1. Ancient Islamic Science
Rachel King, Sheri Munson-Castro, Juhayna Bechara, Janice Sannicolas

2. The importance of Islam’s legacy
History remembers “firsts” in discoveries
But no one remembers Islam being first with these:
Men in flying machines
Mechanical clocks
Study of light and prisms
Trigonometry
Decimals
Negative numbers
Eyeglasses
So here’s all the things that history “forgot” to
teach about the great science legacy of Islam:

3. Why the Middle East and not Europe?
Science flourished in Islamic realms, while falling into the Dark Ages in Europe, for many reasons:
Support from the Qur’an
"contemplate the wonders of creation" (Qur'an 3:191)
The Qur'an has many scientific passages
Harmonious interaction between religion and science allow both of them freedom
Islamic societies remained organized during the Dark Ages, allowing science a safe place to grow
Colleges were first “invented” by Muslims in late 600s
The “House of Wisdom” was set up in Baghdad in C.E. as a scientific center for whole kingdom
Knowledge was preserved in libraries and translation
institutions
Some things that were cultivated because of this attitude towards science:

4. Islam and Math part 1 Al-Tusi Al-Khwarizmi Born 1201 C.E.
Master of many scientific subjects such as math, medicine, logic, and theology
Wrote 64 scientific treatises
Made trigonometry its own field
Al-Khwarizmi
Born 780 C.E.
Pioneered field of algebra
First to use concept of zero
Word “algorithm” comes from his name
Also calculated locations for a world map

5. Islam and Math part 2 Omar Khayyam Born c. 1038 C.E.
Mathematician, astronomer, and poet
Classified algebraic equations
Developed accurate calendar
Developed methods for determining gravity
Wrote one of the classics of poetry, the Ruba’iyat

6. Islam and Chemistry Al-Razi Jabir Ibn Haiyan Born c. 854 C.E.
Used chemistry in medicine
Wrote first chemistry lab manual
Discovered distinction between smallpox and measles
Classified all chemical substances he knew by category
Other contributions to chemistry include the discovery of elemental weights, the distinction between metals and alloys, and the acid-base principle.
Jabir Ibn Haiyan
Theory of geological formation of metals
Observed magnetic force
Wrote several alchemic treatises

7. Islam and Medicine Ibn Sina Al-Zahravi Born 980 C.E.
Wrote 99 books in lifetime
Gathered an encyclopedia of medical knowledge
Kept careful observation of symptoms of diseases
Recognized the contagious nature of disease
First accurate treatment of cancer
Al-Zahravi
Collected volume of surgical techniques
Invented several surgical instruments
Made advances in dentistry
Ibn Katina, another physician
was the first to write a treatise
on the plague and its contagious
nature, which influence Europe
considerably

8. Islam and Astronomy Al-Farghani Al-Zarqali
Determined diameter of the Earth
Wrote book detailing celestial motion
Was a great theorist but not a great engineer
Al-Zarqali
Born in 1029 C.E.
Constructed an elaborate lunar clock
Developed most precise astrolabe
Wrote the Toledan Tables, which calculated rising and setting and eclipses of the planets and sun
The astrolabe was used to determine one’s position on the Earth by calculating the position of the sun and stars

9. Islam and Geography & Cartography
Al-Biruni
Determined latitudes and longitudes
Has a crater on the Moon named after him
Determined circumference of the Earth
Determined the density of various precious stones/metals
Decided that the speed of light was immense
Al-Idrisi
Made meticulous notes on cities, trade routes, lakes, mountains, etc., when producing a detailed globe
Traveled to gather his geographical data
Created a geographical encyclopedia
Also studied medicinal plants in detail
The required pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) gave Muslims the impulse to collect correct geographical information and guides to direct devout travelers from all parts of the Islamic empire

10. The Islamic Legacy Today
Scientific words from Islam:
Zero
Epidermis
Algebra
Diaphragm
Average
Alkaline
Pancreas
Algorithm
Other words that Islam gave us:
Magazine
Coffee
Admiral
Sugar
Earth
Alcohol
Safari
Orange
Ancient Islamic treatises are still the basis of some of the major fields of science

11. Bibliography:
Ajram, K The Miracle of Islamic Science. Knowledge House Publishers
Durant, Will The Age of Faith. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Ajram, K., 1992, Setting the Record Straight, Islamic Science.
Ead, H.A., Portraits of Twelve Islamic Scientists in Various Fields.
O’Connor, J.J., Al-Khwarizmi Biography.
Ahmed, M., 1998, NASIR AL-DIN AL-TUSI.
Ead, H.A., Islamic Alchemy in the context of Islamic Science.
Karpenko, V., Al-Razi, Abu-Bakr Muhammed ibn Zakariya.
Ahmed, M., Ibn Sina.
Ahmed, M. 1998, ABU AL-QASIM AL-ZAHRAWI.
Image:
Bakhti, T., 2006, Al-Idrisi.
FSTC, 2007, Al-Zarqali.
Marvin, C., 2000, Philosophers: Al-Farghani.
Rosenberg, M., Aug , Islamic Geography in the Middle Ages.