known as "Indian figures" which were used in those countries and most Arab and Muslim countries and the second were the dusty figures which were used in Maghreb and Andalusia."[9]

Prof. `Umar Farrukh, the member of Arab Academy in Cairo agreed with them in his book "The history of sciences at Arabs ". The point is: The origin of figures was Indian despite change, editing, and innovation.

Admission of their scientists :

The wise people of the east and the west, Muslims or non-Muslims, agreed that today's numerals used in Western countries were excerpted from Muslims.

The best evidence of this is their admission that they used the dusty figures as Ibn Al Yasmin said. Houston Banks, one of the Western math professors, said in his book "modern mathematics": "One can use the Roman numbers in the case of addition, but if you try to perform multiplication and division, here the Arabic numbers is distinguished because it spares time and provides the precise computational process."[10]

A group of researchers mentioned that Gerber (318-394 AH / 930-1003 AD), who was assigned to the post of pope in (390 AH / 999 AD) under the name of (Silvestre II), is the one who introduced the Arabic numerals and the decimal system to Europe after he had received them from the Muslim scholars in Andalusia.

Sigrid Hoeneker, the German Orientalist, said in her good book, "The sun of Arabs Shines on the West": "All civilized nations are now using the figures which they learned from the Arabs, and without those numbers we would not have had a telephone book or price list report for the stock market.

Moreover, those great sciences of math, nature, and astronomy would not have been found, but rather aircrafts which precede the sound or space rocket would not have been found except for these Arabic figures.

Those people (Arabs) have honored us when they gave us those numbers which we called the Arabic numerals."[11]

Prof. Albert Dietrich, a German Orientalists, said: "Conveying these figures to the West is a great merit which Arabs gave to themselves and became immortal in the history of civilization by the immortality of that science, and everyday life reminds a person of it."[12]

It is natural that the Westerners modify these Arabic numerals which they quoted to suit their way of writing and cope with their letters.

Based on what has been mentioned earlier, we know that those who used the figures of the scientists of the East and Maghreb had chosen the Eastern figurers.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.

[1] "Sciences at Arabs" (49), "The abridged in the Arab-Islamic scientific heritage" (59), and "the number and digitization at Arabs" (5 / 61).

[2] "The Story of figures and digitization" (83-85), and "the number and digitization at Arabs" (5 / 61).

[3] "The Story of figures and digitization" (46, 72, 82, 84, 85), "The history of Al Ya`quby" (1 / 84). "the fundamentals of Indian figures" (56), "the history of Sciences at Arabs" (133), and others.

[4] "The Story of figures and digitization" (85-86), and "the history of Sciences at Arabs" (133).

[5] "Introduction of Tahqiq Al Fusul in Indian math" (22), and "the Introduction of Tahqiq Al Maqalat in arithmetic" (104), and "Arithmetic at Arabs" (181).

[6] "Talqih Al Afkar fi Al `Amal birusum Al Ghubar" (5).

[7] "The Story of figures and digitization" (67, 73, 81), "Arithmetic at Arabs" (180,185), And others.

[8] Ibids.

[9] "Sciences at Arabs" (48).

[10] excerpted from "The abridged in the Arab-Islamic scientific heritage" (56).

[11] "The sun of Arabs shines on the West" (68).

[12] "The role of Arabs in the development of natural sciences" (739).