Skip to main content

Early Muslims, Eueope and far away lands (302)

The injunction of Islam to seek knowledge was taken seriously by the Umma.  Muslims quite early in their history started to excel in science, philosophy, medicine and other fields. Here are a few names. Jabir Ibn Haiyan (722-800) known as Geber In Europe, is regarded as the father of chemistry. Al-Khwārizmī (780-860) known as Algorithmi* in Europe, invented Algebra and Algorithm. Al-Kindi (800-873) was a philosopher and a mathematician. On appointment by the Abbasides Caliph, he headed a team of translators who translated Greek Classics, works of science and medicine, from Galen into Arabic (from Arabic these works were translated into Latin and other European languages).

Al Farabi (870-952) a philosopher, a scientist and a sociologist. 
There were no contemporaries in Europe; it was in the dark ages. People like Dante**(1265-1321), Leonardo de Vinci (1452-1519), Shakespeare (1564-1616) and others came a few centuries later. The Renaissance began in Italy in the late 13th century and in the rest of Europe in the mid 14th century.
 Muslims spread out to far away lands* of China and India(Malabar coast) in the 7th century, soon after the death of the Prophet(pbuh) in 632. The Prophet (SAWS) was born in 570 and the Hijrat (the migration to Madina) took place in 622, the start of the Muslim calendar.


As early as 710, Muslims started to reach Al Andaluse (Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar etc.). An era began  when  Muslim rule started in Cordoba in 756 and ended in 1492 when Granada surrendered.  Blood shed and a wholesale expulsion of Muslims from Andalusia took place. Those who remained were forced to convert.  Jews also met the same fate and they settled in several Muslim Countries. 
The Muslim rule in Spain** was a period of learning and enlightenment. Big advances were made in science, medicine, governance, architecture and other fields. The introduction of paper making from China in 751 led to an explosion in the number of books written and collected. It reinforced the culture of books in the Muslin world. In th 9th century the library of Cordoba had 500,000 books in a city of over 200,000* inhabitants. In contrast the largest library in Europe, Paris and  in the monastery of St. Gaul (Switzerland) had only a few hundred.  Cordoba was not unique, libraries in Cities such as Baghdad*, Damascus, Cairo, Bokhara and other cities also had huge collections of books and manuscripts.  The first paper mill started in Samarkand in the 8th century. Baghdad and other cities, including those in Spain followed. In Europe, manuscript on paper, probably from Spain, appeared in the 11th century. Khaliq m Khan (Jan 2019).

Sources used, articles and websites.

*An article  "Science the Islamic Legacy"  April/May issue of Aramco world 1982.
 https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/198203/science.the.islamic.legacy-science.in.the.golden.age.htm


University of Georgia. www.uga.edu/sufism. by A. Godlas is a comprehensive site on Islam and Sufism.
Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-mind/  

Princeton University. https://www.princeton.edu/~humcomp/scholars.html. It has all Muslim scholars of the Golden age of Islam in one place.

Oxford Encyclopedia of Islamic world. It costs $200US annually to use all other  websites are free..

http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/Public/book_oeiw.html
Wikipedia is a quick reference site, but material should be checked in academic websites before using it.
Please note that by 9th century Muslims  had settled in Albania, Hungary , Bulgaria and several other East European countries Khaliq.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Masnavi of Rumi. Tear not...(Post 74)

Tear not thy plumage off, it can not be replaced; Disfigure not thy face in wantonness, O fair one! That face which is bright as the forenoon sun--- To disfigure it were a grievous sin. 'Twere paganism to mar such a face as thine! The moon itself would weep to lose sight of it! Knowest  thou not the beauty of thine own face? Quit this temper that leads thee to war with thyself! It is the claws of thine own foolish thoughts That in spite wound the face of thy quiet soul. Know such thoughts to be claws fraught with poison. Which score deep wounds on the face of thy soul.
Post a Comment
Read more

Masnavi of Rumi. We and our existance...(Post 105)

We and our existences are non-existent; Thou art the Absolute appearing in the guise of mortality. That which moves us is Thy Gift; Our whole being is Thy creation, Thou didst show the beauty of Being unto not-being, after Thou hadst caused not being to fall in love with Thee. Take not away the delight of Thy beauty; take not away Thy dessert and wine and wine cup! But if Thou take it away, who will question thee? Does the picture quarrel with the painter? Look not on us, look on Thine Own loving-kindness and Generosity! We were not; there was no demand on our part; yet Thy Grace heard our silent prayer and called us into existence. In the Divine court of audience all are helpless as tapestry before the needle. Now He makes the portrait of the Devil, now of Adam; now He depicts joy, now sorrow. None can raise a hand in defence; none dare utter a word concerning injury or benefit.
Post a Comment
Read more

Masnavi of Rumi. Since wisdom is. (Post 107).

Since Wisdom is the true believers stray camel, he knows with certainty, From whomsover he may have heard it. And when he finds himself face to face with it, How should there be doubt? How can he make mistake? If you tell a thirsty man—“Here is a cup of water; drink!”— Will he reply?-“This is mere assertion: let me alone, O liar go away.” Or suppose a mother cries to her babe, ”Come, I am mother; hark my child!” Will it say? Prove this to me, so that I may take comfort in thy milk.” When in the heart of people there is a spiritual perception, the face and voice of the prophet (SAWS) are as an evidentiary miracle. When the prophet (SAWS) utters a cry from without, the soul of people falls to worship within. Because never in the world will soul’s ear have heard a cry of the same kind as his. That wondrous voice is heard by the soul in exile-the voice of God calling , “lo, I am nigh.”                ...
Post a Comment
Read more