Algebra (al-jabr)

علم الجبر

The branch of mathematics that solves problems with an unknown quantity by general methods. Al-Khwarizmi's book on al-jabr and al-muqabala is the text this record rests on; the editors of the 1939 Cairo edition place it first among the scientific books of their heritage.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Region
Persia & Central Asia
Review
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Mathematics

Summary

Algebra is a branch of mathematics that solves problems involving the unknown and treats equations by general methods. In this museum it is associated with al-Khwarizmi and his book al-Jabr wa al-Muqabala 1.

Note

The definition of algebra here is general. The statement about the book's standing is taken from the introduction by the editors of the 1939 edition. The book's mathematical examples have not yet been read.

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Subject of
al-Kitab al-mukhtasar fi Hisab al-Jabr wal-Muqabala (The Algebra of al-Khwarizmi)

People and things also explored

al-Kitab al-mukhtasar fi Hisab al-Jabr wal-Muqabala (The Algebra of al-Khwarizmi)· Abu al-Wafa' al-Buzjani, Muhammad ibn Muhammad· Ahmad ibn Yusuf· Al-Badi' al-Astarlabi· al-Burshani Ibrahim ibn Muhammad· al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ibn Matar· al-Khujandi Abu Mahmud Hamid ibn al-Khidr· al-Khwarizmi

Sources

  1. al-Khwarizmi, Kitab al-Jabr wal-Muqabala, ed. Mosharafa and Ahmad (Cairo, 1939) , p.11
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Algebra (al-jabr)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/algebra/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-18.

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Related

al-Kitab al-mukhtasar fi Hisab al-Jabr wal-Muqabala (The Algebra of al-Khwarizmi)

al-Khwarizmi's treatise on al-jabr and al-muqabala. The editors of the 1939 Cairo edition place it first among the scientific books of their heritage they chose to publish, and note that their base manuscript was a copy made about five hundred years after the author's death, so the text may carry copying errors.