Born 1203 (Iran) – Died 1283 (Damascus)
By: Mohammed Sirajuddin
Translated by: Atya Tabassum
Zakariya al-Qazwini was born in Iran. He was of Arabian descent and belonged to a family of religious judges qazis. Qazwini left his homeland Qazwin at an early age itself and migrated to Damascus. There he studied Islamic jurisprudence and was appointed judge in Wasith and Bala in Iraq. This was the period of Abbasi caliph Motasim Billah.
Max Meyerhof writes in his book ‘Legacy of Islam’:
“The many cosmographical encyclopaedias of the Arabs and Persians all contain sections on animals, plants, and stones. The best known is that of Zakariyya al-Qazwini (d. 1283) still imperfectly edited. Many manuscripts of this work are beautifully illustrated.”
Dr. Qadir Loan praising Qazwini in his book write:
“Qazwini was a great cosmologist among the Muslims.”
Journalist Maqbool Ahmed writes in his articles that Qazwini has written a book on cosmography whose name is ‘Wonders of Creation and Unique Phenomena of Existence’. He has also written two books on geography: 1. Ajai’bul Buldaan (Wonders of Countries) 2. Aasarul Bilad wa Akhbarul Ibaad (Memories of Countries and Stories of the People). The first book was written in 1262 and the second in 1275.
He writes that Muslims for the first time wrote books on cosmography in the 12th century. The view of Muslim writers of the universe was spiritual. They believed that whatever exists in the universe (which includes angels as well), there exists a natural or spiritual relationship between them. Allah has not created anything even an atom without any propose. All the creations which include astonishing natural phenomena are the demonstration of God’s creation. It is the duty of man to understand them, value them and gain prosperity and honour in the life to come. This topic is dominant in Qazwini’s books. This strongly reflects that he was under the effect of Sufi philosophy.
Qazwini gives following references from Qur’an:
“Have they never observed the heaven above them, that how did We built it and adorned it, and it has no crack?” (Qur’an:50:6)
He says that observing doesn’t mean just turning the eye towards the sky but it denotes pondering on the reasonable and perceivable things and to find and investigate the intelligence hidden within them with the aim of finding the reality which can bring happiness and pleasure in the world hereafter. Qazwini in his book on cosmology has given oral and written reference of more than 100 books which includes reference of Aristotle, Ptolemy, Davis Kadars, Palenas Jahiz, Razi, Ibn Sina, Al-Biruni, Abu Hameed al-Gharnati, Qur’an, Hadith, Tourah, Al Mallaha, Tuhfatul Gharaib etc. in addition to many historians, geographers, and travellers. He also gathered narrative from his friend circle which includes legal experts, judges and explorers (navigators of a particular country or region). Qazwini’s aim was to gather information from wherever it is possible and to present them and if necessary reveal the astonishing facts and phenomena of the universe. He has also revealed medicinal values of minerals, plants and animals in his whole book and he also wrote about the effects of celestial bodies on human life. The essayist further writes: “For this reason, his book became popular in later centuries.” Irrespective of finding any errors or drawbacks in his book, Qazwini may be regarded as on the greatest Muslim Cosmographers without any doubt.
About angels, Qazwini writes that they are made up of simple substance and they have life and they possess intelligence but they are free from sexual inclination and feeling of anger. They are obedient to Allah and they fulfill Allah’s commands. They are responsible for the welfare, prosperity and completion of human beings. They help in digesting food. Without their help, humans cannot digest food, .i.e. humans are laborers who perform physically while angels are workers who perform intangibly.
In the second part of the book ‘Wonders of Creation and Unique Phenomena of Existence’, he has discussed elements and its spheres:
Sphere of Fire: meteorite and lightening
Atmosphere: Clouds, rain, air, lightening, thunder and rain
Hydrosphere: Oceanic islands and fishes and other animals which live there.
Sphere of Earth: shape, size, earth’s rotation, mountains, rivers, springs, minerals, various kinds of rocks, sulphur, plants, animals, humans, birds, and crawling animals etc. In this part of the book, Qazwini has expressed his vast knowledge and his acquaintance with scientific knowledge.
Some important works of Zakariya Qazwini are given below:
- Ajai’bul Buldaan (Wonders of Countries)
- Aasarul Bilad wa Akhbarul Ibaad (Memories of Countries and Stories of the People)
- Useful of Science and Repellent Worries
- Maps of Egypt
- Guidance in the Information of Qazvin