The Role of Muslims in the Formation and Development of Sciences (Part 38)
The Role of Muslims in Geology
Many verses of the Holy Quran clearly refer to the science of the layers of the earth (geology), including the words of Allah Almighty: «وَمِنَ الْجِبَالِ جُدَدٌ بِيضٌ وَحُمْرٌ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهَا وَغَرَابِيبُ سُودٌ، وَأَنْزَلْنَا الْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ» Translation: “Do you not see that Allah sends down beneficial water from the sky and produces with it various crops and fruits of various colors? (And do you not see that) the mountains are in lines and roads (drawn on the surface of the earth. Lines and roads) some of which are white and some are red and some are dark black, and each of them is of different colors and in different designs (by the hand of Allah, drawn on the face of the earth)”.
And also the word of Allah in another place: «وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّاكُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَايِشَ» Translation: “We have certainly established you on the earth and given you strength and favor, and provided for you therein a means of livelihood, but little do you thanks.”
And other noble verses that have spoken about this type of science, which has encouraged Muslims to study and investigate extensively in this field.
Undoubtedly, ancient people were familiar with minerals to some extent, although this knowledge was rudimentary and primitive. At the same time, Greek scientists such as Aristotle (383-322 BC) had divided the world into two main parts: the earth, which is composed of four elements (water, fire, air and soil), and the sky, which is composed of ether. Aristotle’s views were prevalent until the arrival of Islam, which put an end to superstitions, magic and legends.
Muslims then began to think, deduce and search for truth, and in this regard, many Muslim scholars such as “Ibn Sayyidah” studied travel books, books on jewelry and other works. Including books such as “The Description of the Arab Peninsula” by Hamedani, then great scholars such as Kindi, Razi, Farabi, Masudi, Akhwan al-Safa, Maqddasi, Biruni, Ibn Sina, Idrisi, Yaqut Hamavi, Qazvini, and others conducted extensive research in this field.
These scientists presented many theories about earthquakes and their causes, also researched minerals and rocks, and wrote in detail about sedimentary rocks and their changes and subsequent developments. They also studied meteorites and examined their nature and origin, and divided them into two types: stony and iron. The most important type of meteorites were the gem meteorites. These scientists also discussed the increase in the temperature of the Earth’s interior and discussed various theories about the formation of mountains, such as refracted and bent mountains, and examined the effect of erosional factors on mountains and rivers.
Muslim scientists have also conducted valuable studies on natural and historical geology, which show that the most complete picture of water in nature is the one described by Muslim scientists in their works. Their views on the formation of rivers are quite scientific and precise, and this can be clearly seen in the “Risa’il Ikhwan al-Safa”, the book “Najjat” by Ibn Sina, and the book “Aja’ib al-Makhluqat” by Qazvini. Also, the science of “crystallography” was first introduced by Biruni in the book “Al-Jamahir fi Ma’rifat al-Jawahir” and then developed by Qazvini in the book “Al-Aja’ib”. No one before them had paid attention to such precision in these fields.
Muslim scientists also studied what can be called the “science of petroleum”, which is a branch of applied geology. They separated and used two types of oil, discussed the search and exploration of oil, and presented models for indirect exploration. A large number of early Muslim scientists studied the shape of the earth, the distribution of land and sea, and described the features of the earth’s surface. They also studied the factors that cause the formation of these features, such as rivers, seas, winds and storms.
At the same time, they also studied the factors that affect the Earth’s crust from within, such as volcanoes, earthquakes and tremors. They also studied the exchange of places between land and sea, the time it takes for this exchange, and the evolution of rivers from young to old and then their death.
It is worth noting that geology in the Islamic world was closely related to other sciences that contributed to its development. This was the way scientists worked at that time, because there was no precise specialization and instead, comprehensive and broad knowledge was available. For this reason, the works of Muslim scientists in the field of geology and earth sciences are scattered and published in many volumes and under different titles. For example, Ibn Sina studied minerals and meteorology in his book Al-Ma’adin wal-Athar al-Alawiyyah, and Imam Nuwayri studied geology along with meteorology in his book Al-Nihayyah Al-Arb. Mas’udi also studied geological issues along with geographical issues in his book Morawej Al-Zahab.
Earthquakes
The nature of earthquakes has engaged human minds since ancient times. Some ancient Greek philosophers attributed the tremors of the earth to hidden winds, while others attributed them to underground fires. The first scientific description of the causes of earthquakes was made by Muslim scientists in the fourth century AH (tenth century AD). Muslim scientists studied earthquakes, recording their dates of occurrence, places of occurrence, types, and the destruction they cause, their intensity, the rock movements they cause, and their harms and benefits. Some of them tried to reduce their dangers. This issue has been discussed in the works of Ibn Sina in the encyclopedia “Al-Shifa” in the section on Al-Ma’adin wal-Athar al-Alawiyyah, “Ikhwan al-Safa” in “Al-Risa’il” and Qazvini in “Aja’ib al-Makhluqat” and “Ghara’ib al-Mu’judat” and each of these scientists has presented their views on this matter.
For example, Ibn Sina, in describing earthquakes and their causes and types, says: “An earthquake is a movement that occurs in a part of the earth due to something that is under it. Undoubtedly, this factor causes that part of the earth to move and then moves the part above it. A body that can move underground is either steam and smoke with high pressure like wind, or a flowing liquid body, or an air body, or a fiery body, or a body made of earth. An earthly body moves only when a similar cause arises for it. Therefore, the primary factor that causes an earthquake is the body itself. If the body is aerial – whether fiery or non-fiery – it must be the source of the underground movement that causes the earth to tremble most of the time.”
Ikhwan al-Safa attribute earthquakes to gases that are produced due to the increase in temperature inside the earth. These gases come out of the pores if the earth is weak at that point. If the earth cracks, these gases come out and the place sinks, and a roar and earthquake are heard.
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