Abharī: Athīr al-Dīn al-Mufaḍḍal ibn ^ҁUmar ibn al-Mufaḍḍal al-Samarqandī al-Abharī

Born probably Mosul, (Iraq)

Died Shabustar, (Iran), possibly 1265

Abharī, sometimes referred to as “Athīr al-Dīn al-Munajjim” (the astrologer), was a well-known philosopher who wrote influential texts in logic, mathematics, and astronomy. There has been diverse speculation about where and when Abharī was born, with the predominant opinion being that he was born in Mosul. “Samarqandī” in his name indicates that either he or his ancestors originally stemmed from there, most likely belonging to the Abhar tribe.

Little information is known about Abharī’s education. It is thought that he attended primary school in Mosul and later traveled to the scientific and cultural centers in Khurāsān, Baghdad, and Arbil to continue his studies. The biographer Ibn Khallikān reports that Abharī took part in the assemblies of the famous scholar Kamāl al-Dīn ibn Yūnus (died: 1242) and even worked as his assistant at the Badriyya School in Mosul. Other reports claim that Abharī was a student of the renowned...