Thursday, December 26, 2013

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MUSLIMS TAKE OVER EUROPE? CO-EXISTENCE, PROSPERITY AND SCIENTIFIC MIRACLES

In the year 711, Tarik, a Muslim general, defeated the Visigoth king, Roderick, and added Spain to the long catalogue of kingdoms subdued by the Muslims. Spain was renamed al-Andalus under the eight and a half century Muslim rule, and prospered as one of the greatest states of the medieval era in the Western world. It alone held the torch of learning while Europe was plunged away in the Dark Ages. Art, science and literature prospered. Students flocked from France, Germany and England to drink from al-Andalus’ fountains of learning. Biology, astronomy, botany, history, philosophy and jurisprudence were only to be mastered in al-Andalus in the Western world (Lane-Poole, 11).   
Al-Andalus also showed a collaboration of Muslim, Jewish and Christian scholars, unlike anywhere else in Europe. Aristotle's lost philosophy, churches and temples that strongly resemble Muslim mosques, the pinnacle of Hebrew literature's Golden Age, the roots of modern medicine and mathematics, and the transmission of Greek philosophy into Western Europe are just a few of the collaborative achievements that form the legacy of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim cultures interacting in Islamic Spain. Farming, scientific methods of irrigation, shipbuilding, the graver, the hammer, the potter’s wheel and the mason’s wheel were all brought to perfection in al-Andalus (Burckhartd, 69). Whatever makes a kingdom grand and prosperous was found in Islamic Spain.  

In general, religious cooperation, political and economic stability was seen in al-
Andalus unlike anywhere else in the European continent. It was there that that the “profoundly Arabized Jews rediscovered and reinvented Hebrew” (Menocal, 11). It produced great Jewish philosophers and theologians such as, Ibn GabirolIbn Pakuda and Maimonides, whose works have greatly impacted the Jewish faith (Burckhardt, 28). Nearly all Christians embraced Arabic writing, philosophy and architectural styles of mosques. In al-Andalus, Christians alongside Jews and Muslims pursued the truth, whether scientific, philosophical or religious truth (Menocal, 11). In other words, people of these three religions worked together in al-Andalus to create a profound and productive civilization unlike anywhere else in Europe during the “Dark Ages.” Perhaps the scholar of medieval culture and history, Maria Rosa Menocal, phrases it in better words, “al-Andalus… [is] a potential model for Christian, Jewish and Muslim coexistence in an increasingly multicultural European community” today (Boone 13).
 

So far, we have seen that the Muslims successfully built a nation of high culture and learning in Spain. It was a society where Christians, Jews and Muslims harmoniously co-existed. In fact, for the first century of their rule in Spain, there was no religious rebellion. The question is, why were the Muslims so successful in building a society where Jews, Christians and Muslims harmoniously lived together in the Dark Ages? Perhaps the answer lies in the jurisprudence of the first emir of al-
AndalusAbd-er-Rahman I, whose regime lasted from 756 to 788. His rule was the transition of Spain from its Visigothic social structure to an Islamic or Arabic one. 
 
Abd-er-Rahman, whose name means “servant of the Merciful,” came into power almost fifty years after the Muslim conquest of Spain. After fleeing Damascus as a political refuge, he came to Spain and successfully took the throne. In the year 756, Abd-er-Rahman formally announced Spain’s independence from the Abbasid caliphate. 

Under the caliphate, when Spain was conquered in 711, it remained a remote province of the Islamic empire, and nothing was changed from its previous 
Visigothic rulers. For the first few years there were about twenty thousand Arab and Berbers# who migrated to al-Andalus. They took the place of the preceding ruling Visigoth nobility and everything remained the same as it was before. However, when Abd-er-Rahman took the throne and successfully announced Spain’s independence, changes from the preceding Visogothic social structure took place. This change was the main factor for Abd-er-Rahman’s success in building a community in Spain where Jews, Christians and Muslims peacefully lived together. Abd-er-Rahman’s jurisprudence accorded the people with far better conditions than that of the Visigothic rulers. 
 

In order to better understand 
Abd-er-Rahman’s jurisprudence we must first explore the jurisprodunce of the previous ruler of Spain, King Roderick. After the Roman Empire fell, Vandals, Alans and Visigoths entered the Iberian peninsula at about the first one or two decades of the 5
th century. The Visigoths ruled supreme in 584, and announced Christianity as the official religion. Roderick succeeded King Witiza in the year 710 and died in the year 712. Due to his short reign of about a year, Roderick followed the order of the previous kings. He was “a prince who seems to have begun his reign well,” writes Stanley Lane-Poole the 19th century British historian, “but ...presently succumbed to the temptations of wealth and power” (Lane-Poole 8). Under his rule and the previous rulers Spain was a “culturally and materially dreary place” (Menocal 11). Moreover, he and the previous rulers showed no religious tolerance. 

Since Christianity was the official religion, any other religion was intolerable under 
Visigothic rule. As a result, the Jews a significant number of the Spanish population, were persecuted. They were flogged, executed, had their properties confiscated, were subjected to ruinous taxes, forbidden to trade and, at times, dragged to the baptismal font under Roderick and other Visigoth rulers. Many Jews were obliged to accept Catholicism but continued to observe the Jewish laws privately (Boone 42). 
 

The persecution of the Jews began with King 
Recared I (586-601). Under his rule 
Spain became a Catholic or Christian land and established series of laws that restricted the practice of Judaism and the daily lives of the Jews. The celebration of the Passover and the Sabbaths and other celebration in the customary manner were interdicted. The solemnization of marriage and circumcision of Children were prohibited as well. The Jews were not allowed to offend Christians in deeds or words nor could theytestify against a Christian in the court of justice or request a trial against a Christian. The penalty for breaking these laws were burned or stoned to death.  

Under another 
Visigothic king, Sisebut (612-620), lives of the Jews became even more restricted. Under his reign more restrictions for the Spanish Jews followed. Sisebut ordained that every Jew who would abstain from converting to Christianity or baptizing himself or his children will be punished with one hundred lashes and banished from the land and deprived of his possessions. Almost ninety thousand Jews were forced to accept Christianity. For those who showed great resistance to Christianity and wanted to flee Spain, Sisebut blocked the borders so no Jew could escape. However, as previously mentioned, even though many Jews were forced to convert, they secretly followed the laws of Judaism. All of the successors of Sisebut, from Recared II to Roderick, generally followed the laws of Sisebut and Ricared I with more or less restrictions (
Graetz 45) 

The 
Visigothic reign of Spain clearly was not favored by the Jews, neither was it by the Christians themselves. The general Visigothic social structure was as follows.  At the top of the hierarchy were the kings and counts and a Christian ecclesiastical structure headed by bishops. The counts or nobles were few and held huge estates. These people, the richer classes, were “given away to luxury, eating, drinking, and gambling” (Lane-Poole 6) . Then followed the small middle class or bourgone who alone paid the taxes, and at the bottom of society were the mass of serfs and slaves.
 

The majority of the people were either slaves or serfs bound to the soil that were owned by the counts. They could not detach from the land but passed from master to master. They also could not marry without their master’s permission, and if different estates intermarried, the children were divided between the masters. The slaves were often ill-treated and the only way to freedom was death. “The very clergy, who preached about the brotherhood of Christians,” writes Lane-Poole, “now that they had become rich and owned great estates, joined the traditional policy and treated their slaves and serfs as badly…” (Lane-Poole 6). Thousands of slaves that worked on the great estates owned by the bishops and nobles were often treated badly. 
 

The small middle class or 
bourgone that existed in Gothic Spain were in ruin. They were the only one that paid the tax and supplied the money for civil and municipal functions. This heavy taxation often led them to bankruptcy. In other words, the middle class was not in favor of this social structure just as the serfs and slaves (Lane-Poole 6-11).
 

To summarize the Visigoth society in Spain, the highest position was held by the kings, nobles and church officials, then came the middle class and at the bottom were the slaves and serfs. Then there were the Jews who were persecuted. Such was the condition of Spain when the Muslims came. “A corrupt aristocracy,” according to 
Stanely Lane-Poole “divided the land among themselves; the great estates were tilled by wretched and hopeless race of serfs; the citizen classes were ruined” . As a result, in “a society so demoralized there were no elements of opposition to a resolute invader.” Stanley-Poole further writes that “ What they [the Spanish people] wanted was, not a creed, but the power to live their lives in peace and prosperity.” And that is what Abd-er-Rahman gave in his reign, he made such reforms that it allowed for the peace and prosperity of Muslims, Christians and Jews (Lane-Poole 1-44). 
 

To return to the reason for 
Abd-er-Rahman’s success in Spain, he accorded the Spanish people with far better conditions than victorious armies usually did. His jurisprodunce towards Jews and Christians provided a foundation where religious co-existence was inevitable. Part of the greatness of Muslim rule in Spain is this peaceful religious co-existence, which on the whole was seen before under the jurisdiction of Jews nor Chrisitians
 

To understand this attitude of 
Abd-er-Rahman and the Muslims we must view it from their perspective. The Muslims did not regard Judaism or Christianity as alien religions, but rather the older versions of Islam. According to Muslims, Islam is the restoration of the religions both Jesus and Moses propagated ( or renewal of the Abrahamic faiths). Therefore, Muslims consider Jews and Christians as “the people of the book” (Burkhardt 29). As a result, when the Muslims conquered the Visigothic Christian land, they showed tolerance. This tolerance, as previously mentioned, caused the success of Abd-er-Rahman and the co-existence of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. 
 
Under Abd-er-Rahman the Christians were allowed to keep their Churches and the Jews their Synagogues. Most importantly, they were given the freedom to worship whomever or whatever they wanted. Instead of persecuting them and enforcing upon them a compulsory conversion, as the Goths had upon the Jews, the Muslims gave them the freedom to choose. Thus, al-Andalus under Abd-er-Rahman had religious freedom. The Jews even helped the Muslims conquer the Iberian Peninsula.  

Once a major city was captured, the defense of it was left to a mix of Jewish and Muslim army. 
The Chronicle of Lucas de Tuy# records that "when the Christians left Toledo on Sunday before Easter to go to the Church of the Holy Laodicea to listen to the divine sermon, the Jews acted treacherously and informed the Saracens#. Then they closed the gates of the city before the Christians and opened them for the Moors." It is quite obvious why the Jews helped the Muslims. The Jews, as previously mentioned, were under great restriction and persecution by the Visigoths, therefore, they happily helped the Muslims, hoping for a friendlier regime (Burkhardt 48). 

The Christians and Jews were also allowed to live wherever they wanted, unlike the rest of Europe, where Jews were forced to live in ghettos#. Moreover, the Christians and Jewish formed their own communities, where they were allowed independent jurisdiction on matters that did not involve the rights of Muslim subjects. They also had their own leaders, bishops or counts that represented them in the Muslim government. They were also allowed to participate in politics#, which the Visigoths did not allow for the Jews. The Jewish and Christian women were allowed to marry Muslim men, but not vice-versa. One of the significant marriages during the first century of Islamic rule in Spain was between the widow of the former ruler of Spain, Roderick, and the son of the African governor, Musa. This great religious tolerance that was seen under 
Abd-er-Rahman must have created some sense unity between the three monotheistic faiths.
 

Abd
-er-Rahman also wisely implanted the laws of tax. In addition to the general tax paid by all subjects, Christians and Jews had to pay an extra poll-tax called jizya. The Muslims on the other hand were required to pay the zakah, two and a half percent of their savings in addition to the general tax, therefore it is a mistake of many modern historians such as Bernard Lewis, to think that only non-Muslims in Spain paid the extra poll-tax. In other words, people of all three faiths were required to pay an extra tax in addition to the general tax. Moreover, the jizya was only imposed upon the independent adult male. Women, children, monks, invalids, the sick, beggars and slaves were all exempt from. On the other hand, the zakah was paid by both independent women and men.

The 
jizya dependent upon the adult male’s profession and it usually was twelve to forty eight Dirhems, and the monthly installment made it easier to pay, unlike the zakah where the entire sum was to be paid in one sum during the Arabic month of Ramadan. The zakah was used for the welfare of the poor in al-Andalus, while the jizya was for the repairment and building of municipal structures such as roads and bridges. This process of taxation did not upset the Christians or Jews, rather unified them with the Muslims. And with this extra poll-tax the emir was able to help the poor of al-Andalus and build infrastructures, which improved the daily lives of the al-Andalusian people (Burkhardt 29-41). 
 

So far we have seen tolerance of other religions by the 
Abd-er-Rahman and its contribution to unity. What about the slaves and the grand estates that were owned by the Visigoth nobles? We see tolerance there as well. When Abd-er-Rahman came into power, many of the estates were divided and handed over to local tenants. The slaves were for the most part set free, either by conversion to Islam, or by gradually buying themselves free, something that was impossible in the previous Visogothic law. Moreover, the new Muslim masters treated their slaves with far better conditions. The reason for it is their following of the teachings of the Arabic prophet, Muhammad. “God,” said he, “hath ordained that your brothers should be your slaves: therefore him whom God hath ordained to be the slave of his brother, his brother must give him of the food which he eateth himself, and of the clothes wherewith he clotheth himself, and not order him to do anything beyond his power....A man who ill-treats his slave will not enter into Paradise” (Lane-Poole, 48). This should be enough to explain why the Muslim man in al-Andalus treated his slaves so fine. Since, the new Muslim masters were required, by their religion, to treat their slaves as they would treat themselves, the slaves showed little or no resistance to a new Muslim rule. Most importantly, they preferred a Muslim master then a Visigothic one. Furthermore, the Muslims gave their slaves the status similar to that of a small tenant farmer, whereas the slave was left to cultivate the land on his own and in return the master asked for a fair profit. Winning over the hearts of the mass of slaves was easy for the new rulers. 
 

Why were the Muslims so successful in building a nation where Muslims, Christians and Jews peacefully co-existed? Because the jurisprudence of the Muslim emir, 
Abd-er-Rahman I, provided the Spanish middle class, slave, serf, Jew and Christian with far better conditions then they had under Roderick, the Visigothic king. The emir showed great religious tolerance, where the Jews and Christians were not obliged to a compulsory conversion, bur rather given the freedom to worship whomever or whatever they wanted. The middle class was not burdened with heavy taxes and the slaves and serfs were liberated and far better treated. “Guaranteeing peaceful co-existence,” writes the German-Swiss 20th century historian Titus Burkahrdt “ between the three religions was not...so difficult.” 
  Another aspect that might have contributed to this religious co-existence is the mass conversion of Jews and Christians to Islam. Slaves also frequently accepted Islam, some historians theorize the reason for it is that they were set free once a Muslim, others say Islam merely became attractive. Jews and Christians also gradually embraced Arabic writing and literature, and soon almost all Spaniards became Arabized. This also might have contributed to the success of Abd-er-Rahman in uniting the Christians and Jews with the Muslims. Over all, al-Andalus during the middle ages was the only country in Europe where Jews, Christians and Muslims prospered peacefully into one of the most productive civilizations of that era (Burkhardt 29-44). Al-Andalus is a great example of Jews, Christians and Muslims’ harmonious co-existence, where the people of these three faiths created a culture of high learning and discoveries, and this was made possible by the foundation Abd-er-Rahman built during his reign, which was carried on by his successors.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FOLLOWED THE SUNNAH

Every one in America knows Benjamin Franklin, the founding father, the inventor, the guy on the $100 bill.

In this post, I will try to examine some of the habits that lead Benjamin Franklin to become "the Benjamin Franklin," his 13 points of virtue. I will delve into these 13 points and their eerie similarity to the Sunnah (traditions) of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

As a teenager, Franklin rejected Christianity and became a deist. Deists are similar to today's agnostics, who believe in a God, but do not follow any religion. So, without a religion Franklin didn't have any code of living, and every human being by nature needs a code of living. If a man wants to become great, he must be disciplined and follow certain virtues. Therefore, as a teenager, Franklin made up his own points of virtues that he lived by in an effort to become a virtues man.


The strange thing is, when one looks at his points of virtues, it is strikingly similar to Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Sunnah. As if Franklin studied Muhammad (peace be upon) and derived these points. These 13 points are as follows:

1. Temperance: "Eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation."
Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography says "Eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation," meaning, do not eat or drink too much. This is his first goal in his ultimate goal to a virtuous life. The reason for this is that eating and drinking are the most primal of urges, and if we can tame these urges we can tame our other urges. Drinking and eating less also gives us a clear head and mind to do other tasks. Surprisingly (or not), Prophet Muhammad has commanded Muslims to do this about 1000 years before Franklin. 
He (peace be upon him) said: 

“The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air.” 
[Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1381)]


Muhammad (peace be upon him) is clearly telling us not to eat too much, to eat only an amount that is needed. Is it just by coincidence that Franklin followed Muhammad's advice? Who knows. But the fact is that Franklin followed something our Prophet, peace be upon him, had said 1000 years before him, and became the legend that he is today.

2. Silence: "
Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; Avoid trifling Conversation."
His second goal was to be silent. Not to talk too much, and only to talk when the situation necessitates. In other words, only speak good, or keep silent. This way he did not cause harm to others in trifling conversations or unintentionally by the tongue. Coincidentally (or not), Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advised his followers to do the same. 

Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that Allah's Messenger (SAW) said:


''He who truly believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or keep silent.''

[Recorded by Sahih Bukhari]

The hadith is self explanatory and Franklin's point pretty much says the same thing. But the important thing to note is that Franklin intentionally or unintentionally followed Muhammad's (peace upon him) advice.

I will not go through the rest of the virtues. The other ones are obvious in their Islamic values, and every Muslim should no doubt follow them. If I go through each and every one of the virtues you will probably get lazy and stop reading. I am feeling lazy as well. However, here is just a list of the rest, and you can figure out how they relate to the Sunnah.

3. Order

4. Frugality
5. Resolution
6. Industry
7. Sincerity
8. Justice
9. Moderation
10. Cleanliness
11. Tranquility
12. Chastity
13. Humility

Franklin's life is just another sign for us Muslims to realize the practicality of the Sunnah and Islam. If a man follows the Sunnah, it will bring the best out of him, even a non-Muslim.

MUSLIMS INVENTED COFFEE! THANK GOD FOR THE MUSLIMS!

More than 1200 years ago hard working people used to fight to stay awake without coffee. Thankfully, an Arab named Khalid discovered this stimulant when he noticed that his herd of goats became excited after eating a particular berry in the Euthopian slopes. These berries were taken and boiled to make al-qahwa.

Ever since then coffee has become a global industry, the second largest commodity-based product after oil. In the world 1.6 billion cups are drunk each day.
Muslims in Yemen first started drinking coffee. Soon it spread to Mecca and Turkey in the 15th century, then Cairo in the late 16th century as a popular drink.
A Turk merchant named Pasqua Rosee brought the first coffee to England in 1650, selling it in a coffee shop in Georgeyard. By 1700 there were about 500 coffee shops in London and 3000 in the whole of England. The coffee shops became known as "penny universities" because any one could just walk in and listen to some of the greatest minds of the time in these coffee shops.
The consumption of coffee in Europe was largely based on the traditional Muslim preparation of the drink, boiling and adding sugar. In 1632, however, a new way of preparing coffee became popular, cappuccino coffee.
Marco d'Avianno, a priest from the Capuchin monastic order, was fighting the Turks' besiegement of Vienna in 1683. The Turks retreated and left sacks of Turkish coffee. Finding it too strong for their taste, the winning army added honey and cream. The coffee turned light brown resembling the color of the Capuchins' robes.

The Viennese named cappuccino after the name of the monastery order. Now you know where coffee and cappuccino comes from!


Credit: Muslim Heritage in Our World by Salim Al-Hassani

I STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF MUSLIMS

Around the 9th century, Muslims set up a vast empire that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean into Africa to the borders of China. It started with the Prophet Muhammad uniting the Arabs under one God. Soon they overran Persia and took over most of the Christian Byzantine Empire. In just one hundred years, Muslims had one of the largest Empires in world history that engulfed much of the accumulated knowledge of the classical world. They absorbed, assimilated and even revived cultures they came across, and yet maintained their own unique Islamic identity. The Muslims re-energized old cities like Damascus, and new ones like Baghdad, creating a civilization that would leave a permanent mark on the world, especially Europe to their north (“An Islamic History of Europe”).

In magnificent centers of learning from Damascus to Baghdad to Cairo, Islamic mathematicians a thousand years ago developed algebra, algorithm and trigonometry, the foundations upon which modern technology is built. Inventors devised the crankshaft, the early version of the torpedo and the parachute. Physician’s techniques ranged from orthodontia to asthma care to tracheotomy. Muslim astronomers calculated the Earth’s diameter and circumference, at a time when most people thought the world was flat. They preserved the works of the Classical Greeks and Hindus. Muslim contribution to modern science and thought are beyond counting. Islamic scholars such as, Ibn al-Haytham, Ibn Sina, al-Tusi, al-Khwarizmi, and Albucasis built the foundations for later European giants including Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton.  The Muslims excelled in many fields; however, this text will briefly discuss the Islamic achievements in mathematics, astronomy and medicine and their influence on the modern world and Europe.


Mathematics: “…and He [Allah] has enumerated everything in numbers.” (Qur’an, LXXII: 28)

Algorithm is the basis of almost all modern technology. It is critical to software design, as well as much of modern science and engineering, enabling computers and smart phones to sort through masses of digital data and text, calculating spatial relationships, encoding and decoding confidential information, the foundation of modern computing, technology, commerce and science (Morgan, 82).  Algorithm is so crucial and basic to our everyday life that anyone hardly ever asks who created them. Who is the man responsible for algorithm?

A pivotal force in creating these numbers and formulas was a man named Muhammad al-Khwarizmi. In Latin he was known as Algoritmi, where the name algorithm derives from. He was born in about 780 in the town of Khiva, a way station on the Silk Road that stretched from China to Rome. During that time the Muslims believed that God and His universe can be revealed through reason, knowledge and numbers (Lyons, 79). In this quest to find God in numbers, Khwarizmi led a great mathematical revolution.

At the founding of the House of Wisdom in 832 in Baghdad, Khwarizmi was summoned by the Caliph himself to assist in the search for God in the numerical. When he arrived at the House of Wisdom, he found mathematical translations of the great Greek and Hindu scholars. However, Khwarizmi realized that the very process of writing mathematics needed to be revised. The Roman numerals and the Arabic letter characters were too inefficient. Therefore, using a Hindu text, he derived the simple numerical values we use today, 0 to 9.  If arranged in different combinations, Khwarizmi realized that the numbers can reach positive and negative infinity.  He also developed the decimal system (the possibility of infinity between the numbers), which would help later scholars represent scientific values more accurately. This new Arabic-Indian number and decimal system was Latinized and incorporated into Europe (“Islam and Science”). The new system made mathematics and science much simpler and easier. Today we use this system every single day of our life. It is so basic that we hardly ever think about it, or remember who the founder was.

Aside from the numerical values, Khwarizmi also developed algebra, trigonometry and as mentioned before, algorithm. He wrote books on astronomy, astronomical tables, revised and corrected Ptolemy’s theories and maps of the world. His major work on geography based on Ptolemy gave latitudes and longitudes for more than 2,400 places including cities, regions, oceans, rivers and mountain ranges, providing the foundation of a world map and the later European explorations (Morgan, 106). These vast achievements would later on be so commonly used that they will fade away. However, he will be best remembered for his invention of algebra.

The very modern name we use for this mathematics, algebra, is taken from the title of his book Al-Jabr wa al-Muqabala, translated as The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing. Algebra is the first step in detaching the source of mathematics from the physical and moving it into the purely abstract. He created a system that provided the foundation for creating 100-story buildings, mile long bridges; calculating the reaction of nuclear physics; the cellular processes of biotechnology and pharmaceutical and marketing research; the calculus of a global economy; the language and intelligence of software and the confidentiality of a phone conversation (Morgan, 107). However, one day many Europeans and then the world would forget who he was or what he did.

By the time his works begin to be translated into Latin, he has been dead for 300 years, and yet the Europeans had never seen anything like his books. Until about the 16th century, 700 years after his death, Europeans honored him in everything they postulated with the concluding footnote, “dixit Algoritmi” or “so says al-Khwarizmi.” His works would be the foundation for university mathematics and astronomy in both Europe and the Muslim world. After Khwarizmi’s death, many more Muslim mathematics giants would arrive from all over the empire. Their influence would be as big as Khwarizmi. Mathematicians such as al-Batani, Ibn al-Haytham and al-Tusi would greatly influence Copernicus, Galileo and Newton. For example, in Copernicus’ De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, he directly cites and thanks Batani and Tusi for providing him with accurate mathematical data and calculations (“Science and Islam”). The Muslims greatly developed our modern mathematical system, and Khwarizmi’s number system, algebra and algorithm are a perfect example of the massive influence the Muslims had on Europe and the world.


Astronomy: “It is not for the sun to overtake the moon nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each other in an orbit.” (Qur’an XIV: 39)

Copernicus was the first to prove mathematically that the earth revolves around the sun. He published his works in De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, a book that many historians say started the European Scientific Revolution. However, it is a bit odd that no one mentions where Copernicus had gotten his ideas from or who he was influenced by. The people that influenced Copernicus are all part of the lost history of the Muslims. In his book, Copernicus explicitly references a 9th century Muslim mathematician and astronomer named al-Batani, for providing him with great observational data. Copernicus’ book contains Batani’s Arabic treatise on the stars along with their Latin translation (“Science and Islam”).

Little is known about Batani’s life. However, one of Batani’s best-known achievements in astronomy is the determination of the solar year as being 365 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes and 24 seconds, strikingly accurate for his time and only 2 minutes away from modern calculations. To calculate this he used only his naked eye and an astrolabe. Batani even discovered the earth’s tilt to be 24 degrees, only half a degree off from modern calculations. He measured variations in the sun’s diameter, and discovered that the distance from the earth to the sun changes from one year to another. Batani also developed an accurate table that showed the position of the sun and the moon from one year to another. This table that Copernicus referred to 600 years later set a new standard for accuracy and precision. These observations and accuracy led Batani to conclude that Ptolemy’s geocentric view of our galaxy was flawed (Morgan, 110).

Batani’s works were published in the Kitab az-Zij, or The Book of Astronomical Tables, which showed that Ptolemy was wrong.  The book was translated into Latin as De Motu Stellarum and it was frequently quoted by Kepler and Galileo. Batani’s data continues to be used in geophysics even today. However, the most important aspect of Batani is that he established a new way of scientific thinking, thinking through doubts. By proving Ptolemy’s theories wrong many times, Batani showed that it is alright to doubt past scholars (Morgan, 111).

Later Arab scientists started doubting the works of the Greeks. One of them was Ibn Haytham. He argued for the first time that scientific ideas are only valid if they are mathematically consistent and matches with reality, and not just philosophically as the Greeks had believed. Today’s science is built upon this Islamic idea, that science is only accurate if it is mathematically consistent and matches with reality. Most importantly, Haytham established the scientific method and laid the ground works for all scientists to come. He wrote the “Doubts on Ptolemy,” where he argued that Ptolemy’s geocentric view made little sense. Haytham knew the earth revolved around the sun, but could not prove it (Lyons, 86). The final proof would come from Copernicus.

Al-Tusi was another one of Copernicus’ Islamic influences. Tusi was the final Islamic scientist to overthrow the geocentric view. He came up with the Tusi Couple that would some 300 hundred years later find its way into Copernicus’ desk. The Tusi Couple explains the relationship of the planets to the sun. Even though a brief interruption came to Tusi’s work with the invasion of the Mongols, who sacked every major Islamic city, Tusi built the greatest observatory of his time. He brought together some of the greatest astronomers and invented other systems of planetary movements. Tusi was able to calculate consistent systems for Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and the sun and the moon. He started a new view of astronomy. However, the work was not done; Tusi was not able to give a mathematical study of the Earth’s position. Copernicus, based on Tusi’s data, would finish the job 300 years later in Italy. Using 500 years of Islamic astronomy, Copernicus finally described the Earth’s position (“Islam and Science”). However, the Islamic part of Copernicus’ work is forgotten.


Medicine: “God did not send down a disease, but also established for it a cure.” (Tirmidhi: 2038)

Some of the greatest medicinal techniques during the middle ages were developed in the Islamic Empire. Scholars such as Albucasis and Avicenna greatly shaped medicine both in the East and the West. Albucasis is considered the greatest surgeon in medieval times and the father of modern surgery. His most significant contribution to medicine is the Kitab al-Tasrif, a thirty-volume encyclopedia of medical practices. His pioneering procedures and instruments in surgery are still applied in medicine. He was also the first physician to describe an ectopic pregnancy, and the first physician to identify the hereditary nature of hemophilia (“Islam and Science”). Even with all of these achievements, Albucasis does not receive the full credit he deserves.

His real name is Abu al-Qasim. In the West he was known as Albucasis. Being born in Spain (then part of the Islamic Empire), he published the Kitab al-Tasrif in the year 1000 that covered a broad range of medical topics from dentistry to childbirth. It contained data that he had accumulated during his career of 50 years as a teacher and doctor. Kitab Al-Tasrif was later translated into Latin by Gerard of Cremona in the 12th century. For five centuries it was the primary source for European medical knowledge, and served as a reference for doctors and surgeons (“Islam and Science”).

Doctors and surgeons, even today, refer to Albucasis, for he discovered and invented many of the modern medical practices that we still use. He introduced over 200 surgical instruments, including some for eye surgery that are still in use.  His use of catgut for internal stitching is still practiced in modern surgery. The catgut appears to be the only natural substance capable of dissolving and is acceptable by the body. Albucasis also invented the forceps for extracting a dead fetus as illustrated in the Al-Tasrif (“Science and Islam”). He truly is one of the greatest men of medicine of all time. However, very few people know about him.

Another great giant of medicine is Ibn Sina, or as he was known in the West, Avicenna. He wrote 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived. In particular, 150 of his surviving treatises concentrate on philosophy and 40 of them concentrate on medicine. His corpus included writing on philosophy, astronomy, alchemy, geology, psychology, Islamic theology, logic, mathematics, physics, as well as poetry. His most famous works are The Book of Healing, a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopedia, and The Canon of Medicine, which was a primary medical text at many medieval universities. The Canon of Medicine also set the standard of medicine and was in use in Europe for more than 700 years (Morgan, 186).

The book presents a clear and organized summary of all the medical knowledge of the time. Originally written in Arabic, the book was later translated into a number of other languages, including Persian, Latin, Chinese, Hebrew, German, French, and English with lots of commentaries. The Canon is considered one of the most famous books in the history of medicine. It was translated into Latin as Canon Medicinae by Gerard of Cremona in the 12th century. Henceforth the Canon served as the chief guide to medical science in the West and is said to have influenced Leonardo da Vinci. Its encyclopedic content, its systematic arrangement and philosophical plan soon worked its way into a position of pre-eminence in the medical literature of Europe, displacing the works of Galen and becoming the text book for medical education in the schools of Europe. The first three books of the Latin Canon were printed in 1472, and a complete edition appeared in 1473. In the last 30 years of the 15th century it passed through 15 Latin editions (Lyons, 190). The book organized all types of diseases in categories and outlined their treatments. It is one of the greatest books of medicine and influenced Europe and the world greatly. However, Ibn Sina, just as most other Islamic scholars, is forgotten history.


How did this knowledge get to Europe?

So far we have discussed briefly some of the Islamic influences on Europe, but how did the Islamic knowledge get to Europe? It was mostly through trade and the Crusades. Venice was one route. Venice for a long time considered itself separate from Europe and consistently traded with the East. It was home to rich merchants, and traders. With trade, Islamic influence became strong, from Arabic coffee culture to Islamic architecture. Through Muslim trade, came Muslim books. The 9th century book of algebra came to Europe in the 12th century. Islamic astronomical tables, medicinal books, all came before the 15th century with trade and the Crusaders (“An Islamic History of Europe”).

Another important route was Spain, then part of the Islamic empire. Through Spanish trade and wars many ideas were exchanged with the Europeans. With the Reconquista in the late 15th century, the Europeans engulfed the legacies of the Muslims and inherited the Muslim intellectual tradition there (“An Islamic History of Europe”). However, why are the Muslims given no credit? Why are all their achievements forgotten? This question is still in debate, but the most favorable opinion is colonization. In order for European kings and queens to successfully rule the Arabs and Muslims, they had to make the Muslims forget about their greatness.

The Muslims had a great civilization during the middle ages that contributed many things to Europe and the world, from basic numbers to algebra to medicine. Much of the basic technology we use today directly derives from the contributions of Muslim mathematicians and astronomers. Many of the surgical tools, medicine and philosophy of the Muslims shaped the world we live in today. For example, Aristotle is at the heart of western philosophy; however, his works were not available to the Europeans during the dark ages. It was Muslim commentaries on Aristotle that reached Europe in the 12th century and shaped European Renaissance and Enlightenment minds (“An Islamic History of Europe”). In an era of conflict between the Muslims and the West, it is very easy to forget our debt, as a global civilization, to the Islamic thinkers of the middle ages. We must understand the history of the Muslims, and give proper credit to thinkers such as al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina and al-Tusi, to solve the conflict between the West and the Middle East.






Sources cited:

  • Al-Khalili, Jim. "Islam and Science." BBC Four. BBC, 6 Jan. 2009. Web. 01 May 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00gksx4>.
  • Lyons, Jonathan. The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009. Print.
  • Morgan, Michael Hamilton. Lost History: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers, and Artists. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2007. Print.
  • Ḥasan, Aḥmad Yūsuf., and Donald Routledge. Hill. Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire: Cambridge UP, 1986. Print.
  • Omaar, Rageh. "An Islamic History of Europe." BBC News. BBC. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00gp0gc>.