All the praise is due to Allah, and may His peace and blessing be upon
the Prophet Mohammed, His family and followers.
"When we study Europe's Middle Ages, we seldom include Spain at least not until after the "reconquest"). Our libraries abound with books on the Middle Ages, but try to find in any of them a single word about daily life and customs in Spain.
It is as if later historians, in order to justify a uniquely "European
history", ignored the fact that a vibrant and brilliant civilization
created by "Others"—by Arabs, by Muslims, by Jews—by brown and black
people—not only existed in Europe
several centuries before it reached Italy, but without whose contributions the region
could not have become what it did. When we talk about "Europe's"
Renassiance, we never think of its beginnings in Spain. It's as if we lopped off a
good 1000 years of history—or at least amputated it from Europe .
Nothing could be farther from the truth." From the introduction
to A Medieval Banquet in the Alhambra Palace, , Audrey Shabbas,
editor, AWAIR, 1991.
It is great to see that the glories of Islamic civilization are
at last beginning to receive some recognition with the opening of and
exhibition called 1001 inventions. The exhibition itself is at the moment in Manchester, and I haven’t
seen it, but there is an excellent web site, book and downloadable teachers
resource pack. I say: "beginning to receive recognition", because in reality
that is all that it amounts to.
It is of course a quantum shift from outright lies and denial and an
improvement on grudging and reluctant acquiescence that has been, and for many still is, the norm in the annals of Western history. No, it seems that here is a real
attempt to not only recognize but in fact to honor this contribution and repay
the dept. The minimum repayment that one could expect for such contributions is
recognition, the more suitalbe is gratitude, but perhaps that is too much to ask.
I think, however, even this recognition has fallen far short of the mark. In reality the contributions of Islamic civilizations are far more significant than some inventions, even ones as valuable as algebra, our numerical system, the camera, techinques of surgery, chemistry and not to forget the three course meal.
The contributions that are in many ways far more significant are those that concern the methods and values that allowed the age of enlightenment to occur and science to flourish; methods and principles that are usually considered Western. Yes, it is true that the thinkers and scientists of Muslim world made some discoveries claimed for the West for themselves hundreds of years later, but what has to noted are the thinking processes that allowed these individuals to reach such heights of intellectual endeavor.
Of course there are the usual materialistic factors such as the vast wealth and patronage extended to individuals to be able to dedicate time to such pursuits, and the unpresidentidly long periods of stability the Muslims lands enjoyed. Then there was the freedom to travel over vast areas of the earth surface and to examine and study and filter the ideas of other peoples. All these were contributing factors, but perhaps the difficult aspect to come to terms with for those who believe that enlightenment values and the rejection of organsied religion are those that matter, is that Islam itself, the religion and its source texts, the Quran and the Sunnah are largely responsible for laying the foundations for rational thinking and in fact the scientific method itself.
It should be obvious that "scientific" discoveries are not possible without the "scientific" method. Some have tried to argue that scientific thought began with the Greeks. This is however an indefensible position. If we mean by science the seeking of knowledge then the Greeks did not begin this. If we mean by science the scientific method, the careful analysis of meticulously observed data procured through experiment, then the Greeks were certainly not the inventors of this method, in fact they abhored it. They preferred speculation based up the use of reason and logic. The Romans, although ingenious inventors, were not scientist as such, and were more content to catalogue than produce new ideas. Robert Briffault admits in the "Making of Humanity"......
It was then the Islamic world that was to produce the new
spate of ideas and it was here that what we know as the scientific method was
to be born, but from where and out of what?
After the Prophet Mohammed had died in 633 CE Islam spread from what is now Morocco in the West to India in the East within eighty years. The Muslims reached as far as Poitiers in France, and remained in Spain for seven hundred years.
It was not so much the extent of the conquest that makes the
rapid spread of Islam one of the most remarkable events in human history, but
that fact that Islam endured. Along with
these vast lands new peoples also entered into the religion. Some were less
that scrupulous in trying to use the Prophet Mohammed as a justification for
their political, material and spiritual ends. Some began to invent
sayings and attributed them to the Prophet Mohammed in order to support their
position, knowing that his words were an authority to every believer. The
surviving companions of the Prophet caught on to this very quickly and began to
demand the authority for anyone narrating from the Prophet. The students of the Prophets companions
continued this policy. They would refuse to accept anything as a true Prophetic
narration unless it could be established that each narrator had heard this
specific saying from the Prophet, or from others from whom it could be proven
that they received this saying from a proven authority. The character of each
narrator was assessed. Was he truthful, of sound religious belief, and was he
able to memorize accurately without confusion or mistake. Those who were
trustworthy narrators used to hold gatherings where they would transmit the
Prophetic sayings and keep records of those who attended. No one was allowed to
narrate on the authority of the teacher without his approval, and over time
this developed into what we could call a “science”. Detailed examination of
collected data subjected to further study by numerous authorities in the same
subject. It was this science, I believe,
that became the basis of the scientific method.
The Muslim scientists were most often first scholars of
the religion. They memorized the Quran, studied Arabic grammar, and then would
become familiar with the principles of jurisprudence. It seems that these jurisprudential
principles in part borrowed from the system of logic introduced by the Greeks.
They would, by and large, be familiar
with the science of the narrations of the Prophetic traditions, and it would
have only been natural to start to apply these same principles to their
attempts to understand more about God’s creation. In fact this desire to
understand how Allah had brought about the creation is in fact a divine command
from the Quran.
“See they not how Allah originates
creation, then repeats it: truly that is easy for Allah.
Say: Travel through the earth and
see how Allah did originate creation; so will Allah produce a later creation:
for Allah has power over all things.”
Al Anqaboot 29:19-20
There are two lessons for us in all of in this.
The first is that the religion of Islam gave birth and
nourished the pursuit of scientific investigation, but it was an investigation
that was part of a wider religious and moral framework. This is why some have argued Muslim
science reach a level beyond which it could not go, because once this
sacred pursuit was separated from it’s origins it was no longer bound by the
limits of God consciousness, and became ultimately ruled by human passion and
greed. Thus science became no longer a servant of goodness, but increasingly a tool of evil.
The second lesson is that the greatness of the
achievements of Islamic civilization was firmly grounded in the teachings and
implementation of the religion. We hear hysterical cries from the west about
Muslim fundamentalists wishing to return to rule of Sharia, and the Caliphate
and plunge the world into the Dark Ages. It was, however Europe's Dark Ages, not the world of Islam. It was under the Sharia and the Caliphate
that the Islamic civilization became….
“……the greatest in the world.
It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds and ethnic origins.
One of its languages became the universal language of much of the world, the
bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies were made up of
people of many nationalities, and its military protection allowed a degree of
peace and prosperity that had never been known. The reach of this
civilization’s commerce extended from Latin America to China, and
everywhere in between.
And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.
Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too steeped in fear to think of such things.
When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge alive, and passed it on to others.”
Extract from a speech by Carly Fiorina, CEO of Hewlett-Packard
al-Salaamu 'alaykum,
Jazaakum Allaahu khayran for the informative post.
Do you have a link to the rest of that speech by Carly Fiorina, if it is online?
I did get it from the net, but I don't remeber where. Below is the fullest text that I have:
In praise of Islamic civilization
Extract from a speech by Carly Fiorina, CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world.
It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds and ethnic origins.
One of its languages became the universal language of much of the world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies were made up of people of many nationalities, and its military protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been known. The reach of this civilization’s commerce extended from Latin America to China, and everywhere in between.
And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.
Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too steeped in fear to think of such things.
When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge alive, and passed it on to others.
While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the civilization I’m talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600, which included the Ottoman Empire and the courts of Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman the Magnificent.
Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab mathematicians. Sufi poet-philosophers like Rumi challenged our notions of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our notions of tolerance and civic leadership.
And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed the full capabilities of a very diverse population–that included Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.
This kind of enlightened leadership — leadership that nurtured culture, sustainability, diversity and courage — led to 800 years of invention and prosperity.
In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of greatness. More than ever, we must focus on the importance of leadership– bold acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of leadership.
Posted by: arabicgems | Friday, 24 March 2006 at 13:10
al-salamu 'alaykum Shaykh,
This is off topic but I wanted to ask. The W.D. Muhammad refutation that was produced in the early 90's, is it still relevant enough to circulate today? I mean I'm assuming his stance hasn't changed and I'm asking you because it sounds like your voice on the cassette in parts. I'm referring to the cassette compilation which has W.D. speaking and also contains a Siraj Wahhaj khutbah and then you (I assume) speak briefly before a exceprt from W.D. speaking in Manchester is played. From what you know is he still promoting the same concepts and if someone asked about him would it still be sufficient for me to give the lecture tape?
I remeber well the whole matter, and it was mostly fronted and pushed by Idris Palmer who was the expert. There was little that we really knew here, and relied largely on him. But reading his news paper and listening to WD stuff seemed all pretty clear, and very dangerous. I'm sure he's changed in some ways, but has he left that stuff, or made it clear that it was grave error and misguidence. I havn't heard that, not even rumours, and I'd be sure glad to!
Was it my voice? Possibly.
ARG
Posted by: Abu Ilyas | Sunday, 26 March 2006 at 20:01