648 - 704 * Khalid Ibn Yazeed *

( * Khalid Ibn Yazeed * Alchemy)

KHALID IBN YAZEED Islamic Chemist founder of gun powder

Khalid was the son of Yazeed Ibn Muawia. His birth date is unknown, but it is clearly known that he was very young when yazid died in 64 A.H.. After the death of Yazid his elder brother Muaawia Ibn Yazid Ibn Muawia became the caliph.Unfortunately he was not able to keep the thrown as he died within 3 months or forty days due to unknown illness.Since Khalid was very young so he was not offered the thrown instead Marwaan Ibn Al-hakam became the caliph. However Khalid became the governor of Humus. His mother Hashim binte Abu-Hashim bin Atba got married to Marwaan. According to Tibri

"One of son of Yazid was Khalid also known as Abu-Hashim was interested in study of alchemy.His mother name is Hashim binte Abu-Hashim bin Atba who got married to Marwaan."

After the death of Marwaan Bin Al-hakam, Khalid was still young and again was not offered the thrown.Abdul-Malik Bin Marwaan became the caliph.Fortunately Khalid got much respect and dignity from Abdul-Malik. It was Khalid who gave the idea of first islamic coin in 76 A.H..

According to Adorogy Brown

"Khalid bin Yazid had great interest in Alchemy."(Tib-al-alrab(Arabic Medicine))

According to Ibn-Alnadeem in Kitaab-a-Fehrist:

"Jabir Ibn Hayaan became partner with Khalid bin Yazid who was a well known scientist of alchemy in translating Greek Knowledge into arabic."

Khalid also got famous for discovering gunpowder. Although according to many experts gunpowder was first discovered by Chinese civilization in the ninth century A.D. However, according to history the Muslim chemist named Khalid bin Yazid was familiar withpotassium nitrate (KNO3) the main ingredient of gunpowder maker in the 7th century A.D.

According to Prof Al-Hassan:

'' The formula and the recipe can be found in works of Jabir Ibn Hayyan (d. 815 A.H.), Abu Bakr al-Razi (d. 932) and other Muslim chemists, " .

The term potassium nitrate in the Muslim world has always come up with various names such as natrun, Buraq, al-ha'it milh, shabb Yamani, and other names.

Khalid who died at a very young age in 704 A.D. was the first islamic scientist who opened doors to the knowledge of wisdom,discovery and invention.

Calid is a medieval Latin transcription of the Arabic name Khalid (or Khaled).

Khalid ibn Yazid In alchemy, Calid often refers to a historical figure, Khalid ibn Yazid (died 704 CE). He was an Umayyad prince, a brother of Muawiyah II who was briefly caliph. Prince Khalid lost the chance of inheriting the title, but took an interest in the study of alchemy, in Egypt, facilitating translations into Arabic of the existing literature. It is to this Khalid that later allusions to Calid rex (King Calid) refer.

Attributions to Calid

It is contested whether the attributions to Khalid ibn Yazid of alchemical writing are justified. A popular legend has him consulting a Byzantine monk Marianos (Morienus the Greek). The Liber de compositione alchimiae, which was the first alchemical work translated from Arabic to Latin was purportedly an epistle of Marianos to Khalid.

Another traditional attribution is of the Liber Trium Verborum. Forms as Calid filius Ysidri attempt to distinguish ibn Yazid from others named Calid. Calid filius Hahmil certainly intends ibn Umail. There is a Calid filius Jaici mentioned by Jean-Jacques Manget, who includes an attributed Liber Secretorum Artis in his 1702 compilation Bibliotheca Curiosa Chemica.

Menguasai teknologi persenjataan merupakan salah satu faktor yang membuat Kekhalifahan Islam di masa kejayaan menjadi begitu tangguh. Selain mumpuni dalam seni pembuatan pedang, dunia Islam pun mampu menggenggam teknologi pembuatan bubuk mesiu - bahan peledak yang digunakan untuk meriam. Sesuatu yang baru diketahui peradaban Barat pada abad ke-14 M.

Meski sejumlah pakar bersepakat bahwa mesiu (gunpowder) pertama kali ditemukan peradaban Cina pada abad ke-9 M. Namun, fakta sejarah juga menyebutkan bahwa ahli kimia Muslim bernama Khalid bin Yazid (wafat tahun 709 M) sudah mengenal potassium nitrat (KNO3)  bahan utama pembuat mesiu  pada abad ke-7 M. Dua abad lebih cepat dari Cina.

''Umayyad Prince, Khalid bin Yazid (d. 704). A grandson of caliph Mu’awiyyah Khalid was the heir apparent to the throne. In 683, however, the throne was taken over by his second cousin, Marwan. Khalid turned his attention to the occult and hermetic sciences summoning Marianos, an alchemist hermit from Alexandria, Egypt to Damascus to teach him the secrets of alchemy.
Translation into Arabic began under the rule of the Umayyads in the time of Prince Khalid ibn Yazid. Prince Khalid was interested in alchemy, and so he employed the services of Greek philosophers who were living in Egypt. He rewarded them lavishly, and they translated Greek and Egyptian books on chemistry, medicine and the stars.

A contemporary Khalid was the Jabir Ibn Hayan (Geber), who is known to have promoted the practice of alchemy as a profession and a career. In an argument similar to that surrounding the works of William Shakespeare, the authenticity of Jabir and his writings have been controversial for over 1000 years. In the tenth century, for example, many scholars and book dealers doubted even the very existence of a historical figure by the name of Jabir. The texts carrying his name were considered spurious and were thought to have been written by several alchemists who hid their identity behind the famous and revered name of Jabir. Others speculated that, even if such a man existed, he could have written only Kitab arRahmah (The Book of Mercy). No one man could have penned such a large number of works, they argued, no matter how prolific he was.

The few works historians agree to attribute to him, such as The Book of Mercy, represent a convergence of Greek, Indian, and the indigenous theories prevalent in Egypt and Syria. Apparently, the Umayyad Caliphate lasted for about ninety years, and during that time Islam spread from China in the east to Spain in the west. Translation of scientific books into Arabic had already begun, but under the Abbassids, who succeeded the Umayyads, it was greatly accelerated. An important factor which facilitated the work of translation was the flexibility of the Arabic language, the richness of its terminology, and its capacity for expression.
The Ninth Century The ninth century marked the beginning of the Golden Age of Islamic learning, and just as Muslim scholars made significant gains in the physical sciences, so to did they learn, master and expand the arts of medicine and the science of pharmacy.

This early rise and development of professional pharmacy in Islam — over four centuries before such development took place in Europe- was the result of three major occurrences: the great increase in the demand for drugs and their availability on the market; professional maturity; and an unprecedented intellectual curiosity.

The formula and the recipe can be found in the works of Jabir Ibn Hayyan (died 815 AD), Abu Bakr al-Razi (died in 932) and other Muslim chemists, "said Prof Al-Hassan. From century to century, the term potassium nitrate The Islamic world has always performed with a variety of names such as Natrun, buraq, Milh al-ha'it, shabb Yamani, as well as other names.

One of the advantages of Islamic civilization than the Chinese in the manufacture mesium mastery of technology is the process of purification of potassium nitrate. Before it can be used effectively as a main ingredient manufacture of gunpowder, said Al-Hassan, potassium nitrate should be purified first.

There are two processes of purification of potassium nitrate listed in the Arabic script. The first purification process initiated Ibn Bakhtawaih at the beginning of the 11th century AD In the book he wrote titled Al-Muqaddimat compiled in 402 AH / 1029 AD, Ibn Bakhtawaih describes the freezing water by using potassium nitrate - which is referred to as shabb Yamani.

Potassium nitrate purification process is also contained in a book entitled Al-Furusiyyah wa Al-Manasib Harbiyyah Al-Hasan Al-Rammah work - Muslim scientists in the 13th century AD In his work, Al-Rammah explain potassium nitrate purification process is complete. "The process of purification is composed of Al-Rammah become the gold standard we can Temuka in beragaman military treatise," added Prof Al-Hassan.

Al-Rammah explained in detail and clearly about the process of purification of potassium nitrate. This method of manufacture of potassium nitrate is often claimed to Western civilization as Roger Bacon findings. But the claim itself was broken by western scientists named Partington. "The process of making saltpetre - another name for potassium nitrate - the first known of Hasan Al-Rammah.

prof Al-Hassan found that potassium nitrate is so widely used at the outbreak of the Crusades. In the year 1249 AD, King Louis IX of France waged crusades VII. The crusade armies of France intends to invade Egypt. In the Battle of Al-Mansurah that erupted in 1250 AD, the armies of the Cross made topsy-turvy by Muslim forces.

In fact, King Louis IX was subdued and arrested for not able to deal with the greatness of their guns and rockets. At that time, the Muslim forces had used gunpowder as an explosive cannon. Jean de Joinville, a crusading army officer, explained how great the impact of a projectile being fired cannon Muslim army against the French troops.

Joinville testimony among historians interpret it. According to historians, the projectile described Joinville it must contain gunpowder. Prowess is able to make a mess troops Cross. Institutions Space United States (NASA) in its publication on the history of military rocket technology also recognizes the Islamic world in the 13th century AD

"Muslims equip troops with rocket arsenal it finds itself. When Crusade VII they use to fight the French army led by King Louis IX." King Louis the next two decades trying to re-invade Tunisia.

However, it actually ended up with a vengeance for her death. Muslim forces under the authority of the Mamluks with gunpowder and weapons re-create the topsy-turvy Crusaders. British historian Steven Runciman in his book A History of the Crusades said that the gunpowder used massively in 1291 AD at the end of the Crusades.

Since then, military weapons using gunpowder massively In 1453 AD, Sultan Muhammad II al-Fatih from Turkey are also able to conquer Constantinople hubris with gunpowder and a giant cannon. Within four minutes of Arabic mentioned the war Ayn Jalut in Palestine in 1260 AD between the Muslim army has been using a small cannon that can carry while fighting against the Mongols.

Cannon and ammunition used in a war in the Middle Ages to frighten the horses and cavalry of the enemy. In addition to using gunpowder for weapons, in that era also used to make fireworks. Mamluks in the celebrations in the 14th century AD, reported the usual display of firecrackers attractions. The term firecracker already mentioned in harraqat al-naphtha or harraqat al-barud.

A French explorer named Bertrandon de la Brocquiere stunned to see a show of firecrackers when arriving in Beirut in the year 1432 AD At that time, residents rejoiced central Beirut to celebrate Eid. Brocquiere admitted for the first time see the fireworks show. In the era of the French people are not familiar with it and see the fireworks.

At the time itula, Brocquiere then tried to learn the formula and secret recipe of making firecrackers. He then brought formulas obtained to France. Meanwhile, for the first time firecrackers known in England in 1486 AD when Henry VII married. Since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, firecrackers and fireworks became popular.

Long before the 13th century AD, Islamic civilization has been able to prepare formula and composition of gunpowder and other materials used to make various types of explosives. Western civilization then replicate and use technology owned and controlled by the Muslims in the golden era.

Although civilization owes to Islam, achieved a very high achievement Muslims in the manufacture of gunpowder and cannon technology often omitted Western historians. Western historians always mention the history of gunpowder from China directly to the West, not to mention achievements in the Islamic world.

Gunpowder - A traveling Muslim science museum in the UK claimed that:

Though the Chinese invented saltpetre gunpowder, and used it in their fireworks, it was the Arabs who worked out that it could be purified using potassium nitrate for military use.32

What's odd about this is that saltpetre is potassium nitrate! Maybe the Arabs produced a more purified form of saltpetre. Gunpowder was developed in China around the 7th century AD and it was brought west either along the Silk Road or by the Mongols. In any case, the Chinese were using military rockets in the 11th century-long before any other such recorded use.

Flight has been credited to Abbas ibn Firnas for making a reasonably successful glider flight in 875AD. However, there are Chinese accounts of manned gliders dating back as far as 500BC and functional parachutes twenty-one centuries ago. The first functional aircraft still must be credited to the Wright Brothers last century.

Carpets, cheques and windmills likewise predated Islam and originated in Persian and Central Asia. It has been claimed that gardens for beauty were invented by the Arabs, but that entirely ignores the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the gardens of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Coffee was popularized by the Abbassids but first exported from Ethiopia, where tribesmen used to chew the bean to help keep them alert on hunting trips.

In conclusion, we must reemphasize that Islam's Golden Age played a valuable role in mankind's progress, but it both contributed to and depended upon other major civilizations that existed at that time.

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