Islam Creator of the Modern Age
3. Muslim Contribution to Science
~ 128 ~
Bertrand Russell writes:
About 830, Muhammad ibn Musa al-
Khwarizmi, a translator of mathematical and
astronomical books from the Sanskrit, pub-
lished a book which was translated into Latin
in the twelfth century, under the title
Algorimi
de numero Indrum.
It was from this book that
the west first learnt of what we call ‘Arabic’
numerals, which ought to be called ‘Indian.’
The same author wrote a book on algebra,
which was used in the West as a textbook
until the sixteenth century.
62
In spite of the concept of zero having originated in
India, for several hundred years it received no
recognition in India itself. It came to be generally
known in India only when first the Arabs and then
the West adopted it. The
Encyclopaedia Britannica
says: “The invention, probably by the Hindus, of
the digit zero, has been described as one of the
greatest importance in the history of mathematics.
Hindu literature gives evidence that the zero may
have been known before the birth of Christ, but no
