octagon, for example, does not necessarily signify a particular meaning
distinct from a hexagon, although meaning can be attributed to both–it
can signal a mode of apprehending human creativity within parameters
enabled by the Divine.
Thefirst Muslim scholar to investigate optics was al-Kindi. He was born
the son of a governor of Kufa and grew up in Basra, a stronghold of
Mu’tazilite thought. He matured under the patronage of the three caliphs
who upheld Mu’tazilite thought, but fell out of favor near the end of his life
under a fourth who disputed it. The study of optics held special importance
in his philosophy of nature. He explained:
Figure 26Anonymous,“Example of geometric pattern as constructed with a compass
and ruler,”from“On Interlocking Similar or Congruent Figures.”Bibliothèque
Nationale de France, Paris, MS Persan 169, p. 191
Isometric Geometry in Islamic Perceptual Culture 281