The Light of Alhazen

In the golden age of Islamic civilization, amidst the bustling streets of 10th-century Basra, a boy named Hasan Ibn al-Haytham was born. From a young age, he showed a deep curiosity for the world around him. While others played in the dusty courtyards or traded goods in noisy bazaars, young Hasan would often be found staring into the skies, observing how the stars twinkled and how the sunlight danced on the water’s surface.

His father, a civil servant, recognized Hasan’s sharp mind and sent him to study in Baghdad, the center of learning at the time. There, under candle-lit halls of grand libraries and with scrolls from Greece, Persia, and India stacked high, Hasan immersed himself in knowledge—mathematics, astronomy, theology, and most of all, optics.

But what set Hasan apart from others was his method. While many scholars relied on ancient texts and philosophies without question, Hasan believed truth must be proven by experiment. “Knowledge comes not from authority,” he would often say, “but from evidence.”

His revolutionary thinking would one day earn him the title: Alhazen, the father of modern optics.

As his fame grew, Alhazen was invited by the Fatimid Caliph in Egypt to help control the flooding of the Nile River. Confident in his abilities, Alhazen traveled to Cairo. But upon inspecting the Nile, he realized the task was impossible with the technology of the time. Fearing the caliph's wrath, he feigned madness and was placed under house arrest.

Though imprisoned, Alhazen saw this as a blessing in disguise.

In the quiet solitude of his room, he began one of the most important scientific works in history: Kitab al-Manazir (The Book of Optics). He experimented tirelessly with lenses, mirrors, and light. He darkened his room and allowed a single ray of light through a tiny hole. Observing how the image appeared upside down on the opposite wall, he conceptualized the camera obscura—a device that would later lead to the invention of the modern camera.

He challenged the Greek idea that the eyes emit rays to see. Instead, he correctly argued that vision occurs when light reflects off objects and enters the eye, forming an image. His understanding of the anatomy of the eye was centuries ahead of his time.

But Alhazen’s legacy wasn’t just in what he discovered—it was how he discovered. He developed a scientific method based on observation, hypothesis, experimentation, and conclusion. This method would lay the foundation for generations of scientists in both the East and West.

Years later, when the caliph died, Alhazen was freed. Instead of seeking revenge or luxury, he returned to his studies and continued writing. His books were translated into Latin and studied in Europe for centuries. Scholars like Roger Bacon, Kepler, and even Galileo were influenced by his works.

Yet, Alhazen never boasted of his achievements. In his writings, he often reminded his readers:

“The seeker after truth is not one who studies the writings of the ancients and, following his natural disposition, puts his trust in them... It is rather one who suspects his faith in them and questions what he gathers from them, one who submits to argument and demonstration.”

In his final years, Alhazen lived simply, surrounded by his books, instruments, and scrolls. One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and golden light poured into his study, a student asked him, “Master, after all this, do you still seek more knowledge?”

Alhazen smiled gently and replied, “The universe is vast, and I have only seen a drop in its ocean. To seek is to live.”

Legacy

Today, Ibn al-Haytham is remembered not just as a Muslim scientist, but as a pioneer of modern science. In a time when superstition often ruled over reason, he dared to question, to observe, and to test. He combined faith with intellect, showing that Islam and science could walk hand in hand.

His image once graced the Iraqi 10 Dinar note, and UNESCO celebrated the 1000th anniversary of his birth in 2015, naming it the “Year of Light.”

In every telescope that gazes into the heavens, in every camera that captures a moment, and in every child who wonders how the world works, there is a spark of Alhazen’s light—a light that will never dim.