– Maryam M.Z.
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
“Great indeed is the crime against religion committed by anyone who supposes that Islam is to be championed by the denial of mathematical sciences.” – Imam al-Ghazali
The Golden Age of Islam refers to the period starting from the 8th century lasting till the 13th century. It was a period of unparalleled intellectual and cultural prosperity in the Islamic world. It produced many scientists, astronomers, philosophers and artists. But sadly many people, including Muslims, are not even aware of their names.
We are unaware of the fact that giants like Al-Khwarizmi, the father of algebra, Ibn Sina, a Persian polymath, Ibn al Haytham, Al-Bairuni and many more like them even existed. The Islamic world flourished then and we haven’t seen the likes since. The cities like Baghdad, Cordoba, Cairo and Rey rose as innovation hubs. Though it is named The Golden Age of Islam, scholars from diverse backgrounds, including Jews, Zoroastrians and Christians accumulated and collaborated to translate and preserve the ancient knowledge.
This is a significant era and it matters profoundly because it laid the foundation for many advancements that we have today. The visionaries refined fields like algebra, optics, medicine and science. Though there was a lot of work going on translating many books from Greece, Persia and India, we couldn’t just omit the fact that it has innovated and redefined many works of the previous scholars.
The House of Wisdom
The House of Wisdom (Bayt Al-Hikmah) was established in Bagdad during the 8th century CE under the Abbasid caliphate. It became a cornerstone of the Islamic golden age where the intellectual collaboration and translation of text happened. It was initially founded as a library under Caliph Harun al-Rashid. It reached its peak under Caliph Al-Mamun. He also transformed it into a learning academy. The House of Wisdom was a hub for the translation movement where scholars like Hunayn ibn Ishaq translated Greek, Persian and Indian text into Arabic. Major libraries were established outside Bagdad, Cordoba, Cairo and Damascus. The library of Cordoba had over 4000 manuscripts making it one of the largest libraries of its time. These academies became the place where scholars translated, debated and innovated, setting a stage for modern scientific methodologies.
The Role of Arabic Language
For all this to happen, language played a major role. During the Golden Age of Islam, Arabic became the crucial lingua franca for science, philosophy, literature and art acting as a unifying force for the ground-breaking intellectual and scientific achievements. Regardless of what someone’s mother tongue was, if he was a Muslim, at least a basic knowledge of Arabic was necessary if he’s a Muslim in order to pray and recite the Qur’an. Thus the Arabic language played a major role serving as one that scientist could use to communicate and research.
Now coming to the core of the title, how Islam encouraged scientific curiosity in the Golden Age. Islam enjoins the acquisition of knowledge and it’s obligatory upon every Muslim to acquire knowledge. There are various verses and sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ insisting on the role and responsibility that a scholar has to play in his life. This made the scientific research an act of worship for the Muslims.
The Prophet was reported to have said that God makes the path to heaven easier for those who treads the path in search of knowledge. And for Muslim scientists who were born just a few hundred years after the Prophet, wanted to follow him and seek God’s pleasure. That has been the main reason for their research and studies. Scientific literature from the Golden Age begins with Qur’anic verses. For Muslim scientists, it was a sacred science. They hoped that through these understandings of the complex and advanced mathematics they could discover the principles that dictate the natural rules of the world.
Sacred Science
For Muslim scientists, it was a sacred science. Many verses in the Qur’an sync with the heavenly bodies and their movements. The Qur’an states that the sun and the moon “move by precise calculation”. It also denotes the stars, mankind can “be guided by them through the darkness of the land and sea”. They saw the Qur’an as a motivating factor for their research. It encouraged the seekers of knowledge. This was the most profound reason that encouraged scientific curiosity in the Golden Age.
It would be an injustice going on without mentioning a few of the remarkable scholars, giants and polymaths who played a very crucial role in the Golden Age of Islam.
Ibn Sina
Abu Ali al- Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn Sina or simply Ibn Sina is one of the most celebrated physicians and philosophers of the Golden Age of Islam. He is also commonly known as Avicenna. His book “Canon of Medicine” is a five-volume encyclopaedia that systematised medical knowledge from Greek, Indian, and earlier Islamic sources. The Canon was the first to introduce the concept of contagious nature of diseases like tuberculosis and the spread of infection through water and soil. Quarantine was also something that Ibn Sina emphasised a hundred years ago. When plague killed half of the European population, Galen’s and Hippocrates method proved ineffective. The only solution was quarantine which Ibn Sina had already emphasised.
Ibn Sina’s book quickly spread across Europe and Ibn Sina became a central figure along with Galen and Hippocrates. It became a standard medical textbook in European Universities. Ibn Sina’s works laid the foundation for modern medical practices and it had an extraordinary impact on the development of medicinal education in Europe.
Al Zahrawi
The father of medicine, Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas Al Zahrawi is another remarkable figure who cannot be left unmentioned. His surgical works laid the groundwork for centuries in the Islamic world and Europe. He introduced many surgical techniques and methods that deeply shaped the modern surgery. He advocated for the use of sedation during the surgical procedure to reduce the pain. His approach to surgical education and ethics are remarkable and still being followed. Al- Razi was another scholar and a physician who gave emphasis on medical ethics and responsibilities.
Al Khwarizmi
Al Khwarizmi is the father of algebra and his mathematical contribution to the world is enormous. He was also one of the founding fathers of Al Bayt Al- Hikmah (The House of Wisdom). Before Al Khwarizmi taught algebra to the world, the Greeks used a very complex method of merging equations with a geometric approach. Al Khwarizmi made it very easier. The word algebra itself is derived from the name of the book “al-jabr” written by Al Khwarizmi.
These are only a few names of the scholars of the Islamic Golden Age. The period was packed with scholars who were intellectual in various fields. They were polymaths and knowledgeable in various fields, including science, mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, medicine, geography, art, literature and the list goes on. But nobody mentions them today. People are not aware of al Khwarizmi or Ibn Sina as much as they are aware of Aristotle, Plato and Ptolemy. In fact, not many Muslims are aware about their rich history and their contributions to the world.
In conclusion, Islam and the Qur’an does encourage scientific curiosity and that was the encouragement behind the Gold Age of Islam too. Reading such histories and becoming aware of such people should set up as an example for the youths and dig up their curiosity making them want to become like the polymaths who have contributed so much to the world.
