Introduction: Towards the end of the Prophet Muhammad’s life, Islam had started to prosper and grow throughout the entire known world at the time. Even after Muhammad’s death, Islam only prospered more and more and, in fact, the 8th to 16th centuries where known as the “Islamic Golden Age” as the Muslims grew and accomplished the most during this period. The Umayyad Empire, located in Damascus, and the Abbasid Empire, located in Baghdad, were the two main institutions that funded the new scientific innovations the Muslims were making at the time. The Abbasid Empire created a House of Wisdom which was a library that stored the ideologies of the greats of the past like the Babylonians and the Greeks. This library was one of the greatest resources …show more content…
Given the vast scope of the Umayyad and Abbasid Empire’s during the 7th and 8th centuries, the Muslims had more than enough resources required to convert their scientific ideas into actual phenomenon. The Muslims contributed greatly in the fields of medicine, mathematics, astronomy and astrology, to name a few. The vast scope of their Empires, the ability to translate different texts into Arabic, and the religious emphasis on education were all the greatest factors in allowing the Muslims to contribute at such a high level. This topic is highly significant as the scientific knowledge that the Muslims proposed during this time is what a lot of modern science today is based on. In order to get a more in depth perception of what we learn in science today, it is important to understand the history of this science. Thus, this essay on the history of Islamic Science will be able to depict what allowed or led the Muslims to developing so much of one of the most vital subjects …show more content…
The Muslims were historically known to be very much tolerant of other ideas which allowed them to be very open minded. A lot of the innovations Muslims brought to this world originally came from different societies around the world. As noted earlier, Muslim rulers told their merchants and travelers to bring any sort of book or texts from all over the world so that the Muslim world may be able to benefit in any way from foreign knowledge. Of course, a lot of the information they may have received may not have been something they may liked to hear (maybe something contrary to their belief of science stated in the Qur’an by Allah), but they still stored every piece of knowledge they could find within their libraries, most notably the House of Wisdom. The fact that Muslims were very open to foreign ideas may have been a significant reason of how the Muslims were able to succeed so greatly in innovation especially that of mathematics and science. Muslims were also very much tolerant of women playing a major role in society and having several liberties. Ironically, Muslim women had more liberties than those women of western nations that still were in medieval times and whose societies were still very much patriarchal. Even though the lead person of a Muslim household may have been a male, Muslim women had all the right to go out and work to earn money and have a say in the family decisions whereas in most,
...y by compiling a summary of Islamic history, and, by doing so, creates a complete Islamic history that can go toe to toe with European history. As a result, his argument stands to be thorough, suggesting that Islamic history indeed plays a role in today’s international world
The surest foundation for the origin of science in its practical form is to be found in the ìco–rdination and standardization of the knowledge of common sense and of industry.î[1] One of the first occurrences of this co–rdination can be traced back to 2500 BCE in the form of edicts from the ancient Babylonian rulers, who issued royal standards of length, weight and capacity. Non-Semitic Sumerians also laid down the elements of mathematics and geometry at that time, making use of fractions, decimals, circles and radial angles. But knowledge as we know it today was tightly woven with magical notions, and as both spread westward they instilled in European thought a reverence for ìspecial numbers, their connections to the gods and the application of geometrical diagrams to the prediction of the future.î[2] As well, the ancient Babylonians were fascinated by the heavens. They were the first to make a map of the stars and associate them with animals like the Ram, Crab and Scorpion, names that we still use to this day. They also realized the periodicity and reliability of astronomical movement and phenomena, and were soon able to predict many of them. Tablets have been found dating to the sixth century BCE that predicted the relative positions of the sun and moon, as well as forecasted the occurrences of eclipses.[3] Out of all this knowledge the Babylonians built up a fantastic system of astrology, through which the starsówhich were thought to fix and foretell the course of human affairsówould give up their secrets.
The Islamic Empire explored natural philosophy and employed these understandings in instrumentality. They accumulated the natural philosophy of other cultures and expanded on their ideas in accordance with practicality. The Islamic Empire was the most advanced scientific nation for 500 years but declined because there was not much need for improvement in functioning. Career scientist only existed amongst the rich. The Islamic Empire is focused on the instrumentality of science, but even with the pronounced focus of instrumentality, the Islamic Empire experienced a dynamic between the dichotomy of instrumentality and natural philosophy, each seemingly distinct branch of science ebbing and flowing with the support and advancement of one another.
The internal view of Muslim historians was that God supported the Islamic faith and aided in its spread. The external, especially European, view was that the Muslim concept of jihad, or struggle, was the key element. Today, few historians emphasize religious zeal alone, but rather point to a combination of the Arab’s military advantages and the political weaknesses of their opponents. Equally important are the military strength and tactics of the Arabs.
When looking at the Abbasid caliphate, the mere thought of an Islamic age of scientific learning characterizes the time period with several caliphs endorsing the arts passionately. These caliphs, specifically Al Mansur and Haroun Al-Rashid, all looked at the arts with an intense, burning awareness in that their values, priorities, and personality traits that distinguish their reigns differ quite significantly. Despite Haroun Al Rashid’s brief glimpses of rage that changes the view of the audience of the great caliph, the reign of Al Mansur was only slightly more brutal and hated; but its important to note that that the two caliphs did in fact usher in a new age of rulers who had an extraordinary amount of appreciation for the arts.
The Islamic Empire contributed to globalization during the Islamic Golden Age, when the knowledge, trade and economies from many previously isolated regions and civilizations began integrating through contacts with Muslim (and Jewish Radhanite) explorers and traders. Their trade networks extended from the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Indian Ocean and China Sea in the east. These trade networks helped establish the Islamic Empire as the world’s leading extensive economic power throughout the 7th–13th centuries.
Thesis: Islam and The Islamic Empire started suddenly and spread rapidly over a 500+ year period because of political, cultural, and religious reasons.
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,
...ts and knowledge from other nations and made sometime improved it or added to it and passed it on to other nations, which strengthened the belief of Islam even more to people. All in all, the rise and spread of Islam was very significant during the Postclassical Era.
...or spreading Islam. Advancements in Science and Math helped Islam to move faster. Islam was uniquely successful to attract people towards it where bloodshed was rarely required.
...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”.
Ibn al Haytham was a Muslim innovator born in 965 in Basra. He is also known as Alhazen and The First Scientist. In his time, Alhazen was able to invent the first pinhole camera and a camera obscura. Before Alhazen, scientists believed that they did not have to scientifically prove their findings, however, he knew better. Every experiment or hypothesis Alhazen came up with, he submitted it to a physical test and/or proof using mathematic equations. (“Arab Inventors”)
The Achievements of The Islamic Civilization Islam, one of the most successful religions was started by Muhammad in Arabia and had a massive impact on the world. If it weren't for Islam the world would have been a very different place to live in. Muslims didn't always invent things; sometimes they improved on other people's inventions e.g. the number system, the astrolabe and much more. The first Muslims were Arabs and they went on to conquer many countries.
This essay will discuss differences in motives which have driven ancient and modern science, arguing that 17th century alterations of power structures led to the ultimate division between modern and ancient science and the eruption of modern science as it is today. Comparisons will be drawn regarding knowledge accessibility, prevailing philosophies and ideologies, and the relationship between science and the church.
...ies of science is given by Muslim and Muslims concur more than half of the world, but now we are facing the worse condition due to our own acts because we left the teachings of Islam.