Life and Works of the Banū Mūsà

Abstract

The Banū (sons of) Mūsà were among the most important figures in the intellectual and political life of ninth century Baghdad and played a key rôle in the founding and development of Arabic science and technology. Fortunately we have a good deal of information about them in biographical and historical works, the most important of which are listed briefly below, with the abbreviations used in references given in parentheses after each source. Separate articles are devoted to the Banū Mūsà in several works, of which the earliest is the Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadīm,¹ composed 377/987–8, pp. 378–379 (F). Ibn al-Qifti, 568/1172–646/1248, p. 208 draws some of his material from Ibn al-Nadīm and some from unknown sources (Q). Additional information is given by Ibn Khallikān, 608/1211–681/1282, pp. 161–163 in his Biographies of Illustrious Men (K), and by Bar Hebraeus, 623/1226–685/1286, History of the Dynasties, pp. 264–267 (H). Abu’ 1-Fidā’, 672/1273–732/1331, Universal History, vol. I, Bk 2, p. 49 provides what is virtually a copy of Ibn Khallikān’s article (A). There are other works which do not contain separate entries on the Banū Mūsà, but rather a number of scattered references to their activities. Perhaps the most important of these is the great history of al-Tabarī, 224/839–310/923, Series III (T). Al-Tabarī was living in Baghdad while the brothers were active in the political and intellectual life of the city and his mentions of them, though brief, therefore have particular value. Of a similar nature are a number of references in the first volume of the biographical dictionary of Ibn Abī Uṣaybi‘a, 590/1194–668/1270, which are of interest for the light they throw upon the relationships of the brothers with the Caliphs and with other scholars (U).