Of these students we know at least the name of one, i, e.

Of these students we know at least the name of one, i, e., Abu Bakr ibn Qarin al-Razi who became a doctor.[^10] Al-Razi was generous, humane towards his patients, and charitable to the poor, so that he used to give them full treatment without charging any fee, and even stipends.[^11] When not occupied with pupils or patients he was always writing and study­ing. ^12 It seems that this was the reason for the gradual weakening of his sight that finally brought blindness to his eyes.

Some say ^13 that the reason for his blindness was that he used to eat too much of broad beans ( baqilah ). It began with cataract[^14] which ended in complete blindness. They say that he refused to be treated for cataract saying that he “had seen so much of the world that he was fed up.” ^15 But this seems to be more of an anecdote than a historical fact.

It was one of his pupils from Tabaristan that came to treat him, but, as al-Biruni says, he refused to be treated saying that it was useless as his hour of death was approaching.[^16] Some days after, he died in Rayy, on the 5th of Sha'ban 313/27th of October 925. [^17] Al-Razi's Masters and Opponents We have already mentioned that al-­Razi studied medicine under 'Ali ibn Rabban al-Tabari. Ibn al-Nadim says[^18] that he studied philosophy under al-Balkhi.

This al-Balkhi, according to Ibn al-Nadim had travelled much, and knew philosophy and ancient sciences well. Some even say that al-Razi attributed to himself some of al-Balkhi's books on philosophy. We know nothing else about this al-Balkhi, not even his full name. Al-Razi's opponents, on the contrary, are known better. They were the following: Abu al-Qasim al-Balkhi, chief of the Mu'tazilah of Baghdad (d.

319/931), was a contemporary of al-Razi; he composed many refutations of al-Razi's books, especially his 'Ilm al-Ilahi .[^19] He had controversies with him especially on time.[^20] Shuhaid ibn al-Husain al-Balkhi,[^21] with whom al-Razi had many contro­versies;[^22] one of these controversies was on the theory of pleasure.[^23] His theory of pleasure is expounded in his Tafdil Ladhdhat al-Nafs from which Abu Sulaiman al-Mantiqi al-Sijistani gives some extracts in Siwan al-Hikmah .[^24] Al-Balkhi died before 329/940.

Abu Hatim al-Razi, the most important of all his opponents (d.