What Muslims Did - Sample

WHAT MUSLIMS DID

Stories of Muslim’s contribution 1 in History | Dr Yahya Mubashar

A Word from Author Dear Reader When I was looking to educate my son about Islamic history and its heritage, I was disappointed to find no single source in English language that had a detailed account of various developments in history with particular reference to Muslim’s contribution to complete the picture. Islamic civilization and its achievements are a significant link and era during middle ages that had been intentionally or un-intentionally erased from common man’s history. Now many western historians are reopening that chapter and are acknowledging the great contributions Islam and Muslims made in every field of life. Building on achievements of previous civilizations, research done during Muslim era (700 – 1500 CE) lead to improvement and understanding in various fields of science, art and culture and not only benefited mankind but also formed the basis of modern research and European Renaissance.

These acknowledgments and accounts are randomly available at various scattered internet sources and books. In our busy lives, no one has the time or interest to compile them together. However, I feel that the knowledge and understanding of this Islamic heritage can play a significant part in building inner strength and self respect in our youngsters. They can learn the influence of healthy Islam on Muslim civilization which left a rich, intelligent, caring and dignified legacy that is now a role model for us.

This account of various developments is also aimed to provide the missing link between the middle ages and modern times. It provides a dynamic picture to not only Muslim generations but to generations of every faith and nation and highlights the fact that when achievements and potentials of different nations and cultures are put together and worked on, the knowledge becomes fruitful and wondrous and generations make progress with it. No doubt the Devine rightly states in the Holy Quran (Chapter 49 – Sura Al-Hujrat, Verse 13) O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other).

This work took 3 years to complete as my part time interest in addition to my regular job as a Paediatric doctor. I have tried to compile the most significant contributions Muslim civilization made in history using various sources of information on the internet. Most of the topics include the full review of developments in the history acknowledging the contributions of other civilizations, cultures and people. I am also very conscious of Plagiarism. Therefore the references of the sources of information and pictures are given at the end of each article.

In the end I would like to thank my wife and son for their continuing support, encouragement and guidance, without which this work would have not been possible. I hope you will enjoy our humble efforts.

Best Wishes 9th June 2009, UK

Dr Yahya Mubashar 2

Contents Tulips --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Coffee --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Hospital ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9 Cotton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------11 Mathematics ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Paper ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 Optics --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 Music --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 Circulation --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 Chess --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 Turkish Baths ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 Postal Communication ------------------------------------------------------------- 42 Islamic Art --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Agriculture --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55 Chemistry and Alchemy ----------------------------------------------------------- 63 Astrology and Astrolabe ----------------------------------------------------------- 68 Surgery and Surgical Instruments ----------------------------------------------- 74 Map making --------------------------------------------------------------------------79 Soap ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 85 Sherbet ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 89 Islamic Architecture ---------------------------------------------------------------- 92 Clocks ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------99 Pharmacy ----------------------------------------------------------------------------103

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Pulmonary Circulation (Circulation of Blood through heart and lungs)

The basic principles of the modern theory of the lesser or PULMONARY CIRCULATION were described by Ibn Nafis nearly three hundred and fifty years before Sir William Harvey of Kent, England, who is wrongly credited with this discovery.

It is commonly believed that the discovery of the pulmonary circulation had its inception in Europe in the sixteenth century by Servetus, Vesalius, Colombo and then Harvey. Pulmonary circulation however was first discovered and published by Ibn Nafis in 1242. It was later published by Michael Servetus in Christianismi Restitutio (1553). Since it was a theology work condemned by most of the Christian factions of his time, the discovery remained mostly unknown until the dissections of William Harvey in 1616.

Ibn Al-Naphis (Ala al-Din Abu al-A’la Ali ibn Abi Hazm al-Quraishi) of Damascus, an Arab physician of the thirteenth century (1210-1288 CE), explained the basic principles of the modern theory of the lesser or PULMONARY circulation nearly three hundred and fifty years before Sir William Harvey of Kent, England, who is wrongly credited with this discovery. This fact was acknowledged in 1957 by Professor Dr J B Latham of the University of Manchester at the tercentenary of the death of William Harvey (Sunday Times 9 June 1957). He also stated that Ibn Al-Naphis had “recognised the fallacy of Galen’s theory of invisible channels between the ventricles. He similarly explained that blood was purified in the lungs where it was refined on contact with the air inhaled from the outer atmosphere.

Harvey using a deer to demonstrate his theory of circulation 4 32

Chess Did you know that the word “Checkmate” is Persian in origin and is derived from Shah Maat. Read about how chess became a popular and prestigious game in the Muslim world before spreading into Europe.

The origin of chess remains a matter of controversy. There is no credible evidence that chess existed in a form approaching the modern game before the 6th century AD. Game pieces found in Russia, China, India, Central Asia, Pakistan, and elsewhere, have been determined to be older than that are now regarded as coming from earlier, distantly related board games.

Though many countries claim to have invented the chess game in some incipient form, the most commonly held view is that chess originated in India. The present version of chess played throughout the world is ultimately based on a version of Chaturanga that was played in India around the 6th Century. Also the Arabic, Persian, Greek, Portuguese and Spanish words for chess are all derived from this ancient Indian game. Chaturanga is a Sanskrit word referring to the four arms (or divisions) of an Indian army—elephants, cavalry, chariots, and infantry—which inspired the four types of pieces in that game.

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Turkish Baths Read about Turkish baths which were very popular in the late eighteen century. In Brighton, Sake Dean Mohamed who established them became known as Dr Brighton due to their healing nature and was appointed Shampooing Surgeon to King George IV.

Brighton was full of baths in the late eighteenth century when it had become the Queen of Watering Places. None was more remarkable than the vapouring and shampooing bath opened by an Indian called Sake Dean Mahomed on the site of the present Queen’s Hotel. Dating from 1786, it was more like a Turkish bath than the usual hot and cold seawater baths. There was a medicated steam or vapour bath and a room for massage, which was then, called shampooing. This was done by an attendant through flannel sleeves in a tent cover

Sake Dean Mahomed (1759-1851) grew up in India. He served in the English East India Company Bengal Army as a trainee surgeon. At age 25 he immigrated to Ireland in 1786, where he wrote and published his book, entitled 'The Travels of Dean Mahomet'. He became the first Indian to write a book in English.

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Map Making Did you know that Christopher Columbus used world maps derived from a Muslim geographer of 12th century to reach America. Al-Idrisi’ an Arab geographer is acknowledged today by Clark Labs in USA who named their widely and well known Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software, as Idrisi. Read about the contributions of Muslims in Map Making

Cartography or mapmaking has been an integral part of the human story for a long time (maybe 8,000 years - nobody knows exactly, but longer than written words). From cave paintings to ancient maps of Babylon, Greece and Asia, through the Age of Exloration, and on into the 21st century, people have created and used maps as the essential tools to help them define, explain and navigate their way through the world.

Anaximander Map 6th Century BC The first known maps are of the heavens, not the earth. Dots dating to 16,500 BC found on the walls of the Lascaux (South western France) caves map out part of the night sky, including the three bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair (the Summer Triangle asterism); as well as the Pleiades star cluster. The earliest known map is currently a wall painting of the ancient Turkish city of Catal Huyuk (southeast ruins of the present-day city of Konya Turkey), which has been dated to the late 7th millennium BCE. Other known maps of the ancient world include the Minoan “House of the Admiral” wall painting 7 79

Sherbet (The World's First Soft Drink)

Did you know that the world’s first soft drink was made from fruit juices or extracts of flowers or herbs; and was the traditional cold drink of Ottoman rulers?

Soft drinks trace their history back to the mineral waters found in natural springs. Ancient societies believed that bathing in natural springs and/or drinking mineral waters could cure many diseases.

Until the early 20th century, there were few means of preserving and transporting fresh fruit.

Refrigeration was only available to the very rich, whilst the horse was the measure of speed and distance. Fruit remained seasonal and local except when they could be either dried or reduce to liquid essence in the form of a syrup.

Sherbet appears as a refreshing and medicinal drink in “The Thousand and One Nights”. In 1813, Lord Byron wrote “Give me a sun, I care not how hot, and sherbet, I care not how cool, and my Heaven is as easily made as your Persian’s.”

Sherbet is made from fruit juices or extracts of flowers or herbs combined with sugar and water. This forms a syrup which can be diluted at a later time with water, ice, snow, or even soda. As alcohol is forbidden in Islam, sherbet became one of the most important beverages in Muslim cultures, and is even part of every day language. Children are “sharbaataat” – “cuties” or “sweethearts”. Coffee and tea can be served “sharbaat” – very sweet.

Origin of Sherbet Although the word sherbet has been in the English language for several centuries (it was first recorded in 1603), it has not always referred to what one normally thinks of as sherbet. Sherbet came into English from Ottoman Turkish sherbet or Persian sharbat, both going back to Arabic šarba, “drink.” The Turkish and Persian words referred to a beverage of sweetened, diluted fruit juice that was popular in the Middle East and imitated in Europe. In Europe sherbet eventually came to refer to a carbonated drink. Because the original Middle Eastern drink contained fruit and was often cooled with snow, sherbet was applied to a frozen dessert (first recorded in 1891). It is distinguished slightly from sorbet, which can also mean “a fruit-flavoured ice served between courses of a meal.” Sorbet (first recorded in English in 1585) goes back through French (sorbet) and then Italian (sorbetto) to the same Turkish sherbet that gave us sherbet.

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