Sultans of Science
Islamic Golden Age
Research-based Talim Module Prepared by VA-Central Lajna
Title taken from an exhibit at Ontario Science Center, Toronto, Canada
The Holy Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 165:
“Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the
alternation of night and day, and in the ships which sail in the sea with
that which profits men, and in the water which Allah sends down from
the sky and quickens therewith the earth after its death and scatters
therein all kinds of beasts, and in the change of the winds and the
clouds pressed into service between the heaven and the earth—are
indeed Signs for the people who use their understanding.”
Foundations of Islamic Golden Age
• Time period is about 7th century to 13th century in the
Muslim world.
• The Holy Quran is the Divine Light, sent to illuminate the
entire world.
• Holy Prophet (saw) said that acquisition of knowledge is an
obligation upon every Muslim man & woman.
• Muslim world emphasizes education, experimenting,
innovation, & reasoning.
Islamic Empire gathers knowledge from various civilizations such as North
African, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Mesopotamian, Persian,
Indian, & Chinese. Baghdad, Cairo, & Cordoba were intellectual centers.
Expansion under Hadhrat Muhammad (saws), 622-632
Expansion during the Rashidun Caliphate, 632-661
Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750
Paper helps knowledge spread.
• Muslims learned & improved the technique of papermaking from the Chinese after Battle of Talas in 751.
• Paper mills were built in Muslim cities like Baghdad.
• With paper comes books—and the writing & sharing
of knowledge through public and lending libraries and
learning institutions.
• Scholars gathered and translated the world’s
knowledge, including classical works, into Arabic.
Later it would be translated to other languages such
as Latin, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew.
• Paper-making would spread to Europe much later in
the 13th to early 15th centuries, according to various
sources.
Educational & Scientific Institutions
• Concept of degree-granting university originated in
Muslim world. World’s oldest universities are
University of Al-Karaouine in Fez, Morocco in 859
and Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt in 975.
• Medical diplomas issued to practicing doctors.
• Bimaristan hospitals (provided care for ill by qualified
doctors—similar to modern hospitals) were separate
from mental institutions and quarantine hospitals.
• Astronomical research observatories were founded,
which opposed the concept of astrology & fortunetelling.
Muslim Polymath Scholars
• A scholar who contributed to a variety of fields of
knowledge (for example, a person who is excels in
science, math, poetry, art, and philosophy, ethics, and
engineering), instead of specializing in a single field.
• Also known as “hakeems,” they were prevalent in the
Islamic Golden Age.
• Similar to “Renaissance Men” developing later in
Europe.
Advancements in Medicine
Contributions of Famous Physicians
Al Razi (Rhazes)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
864- 930 AD
Born in Iran
Studied small pox and chicken pox
Found treatment for kidney and gall stones
First to introduce alcohol for medical purposes
First to use opium for anesthesia
Stressed psychological factors like having a positive attitude
Was appointed physician in chief of the Baghdad hospital
This was the first hospital to have a separate ward for the mentally ill
Was the first to realize the reaction of the pupil to light
Ibn Sina
•
•
•
•
•
•
980-1037 AD
Author of Al- Qanun al- Tibb (Encyclopedia of Medicine)
This textbook was used for medical education from the 12th-17th century
Figured out how many extrinsic muscles there were on the eyeball (six)
Known as Avicenna in the West
Discovered contagious nature of some illness (due to bacteria & virus)
and modes of transmission
Al- Zahravi
• 963-1013 AD
• “Father of Surgery”
• Wrote medical encyclopedia
which included designs of 200
surgical instruments
• Performed operations such as
caesarians
• Was the first to use silk thread
to stitch up wounds
• Was also an oral surgeon
• Came up with the procedure of
setting false teeth made from
animal bones
Picture of some of the Surgical Instruments
Ibn Zuhr
•
•
•
•
1091-1161 CE
First to test medicines on animals, and then give to humans
First to figure out diseases caused by parasites
First to use tracheotomy, feeding through a tube when
normal feeding isn’t possible
Al Biruni
• 973-1048 AD
• Wrote about plants helpful in
the use of treating patients
• Lived at the same time as Ibn
Sina
• Specialized mostly in
Astronomy and Science
Ibn al Haytham (Alhazen)
• 965-1039 AD
• Wrote Optical Thesaurus
• Leonardo da Vinci and Johannes
Kepler later drew there theories
from this book
• Proved theory that vision occurs
when light rays pass through
objects and proceed to the eye
Yuhanna bin Masawayh
• 777-857 AD
• Early contributor in the field of pharmacy
• Wrote book Al-Masail Hunayn where he outlined the effects
of certain drugs on humans
Najab ud din Muhammad
• Contributed to the field of psychology
• Discovered and explained many mental illnesses such as
depression and other “obsessional types of neurosis”
Engineering
Al-Jazari
• A Polymath and engineer from Mesopotamia.
• Best known for writing the Kitáb fí ma'rifat al-hiyal
al-handasiyya (Book of Knowledge of Ingenious
Mechanical Devices) in 1206, in which he described
50 mechanical devices.
• Invented 5 machines for raising water, including
watermills and water wheels.
• Applied concepts to water supply systems that
provided water from lakes to the cities.
Al-Jazari
• Diagram of a hydro-powered water-raising machine
• Diagram of hydro-powered saqiya chain pump device.
• Picture of valve-operated reciprocating suction piston pump
with crankshaft-connecting rod mechanism.
• Elephant water clock diagram and model
Al-Jazari’s Water Clocks
• Re-program the length of day and night
everyday in order to account for the
changing lengths of day and night
throughout the year.
• Five robotic musicians who
automatically play music when moved
by levers operated by a hidden camshaft
attached to a water wheel.
Castle Clocks—Astronomical clock
• Complex device that was about 11 feet high, and had multiple
functions alongside timekeeping.
• Included a display of the zodiac and the solar and lunar orbits, and a
pointer in the shape of the crescent moon which travelled across the top
of a gateway, moved by a hidden cart and causing automatic doors to
open, each revealing a manequin, every hour.
Exploration
Ibn Battuta
• His journeys lasted for a period of nearly thirty years
and covered almost the entirety of the known Islamic
world and beyond, extending from North Africa,
West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in
the West, to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent,
Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China in the East, a
distance readily surpassing that of his predecessors
and his near-contemporary Marco Polo.
• Moroccan scholar and traveller who is known for the
account of his travels and excursions called the Rihla
(My Travels).
Zheng He
•Chinese Muslim explorerer
•Visited Arabia, East Africa,
India, Indonesia and Thailand,
dispensing and receiving goods
along the way.
•Presented gifts of gold, silver,
porcelain and silk; in return,
China received such novelties as
ostriches, zebras, camels, ivory
and giraffes.
Zheng He
• Returned many envoys from
different places and presented
them to the Ming court.
• He made 7 voyages, and died
on his last vyage.
• ·He has a tomb in China, but
like many explorers, his body is
buried at sea. This explains
why his voyages mysteriously
stopped.
• This picture contrasts the size
of his ships with one of
Columbus’ ships
Al-Idrisi
• Andalusian geographer, cartographer, scientist, and traveler who lived in
Sicily, at the court of King Roger II.
• Drew the Tabula Rogeriana in 1154 for the King.
• Considered one the most advanced maps of the time.
• Wrote a geographical text known as Nuzhatul Mushtaq.
• The Holy Quran describes that the Western world would rise
to powerful heights twice and decline twice.
• Similarly, the Islamic world has been promised glory twice.
• The first triumph came after the rise of Islam, and may be
described by history as the Islamic Golden Age.
The second triumph of Islam is promised at the hands of the
Messiah and Mahdi of Islam, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
(as), who would usher in an era of reform and return to true
teachings of the Holy Quran.
Advice of Hadhrat Khalifatul-Masih-ul-Khamis (atba)
in June 18, 2004 Friday Sermon
• Hudhur (atba) said it is Allah’s promise to the followers of the Promised
Messiah (as) that He would grant them knowledge and understanding.
Therefore, Ahmadis should strive to acquire knowledge.
• He emphasized supplementing our academic pursuits with the study the
Holy Quran, in order to deepen our awareness of the world around us.
• He also advised us to study the books of the Promised Messiah (as)
which are filled with spiritual knowledge and understanding, in order to
develop spiritually, as well as academically.
May Allah guide us and prepare us for this triumph. Ameen.
•http://www.wikipedia.org
•http://www.muslimheritage.com/day_life/default.cfm?ArticleID=188&Oldpage=1
•http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a//a_medieval_chinese_muslim_columbus/
•http://robtshepherd.tripod.com/islamic.html
•http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/full/20/10/1581
•http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Medicine/Medicine_and_Health.html
•http://www.islam-usa.com/im4.html
l