Physiognomy in Islamic Sources

Exploring inner character of a person through his appearance is the subject of physiognomy which has been discussed by a group of scholars since past times up to now; for example Hippocrates -several centuries before Christ- paid attention to it. But physiognomy has not been counted as a known and independent science till Aristotle.Islamic sources mentioned Polemon of Greece as an expert in physiognomy. It was introduced to Islamic world through translation of Greek sources, especially medical books. Scholars like Rāzī, IbnSīnā, IbnRushd and others discussed in this field and some of them wrote independent treatises and books in this regard. Fakhr al-DīnRāzī’s treatise entitled Risāla fi al-Firāsat is an example of these works. This treatise has been translated into Persian by Lutfullāh ‘AzīzHirawī (7th century A.H.).