Medieval Islam Essay

Among the many scholars working in the House of Wisdom, there was Al-Khawarizmi, known as the father of algebra. Born around 800 in Baghdad, al-Khwarizmi worked in the House of Wisdom as a scholar. Being involved in the center’s translation of ancient scientific knowledge helped him develop a unique knowledge of the accumulated wisdom of the world. His importance lies in his discoveries of mathematical knowledge which was later transferred to Arab and European scholars. His masterpiece, a book of clear explanations of what would become algebra, was his entire life’s work compiled into one collection of information. The word algebra comes from the Arabic word, al-jabr, which means “completion”. In his work, al-Khwarizmi explains the principles of solving linear and quadratic equations, the concept that an equation can be created to find the value of an unknown variable. Another crucial work of al-Khwarizmi’s was The Book on the Art of Reckoning of the Hindus, which introduced the numbering system used in the Islamic culture to the west. This is the numerical system that is still used today and offered many advantages over the existing Roman numerals. An

It was able to simplify accounting and also give rise to more mathematically based fields of study like geometry and physics. The Islamic Golden Age influenced the influx of translations to Latin and allowed people the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of mathematics and the physical sciences. Arabic numerals were able to transform Medieval society and further increase the connection of people across the world. The world, including business and academia, would not be the same today if it were not for the adoption of Arabic numerals into the cultures of the Medieval

Mid seventh century Islam, also know as the golden age was a time of innovation, trade, and success. Why was this the Golden age above all other times? Well that’s easy. The golden age was the time when Islam established one of its biggest empires in History, which would later go on to succeed in all fields from math, to law, to industry etc (Doc 1, pg. 11). The biggest components of this great success, though would probably be the advancements in Math, Science and Trade. The new things that people were able to discover using simple math and science not only benefited peoples simple knowledge, but it benefitted the country as a whole. Math and Science were something that not everyone had access to, but since Islam did it benefited trade as well, which would later become what connected all of humanity.

This was one of the most significant events in the history of education. This way meant that scholars could easily communicate with each other, and “ideas were translated from Greek, Latin, ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and languages from other parts of the world's.” (Doc D). This knowledge could be read and discussed by scholars all over the Islamic Empire, which greatly defined the spread of ideas through the region. That was the last condition needed for the spread of math and science in the Islamic

In the translation of the Islamic medical book, World History: Patterns of Interaction, the excerpt provided displays the large extent to which Muslims knew of medical procedures and diseases. “European medical schools gained access to vital reference sources such as al-Razi’s Comprehensive Book and Ibn Sina’s The Canon of Medicine. Ibn Sina’s five-volume encyclopedia guided doctors of Europe and Southwest Asia for six centuries” (Doc 3). This quote explains the large amount of credible sources Muslims utilized in order to obtain their medical knowledge. Unfortunately, other cultures did not have these resources, making Muslim contributions some of the best in the world. As mentioned in the first example, World History: Patterns of Interaction, includes numerical data pertaining to medical tools and procedures. “For nearly 500 years, al Qasim’s work, The Method, which contained original drawings of some 200 medical tools, was the foremost textbook on surgery in Europe” (Doc 3). With all the knowledge of medical procedures and tools, the Islamic culture by default was the most medically advanced in the world. Also, Islam’s contributions to world culture caused western civilization to advance in medicine while simultaneously increasing the average life

This led people out of the dark and enlightened them about possibilities. Moving on, Cannon of Medicine, written by Ibn Sina, explains the importance of studying the symptoms of disease in order to create effective medicine. Ibn Sina was a prominent Islamic philosopher who was also trained medically. Due to his experience in medicine and his ability to think philosophically he has a deeper understanding of what must be done in order to improve medicine. Furthermore, an astrolabe which is a maritime navigation device that aided in exploration and trade is pictured (document four). The astrolabe was created around 200 BC and made its way from Islamic territories to Europe. Finally, al-Khwarizmi, a Persian Muslim mathematician, discusses the Hindu numeric system (document five). Al-Khwarizimi was Islamic and the period in which he lived was known as the Islamic Golden Age, a time where interpretations of the Qur’an became more scientific. This affected the way in which he viewed Hindu mathematics as seen in the first couple of sentences where he speaks of God and His

Both science and math are great gifts from the Islamic Empire that have impacted our world.

we now know as the Scientific Method, the most basic structure of good science. These islamic

The history of science is often told as a series of eureka moments. The ultimate triumph of the rational mind. But a certain cultural background could have played equally significant parts. Take the history of Europe for example, it is until the end of Middle age that the science and technology started developing rapidly, which can be closely related to the great changes of culture during the period of The Renaissance. Here, I’d like to make a comparison between the period before and after The Renaissance to discuss how the cultural background will influence the development of science.

They established the first primary schools for children and universities for continuing education. They opened their public and private libraries to the public internationally. Muslims built great libraries and learning centers in places such as Baghdad, Cordoba, and Cairo. Mosques were used as a meeting place where people could gather around a learned scholar, attend his lectures, read books with him/her, and gain knowledge. Libraries developed early in the Islamic world as a result of the commitment to literacy on the part of early Muslims. Collections of texts were attached to mosques, madrasahs (schools), and bayt al-hikma (research institutions). The Muslims were the forerunners of European universities, having established hundreds of colleges in advance of

Muslims had sought enormous advances in academics, such philosophy, history, mathematics, and the sciences. Muslim girls and boys received elementary education, which underscored perusing and composing. They expected to take in these skills to concentrate the Quran. The Muslim capital of the world is Cordova, it was a great education city. Cordova had over 800 public schools, 37 libraries, and many bookstores. Another Islamic academic advance was in mathematics. A Muslim mathematician by the name of al-Khwarizmi, he had written a book on Algebra. These are just

Islam is a major world religion. Its origin can be traced back to 610 CE in Arabia. The basis of this religion is the revelations to the prophet Mohammad. Dissatisfied with his life, he traveled to deserts, hills, and the wilderness surrounding Mecca, where he lived, to meditate and reflect. He became a new man through his revelations, which many of his followers believe Allah transmitted to him through his angel Gabriel. Islam was originally an Arab religion, but many different beliefs and practices were added to it, making it extremely popular and aiding in its rapid spread. This new religion spread to many different areas surrounding Arabia, both under Mohammad and after his death. The Muslim Empire grew to encompass Spain and

Science has been one of if not the most important discoveries that mankind has come across. According to Michael Mosley “Science is all around us,”. Science in Europe was picked up where Arab scientists left it off and provided the information to Europeans in the 12th century. One scientist named Tycho Brahe changed science when he began to use raw data in this case starts instead of just theorizing everything. This would bring in a German scientist named Johannes Kepler, he would pick up were Brahe left off after he died shortly after the arrival of Kepler. Kepler would use Islamic charts, and Brahe’s raw data to prove that the solar system was heliocentric and that the planets rotated around the sun in an elliptical motion, which is significant

Islamic rule spread over major areas of Africa, the Middle East, South, Southeast and Central Asia, Spain, and Southern Italy. Many Christians saw Islam as a religion of the sword. They have been very violent throughout their history. Arabian armies engaged in attacking the remnants of the Byzantine Empire. The First Crusade was launched in order to stop the Arabian invaders.

The Muslim people made many exceptional achievements and great contributions that spread to and affected the entire world, particularly Europe. Several factors encouraged them to pursue experimentations and developments in different fields.