Ibn al-Haytham · Avicenna Were Ibn al-Haytham and Avicenna alive at the same time? Yes. Ibn al-Haytham and Avicenna were alive at the same time, from AD 977–983 to 1037. Ibn al-HaythamArab physicist, mathematician and astronomerBorn c. AD 965 · died 1039AvicennaPersian polymath, physician and philosopherBorn AD 977–983 · died 18 June 1037 FerdowsiIbn al-HaythamLeif EriksonAl-BiruniAvicennaWilliam the Conqueror Ibn al-Haytham and Avicenna in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.