Jābir ibn Hayyān, Abū Mūsā (721?-815?), was an Arab or Persian scholar whose mystical writings became famous throughout the Middle East and Europe. Many of his writings involve alchemy, an ancient practice that included elements of chemistry, philosophy, and mysticism. Other works by Jābir deal with astrology, medicine, magical talismans, and Shī`ite mysticism. Shī`ites form one of the two main branches of the religion of Islam. Sunnis are the other main branch. Jābir was said to be a student of Jaʿfar al-Sādiq, a famous Shī`ite imam (religious leader) who lived in the 700’s. However, historians have long doubted the authenticity of works bearing Jābir’s name. Many historians think Jābir’s writings were mostly composed by other alchemists and mystics between the 800’s and 1300’s. During this time, authors sometimes falsely claimed their works were written by famous or legendary figures. A group of Shī`ite scholars from the 900’s may have composed many of Jābir’s writings. Some historians doubt that Jābir even existed.
Writings attributed to Jābir greatly influenced the practice of alchemy during the Middle Ages. Working from Jābirian texts, alchemists sought to transmute (transform) cheap substances into precious ones, for example turning lead into gold. Transmutation could supposedly be accomplished with a mystical substance called the Philosopher’s Stone. According to legend, the Stone could even grant immortality and create new life.
Many of Jābir’s writings were deliberately hard to understand, supposedly to protect their secret knowledge. In Europe, Jābir was known by the Latinized name Geber. The word gibberish, meaning senseless or confused chatter or writing, may have been coined in reference to Jābir’s style. Modern scholars no longer take alchemy seriously as a discipline. But by cataloguing various chemical elements and their reactions, Jābir’s writings helped establish the foundations of the modern science of chemistry.
