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ContributionofIslamtotheworldscivilizationIslamwebEnglish
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ManyyoungMuslimsare
discouragedwhentheyseethe
poorstandardoflivingof
Muslimsthroughouttheworldandtheirlimitedopportunities.Theyalsoknow
theundevelopedstatusoftechnologywithintheMuslimcountriesin
comparisonwiththeWest.Fromtheseobservations,theyimmediatelyleapto
theconclusionthattheMuslimcountriesarebackward,becauseIslamcannot
adaptitselftothechangingconditionscannotassimilatenewknowledge.
SomeevengosofarastosaythatIslamisactuallyagainstprogressandagainst
scientificadvancement.However,thoseMuslimswhohavestudiedthelater
partofIslamichistorywillknowthatthisisacompletefallacyand
misconception.
LetusdoabriefreviewofthecontributionofIslamtocivilizationasweknow
it.
Trigonometry,Sine,Tangent,CoTangent
TheArabsdevelopedthesefunctionsintrigonometryandIbnMoosaa'swork
HisaabAlJabWalMuqaabala(TheCalculationofIntegrationandEquation)
presented800examplesinthe8 thcenturyCE.Hisworkwastranslatedfrom
ArabicintoLatinanduntilthe16thcenturyCE,itwasEurope'smaintextbook
onthesubject.
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ContributionofIslamtotheworldscivilizationIslamwebEnglish
AlgebraandGeometry
MuhammadbinMoosaaAlKhawaarizmiisconsideredtobeoneofthe
foundersofAlgebra.ThewordAlgorithmor'Algorizm'isacorruptionofhis
nameorthenameofthetownKhwaarizm(Kheva),inwhatisnowUzbekistan,
wherehewasborn.Headoptedtheuseofcipher(zero),thatwasdevisedin
Indiasomecenturiesearlier,anumeraloffundamentalimportance,leadingup
tothesocalledarithmeticofpositionsandthedecimalsystem.Theveryword
zeroisaderivativeoftheArabicsifrorcipher.Hispioneeringworkonthe
systemofnumeralsiswellknownas"Algorithm,"or"Algorizm."Inadditionto
introducingtheArabicnumerals,hedevelopedseveralarithmeticalprocedures,
includingoperationsonfractions.
AnothergreatmathematicianwasOmarKhayyaam,whoofferedtotheworld
geometricandalgebraicsolutionsoftheseconddegree.Naseeruddeenwrote
thetreatiseonquadrilateraltrigonometry,aswellasplainandspherical
geometry.
PhysicsandChemistry
Kamaaluddeenexaminedtherefractionofsunlightinraindropsandofferedan
explanationofthegenesisofprimaryandsecondaryrainbows.Thestoryofthe
inventionofthependulumandthepresentationofawaterclocktoEmperor
CharlemagnebyHaaroonArRasheediswellknown.
ThegreathistorianGibbonswroteinhisDeclineandFalloftheRomanEmpire
(Volume5)thatthescienceofchemistryowesitsoriginandimprovementsto
theMuslims.
ScienceofMechanics
ThedevelopmentofthescienceofmechanicsinIslamisanactofgenius.
MoosaabinShaakirdescribedonehundredpiecesofmechanicalequipmentin
hisbookofartifices.OtheroutstandingMuslimtreatisesincludedAlKitaabFi
Ma`rifatAlHiyaAlHandasiyyah(TheBookoftheKnowledgeofIngenious
GeometricalContrivances)byAbulFiazbinAlRazandAlKitaabMeezanal
Hikmah(TheBookofBalanceandWisdom)byAlKhazini.Healsodidwork
onaccurateweighing,anddeterminationofthespecificgravityofsubstances.
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ContributionofIslamtotheworldscivilizationIslamwebEnglish
CameraObscura
Inthefieldofoptics,CameraObscurawasinventedbyIbnHaythamin1038
CE.
TheoryofRelativity
QaadhiAbuBakrhaddevelopedthetheoryofrelativityinthe8 thcenturyCE
intermsoftimeandspacebymeansofmathematicalequationsand
astrophysics.Imagine,EinsteinwasnotevenbornintheWesternworld,who
propoundedthesametheoryofrelativitymuchlaterinthe20 thcenturyCE.
Geography
Asfarasgeographywasconcerned,Muslimscientistsestablishedthattheworld
wasroundinthe9 thcenturyCE,andthefirstmapoftheglobewasmadeduring
theCaliphateofMamoon.
PaperMaking
ThiswasoneoftheearliestskillsattainedbytheMuslims.Asearlyasthe8 th
centuryCE,highqualitypaperwasbeingmanufacturedinSamarqand.Egypt
wasknowntohaveitsfirstpapermillintheyear900CE.TheearliestArabic
manuscriptwrittenonpaperthathasbeendiscoveredistheGhareebAl
HadeethbyAbuUbayed,dated837CE.ItcanbeseeninHollandpreservedin
thelibraryattheUniversityofLeyden.
AdvancesinIndustry
UnderIslamicrule,Spainwasanindustrialcenter.Itwasoneofthewealthiest
andmostthicklypopulatedoftheEuropeancountries.Muslimswereleadingin
weavingwool,producingsilk,pottery,jewelry,leatherandperfumeindustry.In
theMiddleAges,worldtradewascommandedbyMuslimsandBaghdad,
BukhaaraandSamarqandremainedcentersforworldfairsuntilthe16 thcentury
CE.TheBaytAlHikmahatCairocontainedtwomillionbooks,thelibraryat
Tripolicontainedsomethreemillion,butthislibrarywasburneddownbythe
ChristiansduringthefirstCrusade.
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ContributionofIslamtotheworldscivilizationIslamwebEnglish
MiraclesoftheQuran
LetusconsiderthehundredsofscientificfactsmentionedintheHolyQuran.
Forexample,thefactthattheearthwaspreviouslyapartofthesunandafterits
separation,itbecameahabitableplaceforhumankind,asmentionedinchapter
21,verse30.Thatmatterismadeupofsubatomicparticles(chapter10,verse
61).Thattheembryointhemother'swombinenclosedbythreeepithelial
coverings(chapter39,verse6).Thateachhumanbeinghasauniquefingerprint
(chapter75,verse4)etc.Therearethousandsofotherscientificfactsinthe
HolyQuran.
Regrettably,todaytheWestisatitspeakandwehavelaggedbehindsofar.
However,ourdownfallisnotduetoIslam,astheWestwouldlikeustobelieve,
butduetooursheerneglectofIslamicprinciples.WemustrealizethatIslamis
undeniablythemostprogressivereligion,whichisinfactawayoflifewitha
verywidescope.
Ofcourse,lifeisaveryhardstruggle.However,struggleisaninbuiltinstinctof
humannature.Struggleisawaybutnotanaccomplishmentorattainmentin
itself.WeshouldmakeaneffortandstrugglebutatthesametimemakeDu'aa.
ThisiswhereTawakkul,i.e.trustinAllaahcomesbecausedestinysupersedes
thought.WemusttrustinAllaahforourbetterment,becauseifsuccess
dependedmerelyupononespersonalstruggle,thennobodyintheworld
wouldbeunsuccessful.Furthermore,struggleisitselfpredestinedbyAllaah.
Manshoulddohisbest,thenleavetheresttoAllaah,MostHigh.
20130207
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