… Jabir b. Hayyan (circa 102-192/721-808) known by the Latin name Geber to European scholars. Jabir b. Hayyan was an alchemist, a discipline that combined science, numerology, philosophy, and esoteric aspects of religion. He developed several experimental techniques including distillation and other methods that continue to be used in modern chemistry. He was born in Tus but his family moved to Yaman. Later he went to Kufa, which was at the time under Abbasid. Here, he is known to have become the follower and student of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq. He also practised his discipline at the court of Harun al-Rashid and dedicated several books to his patrons. A prolific writer, Jabir b. Hayyan produced a number of works including the Book of Venus on alchemy. His writings were translated into Latin and such were his fame that many other scientific works were attributed to him by medieval Europeans. He continued to be influential in Europe into the 17th century when his writings were translated into English, French, German, etc. and he became associated with …
