The Tree of Islamic Knowledge and Science


The Tree of Islamic Knowledge and Science

Are those who know and those who do not know alike?
                                                 (The Quran, Zumar: 9)

The Legacy of Islam
F Rom 800 A.D. “The House of wisdom of Dar-al-Hakma was a famous place in Baghdad for scientists, historians and philosophers. Famous Islamic scholars were living in Persia, particularly in the north east of Iran (Khorasan). It was a time when scientific, historical, philosophical and Mystical ideas of the following were spreading:
  1. Al-Kindi, (the first Muslim philosopher, d. 873 A.D.);
  2. Al-Razi, Zakariya (a physician, Latin form Rhazeh, d. 925 A.D.);
  3. Al-Tabari, lbn-Jarir (an historian, d. 923);
  4. Al-Farabi (a philosopher and musician, known as second master, (d.950);
  5. Al-Masudi (an historian, d. 957);
  6. Ibn-al-Nadim (d. 988); Ibn-I-lazm (d. 1064);
  7. Ibn-Sina (a physician and philosopher, known to the West Avicena, d.1037);
  8. Ibn-Bajjah philosopher, (d. 1138);
  9. Khayam, al-Majusi, al-Kharazmi, and Zamakshaxi (mathematicians);
  10. Ibn-Miskawayh (an historian, d. 1030);
  11. lbn-Hytham (a physicist and mathematician, d. 1039);
  12. Al-Biruni (a geographer, d. 1050); al-Ghazali (d. 1111);
  13. Al-Shahrastani (an historian of religians, d. 1153);
  14. Ibn-Hiyan (a chemist), Tusi, Nasir-al-Din (a mathematician philosopher);
  15. Ibn-al-Muqafa (famous Persian writer), al-Ravandi (a critical writer);
  16. Ibn-Tufayh (a physician, d. 1185); _
  17. Ibn-Rushd (a philosopher, d. 1198); Fakhr-al-Din al Razi (d. 1220);
  18. Ibn-Maymun (a physician and philosopher, d. 1204);
  19. Ibn-al-Arabi (a famous Sufi leader, d. 1240);
  20. 20- Ibn-al-Farid (a mystical poet, d. 1232);
  21. Al-Rumi (a mystical poet, d. 1273) and Abul Ala-al-Moari (a poet);
  22. lbn-Qutayba (an historian); Ibn-Athir (an historian, d. 1377);
  23. lbn-Battuta (a famous Muslim traveller, d. 1377) and Ibn-Khaldun (an historian and sociologist, d. 1406).


Rationalism & Realism Idealism, Realism & Mystism
Before Ibn-Khaldun, history was a branch of literature and thus a good prose style was important. Those who are familiar with the methods of Muslim historians in comparison easily recognize the originality of Ibn-Khaldun in the way he organized his book. Here, it should be said that Muslim historians used to write their history in the form of chronological tables, and they followed three methods:
(l) The traditional school (Manqoliun) which followed narrative and informative methods. According to this method, a piece of information is true if on the basis of evidence it can be traced to a reliable and authentic source which can only be the person of the Prophet himself. The Ashari sectin this school believed that human reason is incapable of disconnecting good and bad because of self-interest. Those who were learned in the traditions, such as Tabari (d. 923) who was one of the interlocutors of the Ashati sect, maintained that in his book there are incidents that do not truly comply with reason, and must perforce be accepted out of necessary obedience.
(2) The rational school (Maqoliun )or the followers of reason, maintain that in regard to the authenticity of events one must possess strong reasons. Free will and choice are essential ideas for the followers of this school. The Mutazilite sect, which is the famous sect of this school, believed that while God desires only the best for man, through free will man is able to choose between good and evil.
The Mutazilites received great honours at the court of al-Mamun. The two great Mutazilites, namely al-Allaf and al-Nazzam, were al-Mamun's own teachers. With regard to al-Allaf, al-Mamun. used to say: “He spreads over the art of dialectics as a cloud spreads over the people." [1]
Al-Masudi (d. 957), himself a Mutazilite, makes it clear in his book Murujal~Dhahab. [2]
Al-Nazzam, the teacher of al-Mamun, emphasized that qualities are not in the essence of God but are His essence. He is omniscinet by His omniscience and it is his essence and not in His essence. He is omnipotent by His omnipotence, and it is His essence and not in his essence.
Al-Mamun was very fond of listening to the debates between people belonging to different religions, and he used to allow them complete liberty ‘of thought and speech. In all such debates and religious contests it was the
Mutazilites who would come out victorious; they thus proved themselves to be the protectors of Islam.
The two Abbasids after al-Mamun, namely, al-Mutasim and al-Wathiq, lent their wholehearted support to the Mutazilites. A great personality, Qadi Ahmad ibn Dawud, who was an enthusiostic champion of the school of Mutazilism, was all in the courts of al-Mutasim and al-Wathiq.

(3) Islamic mysticism is called Sufism. The Sufism school held that man could not prove the existence of God by philosophical, traditional, rational or even scientific reasons. Human beings have extreme needs and necessities, which must be brought under control. The unity of God and man is the principal teachings of this school. The famous Muslim theologians who were followers of this school was Imam Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111), lbn-al-Arabi (d. 1240), and a Persian mystical poet, Rumi (d. 1273). For example, al-Ghazali, rejected the Aristotelian notion of natural causality. (They conceived of God as the first and only cause of all that is.) Ibn-Khaldun, as a Muslim believer, agreed with their ontology but introduced natural causality into history and sociology. Reason can grasp the limited phenomenon, but revelation introduces the limitless.
Asharism is a protest against religious rationalism who held that the mysteries of universe could be expressed and met in terms of human reason. Abu al-Hasan al-Ashari (d. 945) was the leader of this sect. Ashari’s sect flourished because it had amongst its adherents and exponents such able thinkers as Baqilani, al»Ghazali, Fakhr al-Din Razi, etc, etc.
The Abasid caliph Mutawakkil who was in favour of orthodoxy; or who declared war an able esoteric sects. Ghazali declared that:

We consider that the function of the caliphate is contractually assumed by that person of the ‘Abbasid house who is charged with it, and that the function of government in the various lands is carried out by means of sultans, who are allegiance to the caliphate. Government these days is a consequence solely of military power, and whosoever he may be to whom the passessor of military power gives his allegiance, that person is the caliph.[3]

Imam Jafar al Sadaq(s), was once asked by lbn-abl-Ovja who wanted to‘test his intelligence, “ls wisdom better than goodness or arts?" He replied with a certain coolness:
1- Wisdom without goodness is meaningless.
2- Arts without wisdom is no art at all.
According to the Islamic doctrine, knowledge is a duty (Faridad) incumbent upon every Muslim. All-in—all, he who knows, ought to teach, and he who does not know, ought to ask. ' Knowledge and action are interrelated. Knowledge is food for the intellect, lamp for the body, light for the heart and a pillar for the soul.
Compare yourself in wealth, position and health, with those who have less ithan you, but compare yourself in view of knowledge to those who have imore than you.
Early Muslim philosophers of the ninth and tenth centuries, whose  education was laced generously with Greek thought, appear to have followed ithe Greek precedent in the classification of the sciences. They placed a strong emphasis on the philosophical sciences. This is evident in the iclassification of the sciences made by the outstanding physician al-Razi (Rhazeh d. 925), and by the philosopher al-Farabi (d. 950), who were followed by lbn-Sina in the eleventh century.
Sociology Of Knowledge, Science and Art, Saleh Faghirzadeh, MA,. PH.D




[1] Muruj al Dhahab, edited by Barbier de Meynar, Paris, 1987, vol. VI, p.13
[2] H.A.R. Gibb, Studies in the Civilization f Islam, London, 1962, pp. 142-3
[3] C.F.T.J. de Boer. The History of Philosophy in Islam, London, 1933, p.95.

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