Translation Movement and Acculturation in the Medieval Islamic World by Labeeb Ahmed Bsoul

Author:Labeeb Ahmed Bsoul
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9783030217037
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

This is the area in which Ḥunayn emerged in the field of translation. Ibn Abī Uṣaybi‘a, Aḥmad ibn Qāsim (d. 668/1270) said that:Then Ḥunayn accompany Yūḥannā ibn Mūsāwayh and became one of his disciples, working with him in the profession of medicine. And Ḥunayn translated for Ibn Mūsāwayh many books, especially from the books of Galen, some of them into the Syriac language and some of them into the Arabic language.45

Yūḥannā ibn Mūsāwayh contributed to the acquisition of Greek manuscripts from Constantinople and was sent by al-Ma’mūn from time to time to collect the most important Greek heritage in various sciences and return to Baghdad, and then, work on the translation into Arabic. We can regard Yūḥannā’s work as playing a prominent role in the translation movement.

The works of Yūḥannā ibn Mūsāwayh were very many, as Ibn Abī Uṣaybi‘ah, Aḥmad ibn Qāsim,46 Ibn al-Nadīm,47 Ṣā‘id al-Andalusī,48 and al-Qifṭī report.49 They focused on medicine and related matters, such as pharmacology. This signals the extent of knowledge and perceptions of Yūḥannā. As Ibn Juljul observes, “Yūḥannā ibn Mūsāwayh’s medicine has secrets that give benefits to people, and his many books provide information that others could not”.50

Because of his sponsorship for the translation of medical books, Yūḥannā ibn Mūsāwayh reached great heights in medicine, including ophthalmology, in which he excelled. He wrote about the eye, its diseases, and their treatment in his book entitled Dughul al-‘Ayn. This is one of the oldest books on the subject, and in this field, he was followed by his disciple Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq al-‘Ibādī in his book entitled al-‘Ashar Maqālāt fī al-‘Ayn (Ten Treatises on Ophthalmology).51

Yūḥannā ibn Mūsāwayh helped to advance the translation movement significantly by strengthening this movement materially and by encouraging the translation of Greek works. He was also a translator of a large number of Greek works into Arabic, which enriched the Arab heritage with the Greek sciences and knowledge, especially in medicine. He distinguished himself from other sponsors of the translation movement, who limited their role to taking care of the movement materially and morally.

On this basis, we can consider his dual role as one of the most important in the history of the translation movement, especially if we take into account the fact that Yūḥannā ibn Mūsāwayh was active during the caliphate of al-Mu‘taṣim and al-Wāthiq. His sponsorship meant that the movement continued despite the relative lack of state support.52

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