Accomplishments

of Islam

By: Kaddie Hanson, Arianna

Ramirez, and Zandra Stewart

The Golden Age of Islam

- The Abbasid caliphate -from 750-1258 CE

- Was known as the Golden Age because Muslim scholars developed various

achievements in these categories:

a. Literary Achievements

b. Scientific Achievements

c. Artistic Achievements

Literary Accomplishments

- Unifying force of the Arabic language

- The Qur’an could only be written in Arabic

- Muslims were forced to learn Arabic

- “Borrowed” paper from China

- Could share writing cheaply and easily

- Production of books

Literary Accomplishments

- Greatest literary art was poetry

- Thousands of poems were created during Islam's Golden Age

- Poems were meant to be sung and recited aloud in Arabic

- Jalal al-Din-al-Rumi, wrote mystic poetry that provided insight into the beliefs

of Sufis

- Arabic literature reflects a love of storytelling

- Their thoughts of love were shown through folk tales

- Example: The Thousand and One Nights, based on stories told by

Scheherazade, a young bride trying to save her own life

- Told a great deal about elite society during Abbasids’ golden age; would

describe the elaborate lifestyles of the rich in Baghdad; exhibit a sense of

humor and a fondness for exaggeration

Literary Accomplishments

- There were also urban universities called madrassas

- They would preserve and translate the writings of the ancient Greeks and

Indians

- Became intrigued with the scientific and philosophical work from earlier

civilizations

- Mostly just with Aristotle

- After the fall of the Western Roman Empire

- Knowledge of Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Hippocrates, and other Greek scholars

had been lost, the Islamic empire took it upon themselves to gather their saved

work and pass it onto later civilizations

Scientific Accomplishments

- Arabs also borrowed the invention of paper from China.

- Muslims were really intrigued by the works of Aristotle.

- Arabs also built on the mathematical knowledge of the ancient Hindu scholars, who

had invented the concept of zero and a number.Their ‘arabic numerals’ are still the

ones that we use today, and these numbers allowed the development of al-jabr, or as

we know algebra.

- Arabs made advances in optical science, pharmacology and anatomy.

- Arabic and persian writers and travelers also put together an extensive collection of

geographical information, including maps of islamic domains

- Learning was a very important aspect of life in all muslim communities, which

added to the cultural unity.

Scientific Accomplishments

- Later on European intellectual achievements grew out of the work of muslim scholars

- Al-Razi describes and treated smallpox in the 10th century. (He used alcohol as an antiseptic)

- Ibn Sina diagnosed and treated meningitis in the 11th century

- Ibn al-Haytham discovered the camera obscura in the 11th century.

- He used the camera to show how light travels in straight lines from the object to form an inverted

object.

- Muslims have always had a special interest in astronomy.

- The sun and the moon was a very important aspect in the daily average Muslim. With the phases of

the moon they knew when it was time to pray or when to fast. The Quran has many references to

astronomy: "The heavens and the earth were ordered rightly, and were made subservient to man,

including the sun, the moon, the stars, and day and night. Every heavenly body moves in an orbit

assigned to it by God and never digresses, making the universe an orderly cosmos whose life and

existence, diminution and expansion, are totally determined by the Creator." [Qur'an 30:22]

- References like those are what encouraged the Muslims to study the heavens.

Scientific Accomplishments

- The sun and the moon was a very important aspect in the daily average Muslim. With

the phases of the moon they knew when it was time to pray or when to fast. The Quran

has many references to astronomy: "The heavens and the earth were ordered rightly, and

were made subservient to man, including the sun, the moon, the stars, and day and night.

Every heavenly body moves in an orbit assigned to it by God and never digresses, making

the universe an orderly cosmos whose life and existence, diminution and expansion, are

totally determined by the Creator." [Qur'an 30:22]

- References like those are what encouraged the Muslims to study the heavens.

- Muslim astronomers were the first to establish observatories, like the one built at

Mugharah by Hulagu, the son of Genghis Khan, in Persia, and they invented instruments

such as the quadrant and astrolabe, which led to advances not only in astronomy but in

oceanic navigation, contributing to the European age of exploration.

Scientific Accomplishments

- Muslim scholars paid great attention to geography. In fact, the Muslims' great concern

for geography originated with their religion. The Qur'an encourages people to travel

throughout the earth to see God's signs and patterns everywhere. Islam also requires each

Muslim to have at least enough knowledge of geography to know the direction of the

Qiblah (the position of the Ka'bah in Makkah) in order to pray five times a day. Muslims

were also used to taking long journeys to conduct trade as well as to make the Hajj and

spread their religion.

- Among the most famous names in the field of geography, even in the West, are Ibn

Khaldun and Ibn Batuta, renowned for their written accounts of their extensive

explorations. In 1166, Al-Idrisi, the well-known Muslim scholar who served the Sicilian

court, produced very accurate maps, including a world map with all the continents and

their mountains, rivers and famous cities. Al-Muqdishi was the first geographer to

produce accurate maps in color.

Scientific Accomplishments

- Al-Razi describes and treated smallpox in the 10th century. (He used alcohol as an

antiseptic)

- Ibn Sina diagnosed and treated meningitis in the 11th century

- "God created no illness, but established for it a cure, except for old age. When the

antidote is applied, the patient will recover with the permission of God." This was

strong motivation to encourage Muslim scientists to explore, develop, and apply

empirical laws. Much attention was given to medicine and public health care. The

first hospital was built in Baghdad in 706 AC. The Muslims also used camel

caravans as mobile hospitals, which moved from place to place.

- Since the religion did not forbid it, Muslim scholars used human cadavers to study

anatomy and physiology and to help their students understand how the body

functions. This empirical study enabled surgery to develop very quickly.

Artistic Accomplishments

- The art of glassblowing was perfected

- Had mini paintings that contained glass, silver, brass, and ivory objects

- Manuscripts were often written in calligraphy and were painstakingly illuminated

- Royal Robes and other textiles feature lavish embroidery

- Islamic religious tradition discourages the depiction of human figures in religious

art, so Muslim artists developed or adopted many unique decorative elements

- Islamic buildings of this era borrow domes and arches from the Byzantine Empire

and are adorned with calligraphy, geometric designs and arabesques.

Artistic Accomplishments

- Islam was very well known for its architecture, with elaborate geometric designs

- Like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, built in 691 CE on top of Judaism's holiest

site, used as a political statement, a religious monument and a display of grandeur,

its outer walls were originally tiled, as seen in modern restoration. The exterior of

the dome was once lead and was replaced by by varying metals throughout time.

Today the dome is covered in gold leaf. The interior of the dome is decorated with

mosaics and calligraphy.

- Islamic buildings of this era borrow domes and arches from the Byzantine Empire

and are adorned with calligraphy, geometric designs and arabesques.