Author: Abu Raef
The Role of Muslims in the Formation and Development of Sciences (Part 82)
Testimonies of Fair-Minded Observers in the Field of Sciences
In the previous discussion, we stated that one of the most important pieces of evidence for the high level and flourishing of Islamic civilization is the testimony of many fair-minded Western scholars and researchers regarding this rich civilization. This testimony spans various fields and domains of Islamic civilization, and in this discussion, we focus on the field of sciences. Perhaps the field of sciences is among the areas in which fair-minded Westerners have commented more than any other; and this may fundamentally be due to two important factors: the first factor is the greatness of the contribution and role of Muslims and Islamic civilization in this field, and the second factor is a response to bigots and chauvinists who deny any innovation or intellectual creativity of Muslims. This truth is especially evident in empirical sciences such as mechanics, engineering, astronomy, and similar fields.
And now, the testimonies of fair-minded Westerners on this matter: The American historian Brevault says: “There is no manifestation of European civilization in which the merit and contribution of Muslims is not decisively evident.”(1)
Sigrid Hunke, who was greatly influenced by Islamic civilization, says: “The Arabs (Muslims), through their practical experiences and research, cultivated what they had received from the Greeks in raw form and transformed it into something new. In fact, it was the Arabs who founded the true method of scientific inquiry based on experiment.
The Arabs (Muslims) not only saved Greek civilization from destruction, organized it, and then presented it to the West, but they were also the founders of empirical methods in disciplines such as chemistry, physics, arithmetic, algebra, geology, trigonometry, and sociology. Moreover, Muslims made numerous individual discoveries and inventions in various branches of science (many of which were later attributed to others), and alongside these, they presented the most precious gift, which is: the correct method of scientific investigation, paving the way for understanding the secrets of nature and enabling the West’s present mastery over it.” (2)
Hunke adds: “In fact, Roger Bacon, or Bacon von Farulam, or Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo were not the founders of scientific inquiry; rather, the pioneers of this path emerged from among the Arabs. What Ibn al-Haytham, whom Europeans call Alhazen, accomplished was nothing less than modern physics, based on theoretical contemplation and precise experimentation.” (3)
She also says: “Hassan Ibn al-Haytham was one of the most influential Arab teachers in Western lands. The influence of this Arab genius on the West was immense and profound; so much so that his theories in physics and optics continue to dominate European sciences to this day. Based on Ibn al-Haytham’s book Al-Manazir, all the science of optics in the West took shape, from the Englishman (Roger Bacon) to the German (Vitello).
The Italian Leonardo da Vinci — inventor of the pinhole camera (camera obscura), the pump, lathes, and even the first airplane design — was directly influenced by the works of the Arabs (Muslims), and Ibn al-Haytham’s writings inspired many of his ideas.
When Kepler in Germany, in the sixteenth century, investigated astronomical laws that allowed Galileo to observe unknown stars with the telescope, the great shadow of Ibn al-Haytham was present behind him. Even today, the difficult physical-mathematical problem that Ibn al-Haytham solved with a fourth-degree equation (demonstrating his extraordinary skill in algebra) is still known as al-Mas’alah al-Haythamiyyah (the Haytham problem), meaning attributed to Ibn al-Haytham himself.” (4)
Florin Cajori in the book History of Physics says: “Arab and Muslim scientists were the first to initiate the empirical method and competently defend it. This method is one of their great honors; for they were the first to recognize its benefit and importance for natural sciences, with Ibn al-Haytham at the forefront.” (5)
Max Ventigo says: “All evidence indicates that Western science owes its existence to Arab-Islamic civilization, and the new scientific method based on investigation, observation, and experimentation adopted by European scientists was the result of their connection with the Islamic world through the Muslim state in Andalusia.” (6)
Daniel Brevault says: “From the year 700 CE, the radiance of Arab-Islamic civilization spread from the eastern Mediterranean to Iran in the east and to Spain in the west; as a result, a large portion of ancient sciences was rediscovered, and new discoveries in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other sciences were recorded. In this field, as in other areas, the Arabs were the teachers of Europe and played a significant role in the flourishing of sciences on this continent.” (7)
To be continued…
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References:
- What Did Muslims Offer to the World? p. 725, quoted from Bina al-Insaniah (The Making of Humanity) by Rolt Briffault.
- Shams al- ‘Arab Tasta‘u ‘Ala al-Gharb (The Sun of the Arabs Shines on the West), p. 401–402.
- That Source, p. 149–150.
- Shams al- ‘Arab Tasta‘u ‘Ala al-Gharb, (The Sun of the Arabs Shines on the West) p. 150.
- What Did Muslims Offer to the World? p. 726, quoted from Pure Sciences in Arab-Islamic Civilization by Ali Abdullah al-Daffa ‘, p. 303.
- Abu Khalil, Shawqi, al-Mubarak, and Hani, The Role of Arab-Islamic Civilization in the European Renaissance, p. 125, Dar al-Fikr, Damascus, Syria.
- What Did Muslims Offer to the World? p. 727, quoted from Nisha al-Insaniah (The Making of Humanity) by Daniel Briffault, p. 84.
