Contemporary social networks and mass media often misinform and distort Western society’s view. Since the September 11th attacks in 2001, Islam has moved to the forefront of the US public sphere in a tremendously negative way (Bail, 2012). The West is seemingly reluctant to recognize Islam’s historical value to the Western world. A history which led us to several of the most significant inventions in human history, including what we call Western Medicine. During the Islamic Golden Age, dated from the 8th to the 14th century, significant advances in education and the sciences flourished in the Middle East. Medieval Islamic scholars would later have a profound influence on intellectual life in the European Renaissance, Western chemistry was directly reliant upon Arabic sources, Al-Kwarizmi’s work considerably influenced mathematics in Europe, Ibn Sina’s The Canon of Medicine (1025) remained a standard medical textbook in Europe until the 18th century, and Islam’s remarkable centres of learning served as models for European universities. Markedly, Islam played a noteworthy part in Western society. This essay will endeavour to illustrate the reasons Western society’s forward-thinking sciences and education is perpetually bound to medieval Islamic scholars while serving as a reminder that during a time of war and terror to acknowledge and appreciate a civilization which embraced all cultures and their self-individuality.
From the beginning, Islam demonstrated a candid approach to other cultures, collective with appreciating self-identity. The derivation of Islam’s philosophy began with the Prophet Muhammad, who had conversations with God through the angel Gabriel. These revelations became The Qur’an, the sacred scripture of Islam (Husain, E., 2018). The Qur’an is a source of guidance and societal laws, providing acceptance of all people and of free will, freedom of thought and religion. The Qur’an was the philosophy of Islam, a philosophy of knowledge, teaching and charity. The Qur’an encourages the pursuit of knowledge and scientific research from all sources and religions and encourages providing a friendly environment for all to pursue knowledge and advancements in education and development (Dawood, N.J., 1999). Islam’s emphasis on learning and engaging in in-depth research was the philosophy of Islam, prior to the beginning of Islamic rule and evidently cultivated Islam’s rise to power.
The zenith of Islam’s rule, known as The Islamic Golden age, dated from the 8th to the 14th century. Throughout this time, Islam invested deeply in education. The Caliph Al-Ma’mun (813 – 833) established the House of Wisdom, in Baghdad. The House of Wisdom was a library, a translation house, an observatory, and scientific academy (Husain, 2018). This would be the beginning of an enlightened civilization. Islamic scholars were encouraged to gather and translate scientific and philosophical texts which preserved the heritage of the ancient world. The knowledge accumulated from these translations, saw many different cultures meet in a forthcoming environment where scientific research and technology considerably developed (Yucesoy, 2009). For almost 400 years, Baghdad was a conduit for learning and development, and the heart of the world of culture. And for almost 700 years, the international language of science was Arabic. Although some people believe that Islam should not take glory for most of the Islamic scholar’s inventions and advancements because they were, in fact, Persian, Egyptian and so forth, and they built on top of Greek antiquity. Yes, Islamic scholars procured ideas from Greek heritage, albeit for over a millennium they developed these theories and built upon them, questioned and improved them, paving the way for the West. And today we rely heavily on the foundation that Islamic scholars set. Moreover, Islam is not a race, it is a religion. Islamic scholars came from all different cultures and backgrounds and they were categorized as Islamic scholars for a reason – being converts to Islam who engaged in academia during the Islamic Golden Age.
Ibn Sina was Persian, and an Islam convert and one of the most notable scholars during The Islamic Golden age. Ibn Sina was one of the most important physicians, astronomers, thinkers and writers. Ibn Sina provided much of the basis for later development of fundamental chemical processes, such as filtration, distillation, sublimation, and calculation. Ibn Sina’s The Canon of Medicine (1025) remained a standard medical textbook in Europe until the 18th century. He unlocked the door for future physicians to question his own writings and those of other scientific authorities. He created a system of medicine that today we would call holistic and in which physical and psychological factors, drugs, and diet were combined in treating patients. Arab advancements in medicine had a remarkable impact on Western Europe, the development of techniques such as the use of alcohol as an antiseptic and the invention of some concepts and structures that we see in modern hospitals, including personal and institutional hygiene and pharmacies (Azeem, 2005).
Al-Khwarizmi worked in Baghdad as a scholar at the House of Wisdom and studied the sciences and mathematics, which included the translation of Greek and Sanskrit scientific manuscripts. Al-Khwarizmi’s major influences on mathematics provided premise for later and even more widespread innovation in algebra and trigonometry. His methodical and logical approach to solving linear and quadratic equations gave shape to the discipline of Algebra. His book On the Calculation with Hindu Numerals (825) was predominantly responsible for the distribution of the Indian system of numeration in the Middle East and then Europe. The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing (830) is a mathematical book that is considered to have defined algebra (New World Encyclopedia 2016).
Ibn al-Haytham made important contributions to the principles of optics, as well as to anatomy, astronomy, engineering, mathematics, medicine, ophthalmology, philosophy, physics, psychology, visual perception, and to science in general with his introduction of the scientific method. Ibn al-Haytham’s Balance of Wisdom dealt with statics, astrophysics, and celestial mechanics. 600 years before Isaac Newton, Ibn al-Haytham discussed the theory of attraction between physical masses, and seemingly he was also aware of the magnitude of acceleration due to gravity and distance and also theorized that the weight of an object would vary depending on how far from the Earth’s centre of mass it was. Ibn al-Haytham determined that the planets must and did not obey the laws of physics (New World Encyclopedia 2016).
Abu Nasr Al-Farabi was widely considered second only to Aristotle. Al-Farabi’s philosophical thinking was nurtured in the heritage of the Arabic Aristotelian teachings of 10th century Baghdad. He wrote Social Psychology and Principles of the Opinions of the Citizens of the Virtuous City which were the first dissertations to deal with social psychology. The brief dissertation, The Aims of Aristotle’s Metaphysics, insists that metaphysics is not a theological science but rather investigates whatever is common to all existing beings, such as being and unity. He had enormous influence on science and philosophy and paved the way for the work of Ibn Sina, who depended on the work of Al-Farabi. These scholars were just a small number of the Medieval Islamic scholars who laid much of the groundwork for modern Western society.
Although we are seldom aware of the debt we owe to medieval Islamic scholars, their vast contributions are important to Western society. Mathematicians like Al-Khwarizmi formed algorithms and algebra which made the construction of computers possible, astronomers like Ibn al-Haytham paved the way for space travel and exploration. Philosophers such as Al-Farabi challenged our conceptions of identity and truth and physicians like Ibn Sina revolutionized medicine, Ibn Sina is so vital to medicine that still today no discussion about the history of medicine can be complete without referring to him. Islamic leadership employed the full capabilities of an exceptionally diverse population (Fiorina, 2001). And there has not been a civilization resembling it since. Currently, the Middle East is fertile ground for extremists and radicalism. There are plans the West could put in place to support the revival of the Middle East. And reject Islamists creating the Middle East in their own image, one adverse to the rest of us. The United States instated 130 billion USD in today’s money to help rebuild European economies at the end of the Second World War, and although it was not this contribution alone which revived Europe but compare this to the Iraq War which cost the United States 2 trillion USD and had no economic rebuilding plan for the region (Husain, 2018). Through the sharing of resources and policies, with a focus on fighting poverty and improving authority. And making changes to the education system of the Middle East to promote critical thinking and develop open minds that respect women as equal human beings in the workplace and in families. A Marshall Plan for the Middle East is grossly overdue and could be the best safeguard we have against the extremism of our age. We owe a great debt to medieval Islamic scholars for laying the foundation of the modern world. It is imperative to give back to Islam, moving forward, during a time of war and trepidation.