Effect of Islamic Civilization on Modern Science
This figure shows a twelfth-century model of the solar system from Baghdad
The one who contemplates the reason modern science and technology
have taken giant steps and advanced to the present state would certainly
agree that it is due to Islamic civilization which transmitted and introduced
vast amounts of knowledge and produced many scholars.
C.H. Haskins7 said: 'The broad fact remains that the Arabs
of Spain were the principal source of the new learning for
Western Europe.'
They are the ones who placed the fundamentals
from which modern civilization advanced. Whoever
reviews the 'Dictionary of Technical Terms for
Aerospace' 8 would certainly conclude that sixty
percent of the known stars are given names that
are derived from Arabic.
The books and works of early Muslim scholars
were the main resource texts which the West
benefited from, especially the Europeans who used
these works during the Renaissance period. Many
of these texts were used in European universities.
Marquis of Dufferin and Ava
said:
'It is to Mussulman science, to
Mussulman art, and to Mussulman literature that Europe has been in a great
measure indebted for its extrication from the darkness of the Middle Ages.' 9
Scientific knowledge that originated in India, China and the
Hellenistic world was sought out by Muslim scholars and then translated,
refined, synthesized and augmented at different centers of learning in the
Islamic world from where the knowledge spread to Western Europe. (History of
Medicine, Arab roots of European Medicine, David W. Tschanz, MSPH, PhD. Also see:
http://www.hmc.org.qa/hmc/heartviews/H-V-v4%20N2/9.htm )
The Astrolabe: An important device invented by Muslims for navigation. The
points of the curved spikes on the front rete plate, mark the positions of the
brightest stars. The name of each star being labeled at the base of each spike.
The back plate, or mater is engraved with projected coordinate lines (From the
Whipple Museum of the History of Science in Cambridge)
J.H. Denison said:
'In the fifth and sixth centuries the civilized world stood on the verge of a
chaos. The old emotional cultures that had made civilization possible, since
they had given to men a sense of unity and of reverence for their rulers, had
broken down and nothing had been found adequate to take their place. It seemed
then the great civilization which it had taken four thousand years to construct
was on the verge of disintegration, and that mankind was likely to return to
that condition of barbarism where every tribe and sect was against the next, and
law and order was unknown. The old tribal sanctions had lost their power. The
new sanctions created by Christianity were working division and destruction
instead of unity and order. It was a time fraught with
tragedy. Civilization, like a gigantic tree whose foliage had overarched the
world and whose branches had borne the golden fruits of art and science
and literature, stood tottering rotted to the core. Was there any emotional
culture that could be brought in to gather mankind once more into unity and
to save civilization? It was among these people that the man (Muhammad)
was born who was to unite the whole known world of the east and south.10
Blood circulation and the inner organs of the human body . An image taken from a book of an ancient Muslim doctor
Muslims had advanced in all technical, scientific and intellectual fields.
Here we will mention a few of the outstanding scholars in various fields.
- Al-Khawarizmi (780-850CE) was a great scholar in the fields of
mathematics, algebra, logarithms and geometry. He was perhaps one of
the greatest mathematicians who ever lived, as, in fact, he was the founder
of several branches and basic concepts of mathematics. He was also the
founder of Algebra.
Al-Biruni (973-1050AD) was a great scholar in many fields. He wrote on
topics ranging from astronomy to mathematics, mathematical geography to
mechanics, pharmacology and history.
- Al-Biruni discussed the theory of the
earth rotating on its own axis six hundred years before Galileo!
The German Orientalist E. Sachau said about al-Biruni:
'He was the greatest intellectual known to man.'
As Muslims we say that the greatest intellectual known to man is our Prophet
Muhammad.
Eye anatomy - An image taken from a book of an ancient Muslim doctor
In the field of medicine and pharmacy, Muslim scholars left behind a wealth
of knowledge in their works, which were used to advance modern day
medicine. Among these scholars were:
- Ibn Rushd (Averroes 1126-1198 CE) was an Andalusian philosopher
and physician, a master of philosophy and Islamic law, mathematics and
medicine.
Ibn an-Nafees (1213-1288 CE) was a physician who is mostly famous
for being the first to describe the pulmonary circulation of the blood. He
discovered blood circulation before the Englishman Harvey and the Spaniard
Michael Servetus by hundreds of years.
Am'maar b. Ali al-Mo'sili b. Eesa al-Kah'haal was highly skilled in
ophthalmology. He invented specialized instruments used in operations,
such as the "injection syringe", a hollow needle.
Al-Hasan b. al-Haitham (Alhazen 965-
1040AH) was a great mathematician. He
was a pioneer in optics, engineering and
astronomy. According to Giambattista della
Porta, Al-Hasan was the first to explain
the apparent increase in the size of the
moon and sun when near the horizon. His
seven volume treatise on optics Kitab al-
Manadhir (Book of Optics) is possibly the
earliest work to use the scientific method.
He used the results of experiments to test
theories.
Al-Mansoori and Abu Bakr ar-Razi were renowned, versatile
physicians. They made fundamental and enduring contributions to the
fields of medicine and philosophy.
Process of medicine extraction- An image taken from a book of an ancient pharmacist
Muwaf'faq al-Baghdadi and Abul-Qasim az-Zahrawi were
renowned in dental practices. They wrote books concerning this, and put
illustrative pictures of the tools used in surgical operations and how to use
the tools.
In the field of geography and geology many notable scholars can be
mentioned, among whom are:
Shareef al-Idrisi (1100-1165H) was a cartographer, geographer and
traveler. He was renowned for his excellent maps of the world. He also
invented navigational instruments.
There are many Muslim
scholars who participated
and took part in advancing
civilization. Whoever wants
to know more, should
review books that are
written specifically on this
topic. Numerous times,
researches written by
Muslims were plagiarized
and wrongfully attributed to
others.
Major Arthur Glyn Leonard said:
Do not we, who now consider ourselves on the topmost pinnacle ever
reached by culture and civilization, recognize that, had it not been for the
high culture, the civilization and intellectual, as the social splendors of
the Arabs and soundness of their system, Europe would to this day have
remained sunk in the darkness of ignorance?11
The map of the world - An image taken from a book of a Muslim scholar in geography
The Virtues of Islamic Civilization
Seeking knowledge is a religious duty, which Islam encourages Muslims
to fulfill.
Muslim scholars in the past used their knowledge to strengthen people's
belief in contrast to the scholars of this age, who use their knowledge to
weaken people's belief.
Muslim scholars in the past used their knowledge to serve mankind,
in contrast to most of the scholars today who use their knowledge for
exploitive and selfish ends.
Scientists during this era invented the atom and hydrogen bomb and
other weapons of mass destruction; thereafter they prevented others
from owning these weapons, in an attempt to control and exploit the
riches of the world.
Muslim scholars of the past spread their knowledge so that people
could benefit from it, in contrast to the scholars of today who withhold
knowledge for themselves or for their own country and prevent others
from accessing it.
Muslim scholars of the past aimed to attain the mercy of Allah and His
reward, in contrast to the scholars of today who try their best to benefit
materialistically from their discoveries.
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