Golden Age Of Islam Essay

From the 8th century to the 12th century, medieval Islam was at the height of its “golden age”. The latter is also referred to as “classical Islam”. Thanks to a documentary entitled Lorsque le Monde parlait Arabe as well as the readings from Buresi’s Geo-histoire de l’Islam, this paper will discuss this “golden age” of Islam, as well as the unique facets of this early Islamic civilization.

Two questions arise when observing this subject: Firstly, what would explain the fact that philosophy ceased to be practiced in the Muslim world after the 12th century?

And secondly, based on our readings and the documentary, why should the nomenclature of “golden age” or “classical Islam” be used with a grain of salt, and does not quite adequately describe medieval Islam.

In order to answer these questions, we will first summarize the documentary Lorsque le Monde parlait Arabe and describe this pivotal moment in medieval history. An Islamic empire between the 8th and 12th century, with two distinct Caliphates and countless scientific, mathematical, astrological, medical, and philosophical advances, which managed to achieve the unprecedented

It depicts in detail how Islam managed to spread very rapidly throughout the southern coast of the Mediterranean from the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) all the way to modern day Iran. This rapid spread can be explained thanks to the unique approach Islam had with regards to the other Abrahamic faiths, the “peoples of the book” or “protected persons” (Dhimmi). Rather than convert people to Islam by force, the first Muslims would protect other faiths and culture. Indeed, many of the early converts were by choice, be it to gain an economic edge, or out of newfound conviction. Furthermore, often non-Muslim individuals were integrated within the Caliphates