Muslims greatly advanced the study of mathematics. They based
their work in part on ideas from India and classical Greece. For
example, scholars from the House of Wisdom in Baghdad translated
the works of the Greek mathematician Euclid (remember him??).
One Muslim scholar, Al-Khwarizmi, is known as “the father of
algebra.” He wrote a book about al-jabr, which means “restoring.” This
is where we get the English word, algebra! The book was so famous
that later on it was translated into Latin and became the most
important mathematics text in European universities.
The Arabic alphabet is written from right to left and is composed
of 28 basic letters. Adaptations of the script for other languages such
as Persian and Urdu have additional letters. There is no difference
between written and printed letters; the writing is unicase (i.e. the
concept of upper and lower case letters does not exist). On the other
hand, most of the letters are attached to one another, even when
printed, and their appearance changes as a function of whether they
connect to preceding or following letters.
Arabic calligraphy is a primary form of art for Islamic visual
expression and creativity. Throughout the vast geography of the
Islamic world, Arabic calligraphy is a symbol representing unity,
beauty, and power. The aesthetic principles of Arabic calligraphy are
a reflection of the cultural values of the Muslim world.
In about the 800s, Muslims learned a new number system, along
with fractions and decimals from Indian scholars. Arabic numerals
were a big help to business and trade. Compared to earlier systems,
they made it easier for people to do calculations and check their
work. We still use Arabic numerals today.
Muslims also spread the Indian concept of zero. In fact, the word
zero comes from an Arabic word meaning “something empty.”
Ancient peoples used written symbols for numbers long before anyone
thought of using a symbol for zero. Yet, zero is very important in
calculations. Try subtracting 2 from 2 without using zero… kind of
tough, huh? Zero also made it easier to write large numbers. For
example, zero allows people to distinguish between 123 and 1,230.
Dome of the Rock
This is the oldest Muslim building which has survived basically
intact in its original form. It was built by the Caliph Abd al-Malik and
completed in 691 AD. The building encloses a huge rock located at its
center, from which, according to tradition, the Prophet Muhammad
ascended to heaven at the end of his Night Journey. In the Jewish
tradition this is the Foundation Stone, the symbolic foundation upon
which the world was created.
Muslims made some of their most important contributions in the field
of medicine. They learned a great deal from the work of ancient Greeks,
Mesopotamians, and Egyptians. Muslims doctors established the world’s
first hospitals. Most cities and towns had one or two, and many served as
teaching centers for doctors in training.
The Third Pillar of Islam was that of Charity - to help the poor and
sick, so anyone who needed treatment could get it, because the
government paid all medical expenses. There were even hospital
caravans that brought medical care to people in remote villages.
Europeans later translated Islamic medical books into Latin. Medical
schools then used these texts to teach their students. In this way, Muslim
doctors had a major impact on European medicine.
For the earliest years of the Islamic Empire, under the Umayyad
dynasty, we don't have very much surviving art. The best of it is the
elaborate mosaics on the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem and
on the Great Mosque in Damascus. These mosaics are done in a
Roman style, probably by Roman craftsmen. Islamic art is
characterized by its symmetrical designs.
Already we can see one big difference between Roman art and
Islamic art: the followers of Islam, like the Jews, took seriously the idea
that you should not make graven images, and although some mosaics
show plants and buildings they do not show people or animals.
"The learned ones are the heirs of the prophets. They leave knowledge as their
inheritance; he who inherits it inherits a great fortune... Knowledge is maintained only
through teaching."
- Traditional sayings from Muhammad
Acceptance of the Arabic language helped to promote
learning. Beginning in the 8th century (700s), Arabic became the
language of scholarship and science throughout Muslim lands. A
shared language and love of learning allowed scholars in Europe,
North Africa, and the Middle East to exchange ideas and build on one
another’s work.
Muslim rulers built schools, colleges, libraries, and other centers of
learning. In Baghdad, Caliph al-Ma’mum founded the House of
Wisdom in 830 AD. Scholars from many lands came together there to
do research and to translate texts from Greece, Persia, India, and
China into Arabic.
Directions: Move around the classroom to each poster, and after reading the information answer
the questions below.
ARCHITECTURE
ARABIC ALPHABET
1. What is the significance of the
Dome of the Rock?
3. How is the Arabic alphabet
similar or different from ours?
2. Where might the Muslims have
4. In what other way(s) do the
Muslims use this writing style?
gotten the plans for a domed building?
MOSAICS
UNIVERSITIES
5. Where can we find surviving Islamic
mosaics today?
7. What helped to promote learning?
6. Why do both Muslims and Jews only
portray plants and buildings In their
mosaics and other art?
8. How did a shared language allow
scholars to share ideas?
ARABIC NUMERALS
9. How was this new number system
a big help to business and trade?
10. Why is the concept of zero quite
helpful in the advancement of math?
ALGEBRA
11. On which two early civilizations did
the Muslims base their math on?
12. What has Al-Khwarizmi contributed
to the world of mathematics?
MEDICINE
13. Muslim doctors established the
world’s first… what?
14. How did Muslim doctors have a
major impact on European
medicine?
Critical Thinking:
How did the Islamic civilization preserve and extend ancient Greek, Persian,
and Indian learning?