Lobb al-Hesab

• Persian Title: لب الحساب
• Transliterated Title: Lubb al-Ḥisāb
• English Title: The Essence of Arithmetic
• Author: ʿAlī ibn Yūsuf al-Muḥāsib
• Editor: Narges ʿAṣṣārzādagān
• Language: Persian
• ISBN: 978-600-203-302-4
• Publication Year: 2024
• Pages: 654
• Format: PDF
• Category: Sciences and Technology
• Miras Maktoob Collection Code: 398

【Summary】

Lubb al-Ḥisāb is an extensive work on arithmetic and geometry, addressing a wide range of mathematical topics including integer arithmetic, irrational numbers, sexagesimal calculation, number theory, equations, commercial arithmetic, and geometry. The book is structured into four main sections followed by a conclusion, with each section divided into multiple chapters and subsections.

The work was authored by ʿAlī ibn Yūsuf ibn ʿAlī, about whose life little is known. However, the content of Lubb al-Ḥisāb demonstrates the author’s thorough familiarity with administrative calculations related to taxation, land assessment, and war booty distribution, as well as with mathematical problems arising in Islamic jurisprudence, such as inheritance, wills, contracts, and commercial transactions, particularly within the Ḥanafī and Shāfiʿī legal traditions. The text also reflects practical knowledge of mercantile accounting, making it a valuable source for the study of applied mathematics in the medieval Islamic world.