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Islam and science assignment
The Rise And Expansion Of Islam
The Rise and Spread of Islam
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The time between the seventh to the fifteenth centuries is considered as the “Golden ages”. During this period, the Islamic civilizations excelled in many areas such as mathematics, geography, astronomy, physics, chemistry, philosophy and medicine. Islam was not just a set of religious beliefs, but a set of ideas, ethics and all ideal aspects of human life (Khettani, 1976). While Europe was going through the dark ages, science thrived with the Islamic “Golden age”. The Islamic civilizations had so many contributions and innovations at the time that Renaissance in Europe might not have occurred without the influence and emulation from the Muslim scholars (Sarton, 1927). In the “Golden age” of Islam, the nature and context of the Quran was studied …show more content…
He was a philosopher, Islamic theologian, jurist, cosmologist, psychologist and Sufi mystic. Al-Ghazali is one of the most notable Muslim scholars; he is referred as the most influential Muslim after Prophet Muhammad (P.U.H) by historians (Gerhard, 1953). He started contributing to psychology after being exposed to Sufism, a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from everything except The All Mighty Allah (S.W.T.) (Zarruq, 2008). He divided illness into two; physical and spiritual. He stated that spiritual illnesses are far more dangerous than physical, which results from the ignorance and deviation from The All Mighty Allah (S.W.T.). He determined some of the spiritual illnesses as; self-centeredness, addiction to wealth, fame and status, ignorance, cowardice, cruelty, lust, doubt (waswas), malevolence, calumny, envy, deceit and avarice. Ghazali used the therapy of opposites, using the imagination to acquire the opposite. For example; treating ignorance with learning and hate with love, etc (Haque, 2004). Al-Ghazali is the first one to divide the external and internal senses. The five external senses are: touch, smell, hearing, sight and taste. The five internal senses are: common sense (Hiss Mushtarik), imagination (Takhayyul), reflection (Tafakkur), recollection (Tadhakkur) and memory (Hafiza). These inner …show more content…
Most of the contributions and innovations of Islamic civilizations are overlooked or generally not accepted with the secularization of modern psychology. Their theories and writings in some aspects formed the basis of modern psychology. Ibn-Sina and Al-Ghazali have many contributions in the field of psychology especially mental health. They are not the only Muslim scholars that contributed to the field of psychology and many other fields of science. Some of them are; Al-Kindi, At-Tabari, Al-Balkhi, Al-Razi, Al-Farabi, Al-Majusi, Ibn Miskawayh, Ibn Bajjah, Zarbi, Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Rushd, Al Razi, Ibn Arabi and many more. All of these scholars are considered as the students of the founder of Islamic psychology, Prophet Muhammad (P.U.H). All the approaches and contributions should receive the same treatment and attention, whether European, Muslim, ancient or modern. With this kind of an eclectic approach we can gain further knowledge and improve instead of relying on a particular time/date and one
After the fall of the Roman Empire, no one imagined that the next great world power would emerge from Saudi Arabia. Especially, because ancient empires thought that the land was worthless but they didn’t know that it had great trade routes. Trade brought them in connection with other civilizations and that’s how the city of Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia became known. The city of Mecca was a mix of religious beliefs, they used to worship many gods and had their own rituals. The world of Islam took place in Mecca where Muhammad was born in 570 CE. He became known as “the Prophet,” he was meant to be God’s final prophet. The main two groups of Islam are the Shia and Sunni; which they were created after Muhammad’s death. The Islam religion as
Many people attribute modern psychology to psychologist such as Sigmund Freud, Ivan Pavlov, and B.F. Skinner. Though, they were a part of developing modern psychology, many forget to recognize important founders such as William James. According to King, Viney and Woody, James came from a family with a strict father, raised in tolerance. James and his father had many encounters because of their different views. They were a wealthy and cultured family. James attended Harvard, studying a broad spectrum of just about everything. He finally received his medical degree in 1869, but then became depressed and anxious about life. He was not fond of medicine and was then offered to teach a course in the Relations between Psychology and Physiology. He was also the founder of Harvard’s first psychology laboratory. James then began to teach psychology as well as writing the first U.S. psychology text, Principles of Psychology, in 1890; this book was the main psychology textbook for many years to come (p.284). James was well known for his philosophy, which he explored many areas. For example individualism, which he believed that circumstances shape individuals and then individuals shape the world also that we understand reality only through individual experiences. Pluralism was another view which he believed that there are many ways to understand the world, and a variety of methods and topics to study. Also, for James pragmatism was a belief that if an idea worked it was valid; these ideas should have “cash value” as he stated. He meant that these ideas should be useful and apply them to the real world. Although philosophy was a major part of his work, he was also known as the American founder of psychology (King, Viney &Woody 2013, p.286). Wi...
Sufism is often described as being the mystical branch of Islam – a spiritual path that speaks to the very heart of the believer and brings to the fore, a very real sense of God’s immediacy within the context of daily life and religious practice. As a mystical tradition, it propositions a God that has shared His divine essence with mankind – a God who is available to address and dwell within the human condition. By discussing Sufi practice and its development of traditional Islamic precepts including prayer and fasting, this essay will place it within the context of Islam with a look at how its mystical notions contribute towards a more immediate understanding of God. Furthermore, the practice of dikhr s well as the Sufi path of divine love as a journey towards divine unity will be discussed in showing how Sufism involves a sense of self-denial in favour of comprehending the divine nature of God. Sufism’s intersection with Greek science and philosophy will also be outlined in illustrating the all-encompassing nature of the Sufi God. Comparing different viewpoints, this essay includes critical commentary that will suggest that as a progression of the Islamic faith, Sufism indeed makes a substantial contribution to an understanding of the Islamic God – one that is relevant within the context of modern day society.
Al Ghazali a significant person in Islam has helped shape Islam to be what it is today - a living religious tradition for the lives of its adherents. His contribution to Islam though his theories, knowledge and works have left a positive impact upon the Islamic world that continues into the present. An everlasting impact upon the faith, Muslims and the expansion of Islam to be one of the most popular religious traditions in the present world for the lives of its adherents is seen as Al Ghazali’s
law, whose descendants were seen by the Shiites as the appropriate leaders. However, after Ali became the fourth caliph, he was assassinated.
Khaleefa, O. (1999). Who are The Founder of Psychophysics and Experimental Psychology? American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (16) 2.
Rahman, Fazlur. Islam & Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1982. Print.
Thesis: Islam and The Islamic Empire started suddenly and spread rapidly over a 500+ year period because of political, cultural, and religious reasons.
It is true that the Western World owes its science to the Muslim World. Partly because of their strive to learn from others and opening their finding to everyone. If the Muslim World was not this open and inquisitiveness of others besides them self, we would all be in the Dark Ages and deprived of all history not recorded in our native tongue.
The Islamic Golden Age began in the 7th century to the end of the 13th century. The Islamic Golden age is the era in which the Muslims created one of the largest empires. The Golden Ages started with the Prophet Muhammad. There were two Islamic Golden Ages. The first Golden Age lasting about two centuries from the 7th century to the 9th century. In the first Golden Age, society is being integrated in political, social, and moral dimensions in Islam (Lapidus 14). The second Golden Age lasted about five centuries from the 9th century to the 14th century. During the second Golden Age the state and religious institutions were separate, leaving the political and religious elites divided (Lapidus 13). Muhammad, not an immense influence starting out,
The world you once knew is falling to ashes and food is become such a scarcity that people are fighting over a few pieces of bread. The political class is too busy fighting among themselves to care for anyone else. Children are roaming the streets and begging for work to feed their dying, hungry stomachs. This is not a scene from a horror movie, but rather the reality of the beginning of post classical era. In these times of hardship the people turned to a higher power, which resulted in a religious boom. The main religion during the post classical era that had the greatest impact on people was Islam due to Muhammad, trade routes, the Black Plague, conquests and Islamic culture.
It is difficult to reconcile this continued development of science after the works of al-Ghazali with the commonly accepted narrative of the decline of Muslim society. In order to make sense of these two various descriptions of Islamic scientific progress, one must look at the definition of scientific advancement that is
...ime period in a positive scientific light. The distinction between modern and medieval science was described as medieval science being more theoretical in nature and modern being of the more applied variety. Through the further presentation of the plethora of Islamic scientists, covering fields as diverse as astronomy, medicine, chemistry, and physics it has been shown, without a doubt, that significant scientific contributions were made in this period. Finally, the source of this misconception was exposed through the common accidental perception of the past as a European narrative. History can easily be focused around Europe, and to do so produces a view of the medieval era being stagnant. However, when one looks at the greater global picture, it is clear that the Islamic world more than makes up for this lull in innovation, successfully brightening the “Dark Age”.
Psychology started, and had a long history, as a topic within the fields of philosophy and physiology. It then became an independent field of its own through the work of the German Wilhelm Wundt, the founder of experimental psychology and structuralism. Wundt stressed the use of scientific methods in psychology, particularly through the use of introspection. In 1875, a room was set-aside for Wundt for demonstrations in what we now call sensation and perception. This is the same year that William James set up a similar lab at Harvard. Wilhelm Wundt and William James are usually thought of as the fathers of psychology, as well as the founders of psychology?s first two great ?schools? Structuralism and Functionalism. Psychologist Edward B Titchner said; ?to study the brain and the unconscious we should break it into its structural elements, after that we can construct it into a whole and understand what it does.? (psicafe.com)
Psychology formerly integrated with the subject philosophy; these two formerly considered as one. Philosophy was the center of all learning but many academicians focus more on mathematics, physics, and biology. By the late 1800s, many philosophers created their own disciplines and the era of modern psychology slowly emerged. They soon began calling themselves psychologist. Authors have varying opinion about the founding fathers of the said science; some traces its roots as far as Aristotle and Plato (Benjafield 1996). Other authors believe that modern psychology started at the introduction of experimental psychology and for this reason, several experimental psychologist were also named the father of psychology including, Wilhelm Wundt and Gustav Fechner (Matson, 2009). However, one thing is for sure about psychology – it originated in Europe and introduced in the United States sometime in the late 1880s. Prior to this period, psychology crosses the realms of the paranormal because many practitioners at that time engaged themselves in psychic healing and spiritual quest. They were known as pseudo-psychologists and they were particularly popular in Germany. At the onset of modern psychology in the United State, the discipline focused more on the academics. American psychologists at that time put more emphasis on teaching rather than engaging themselves in research. It was at this period when several schools of thoughts emerged to explain behavior, cognition, and consciousness. In this paper, two of the earliest school of thoughts will be discussed. These are Structuralism and Functionalism. These two will be compared and contrasted.