Ibn al-Haytham

Medieval Arab polymath who revolutionized optics and scientific methodology

Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham (c. 965–1040 CE), known in the West as Alhazen, was a pioneering Arab scientist whose work laid the foundation for modern optics and experimental science. Born in Basra (modern-day Iraq), he challenged Aristotle's emission theory of vision by proving that light enters the eye rather than emanating from it, a revolutionary concept documented in his magnum opus Kitāb al-Manāẓir (Book of Optics).

His systematic use of experimental verification and mathematical analysis made him an early advocate of the modern scientific method. Ibn al-Haytham's work influenced later European scholars like Roger Bacon and Johannes Kepler. He also made significant contributions to astronomy, mathematics, and engineering, including early descriptions of the camera obscura.

Despite facing political persecution under the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim, he continued his research under house arrest, producing over 200 works. His legacy endures in fields ranging from ophthalmology to quantum mechanics, with a lunar crater and asteroid named in his honor.