The origins of the infinity symbol (“∞”) have long been a point of debate among mathematicians and linguists. One non-Western perspective we found interesting: The “∞” symbol was not used to represent the concept of “infinity” in mathematics until the 17th century and many Western scholars believe it is either derived from the Roman numeral for 1,000 “CIƆ” or the last letter of the Greek alphabet “ω.”
However, we know Arab and Islamic scholars were some of the earliest mathematicians in human history and that the Greeks and Romans borrowed heavily from their theories. In Arabic, the word for eight is “Thamany,” which stems from the ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Phoenician word “Tamid” and means “Forever.” In Islam, “8” represents the eight gates of heaven and the key to everything abundant and good in the universe.
For many scholars, the ancient connection between “8” and “infinity” is no coincidence, both meaning “forever” and unlocking infinite possibilities, creativity and wholeness.
xx Noam Argov
This article was originally published in RANGE Magazine Issue Eight.