This presentation intends to explain that there was a time in the history of the Muslims known as the ‘Golden Age of Islam’. During that period of time (750-1258), Muslims built their great civilization by merging science and spirituality. They were prepared to learn all that are positive and non-contradictory to their Muslim faith from others; particularly from the Greeks, Persians and Indians. At the peak of their civilization, Europeans came to learn at the Islamic centers for leaning and scientific investigation. In modern times, the West not only failed to acknowledge the contribution of the early Muslim scholars to the Renaissance movement, but also its obsession and passion for science took the masses away from God and spirituality. Looking into the present condition of the world, this presentation calls for an ideal situation that can solve violence, backwardness and moral decadence. It calls upon the West and the Muslim world to share with one another what they have. The West needs spirituality and the Muslim world needs science and technology. It is believed that through such an exchange and sharing between the two, a better world free of violence, hatred and moral decadence can be created.

2. The Impact of Early Muslim Thoughts on the
Renaissance Movement in the West
By:
Dr. Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
(maarji@iium.edu.my)
Dr. Maulan Akbar Shah@ U Tun Aung
Department of Inter-Disciplinary Studies
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
International Islamic University Malaysia
(maarji@iium.edu.my)
Presented to:
Academic Centre for Education, Culture & Research
Tehran, Iran
March, 2017© ACECR & maarji

3. This presentation intends to explain that there was a time in the history of the
Muslims known as the ‘Golden Age of Islam’. During that period of time (750-
1258), Muslims built their great civilization by merging science and spirituality.
They were prepared to learn all that are positive and non-contradictory to their
Muslim faith from others; particularly from the Greeks, Persians and Indians. At
the peak of their civilization, Europeans came to learn at the Islamic centers for
leaning and scientific investigation. In modern times, the West not only failed
to acknowledge the contribution of the early Muslim scholars to the
Renaissance movement, but also its obsession and passion for science took the
masses away from God and spirituality. Looking into the present condition of
the world, this presentation calls for an ideal situation that can solve violence,
backwardness and moral decadence. It calls upon the West and the Muslim
world to share with one another what they have. The West needs spirituality
and the Muslim world needs science and technology. It is believed that through
such an exchange and sharing between the two, a better world free of
violence, hatred and moral decadence can be created.
Abstract

4. -The Days of Ignorance (Ayyamul Jahiliyyah)
-Alexander the Great did not want to conquer
Arabia
-Superpowers like Rome & Persia not interested to
rule Arabia
- A transformational change happened with the
coming of the Prophet of Islam
- It was a birth from darkness into light
- The Qur’an and Sunnah took the Arabs from their
degrading lifestyle into one filled with
enlightenment, dynamism and spirituality

5.  The Golden Age of Islam (750-1258)
 Muslims enriched their civilization by borrowing
ideas from earlier civilizations, mainly Greek,
Persian and Indian
 Approach used: Adopt, Adapt and Assimilate
 Muslims took all that are useful and valuable to
enrich their own civilization
 Baghdad, Cordoba, Damascus & Cairo became
centers of learning & research
 Baitul Hikmah had a big collection of books and
manuscripts
 Islamic Caliphs encouraged scholars to do research

6.  At the zenith of the their civilization, Muslim
scholars became great authorities in the areas of
medicine, philosophy, mathematics, algebra,
chemistry, astronomy, botany, etc.
 Great personalities like Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Ibn
Sina, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Rush and others
appeared on the intellectual stage of the Muslims
 Muslims had a mastery over science, technology,
critical and creative thinking
 They inspired the Renaissance scholars of the West
to be scientific and innovative
 The Renaissance movement got the spark/impetus
from the Muslim Golden Era

7. Motivation from the Qur’an & Hadith
Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is
those who are endued with understanding that receives admonition.
(Qur’an 39:9)
The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of martyr (Hadith)
Seek knowledge from cradle to the grave (Hadith)
Acquire knowledge: it enables its possessor to distinguish right from
wrong (Hadith)
It is better to teach knowledge one hour in night than to pray the
whole night (Hadith)

8. Motivation from the Qur’an
Verses of the Qur’an
250 verses relate to laws/legal or ahkam
750 verses call the believers to study nature
(Mohammad Ilyas,2005)

9. Special Qualities of the Early Muslims Scholars
• They were great genius with a scientific mind
• They went with the Qur’anic spirit of Zikr
(spirituality) and Fikr (Scientific Investigation)
• A total dedication in seeking knowledge
• Research work was a form of Ibadah (worship)
• Sincere effort to explore the hidden secrets in
nature
• They wanted to contribute to the growth of human
civilization
• Put themselves at the service of God & humanity

10. Efforts during the Golden Age of Islam
(750-1258)
 Transmission of old knowledge to new places
 Improvements to the old knowledge and
works
 Original contributions (Mohammad Ilyas, 2005,p.3)
 Gaining mastery over Revealed, Natural &
Human Sciences
 Many of the scholars were polymath;
specialized in many disciplines of knowledge

11. Sir Thomas Arnold and Alfred Guillaume,
The Legacy of Islam
“The spread of Islamic knowledge to Europe
sparked, or at least helped to spark, the
Renaissance and scientific revolution of the 17th
century. It is highly probable that, but for the
Arabs, modern European civilization would
never have arisen at all”

12. Professor William Shea
“Islam’s contribution to international culture is
obvious; we have to reinforce the influence of
Islam in our institutions in Europe, the U.K. and
the U.S.”

13. Professor Ziauddin Sardar
• “…there would have been no West without
Islam. The West as it exists today is the
product of Islamic sciences, civilization,
culture and learning”

14. Gustave Le Bon in La Civilisation des Arabes
“Science, so neglected by others, is most dearly
appreciated by Muslims. Besides, to them
belongs the pertinent remark: men are those
who learn or know, the rest is rabble and good
for nothing”

15. Impact of Muslims Thought in the
Renaissance Movement
• Al-Khwarizmi's ideas on mathematics and
algebra were translated into Latin by Gerard of
Cremona & Roberts Chester. This Muslim
scholar corrected Ptolemy’s view and came up
with the first world map
• Al-Razi- physician, philosopher and alchemist,
first to differentiate between smallpox and
chickenpox

16. • Al-Biruni- 600 years before Galileo, discussed about the
theory of the earth rotating about its own axis
• Al-Zahrawi- known as the ‘Father of Surgery’. His
Encyclopedia of Surgery was used as a standard reference
over 500 years in many universities in the West
• Ibn Sina- was a physician, philosopher, mathematician &
astronomer. His Qanun fi al-Tibb & Kitab al-Shifa were
translated into Latin & made reference books in the
western academies
• Al-Ghazali’s ideas on morality found acceptance in St.
Thomas Aquinas, when this saintly personality spoke on
moral philosophy
Cont.

17. • Ibn Rushd- through his philosophical writings
introduced and explained the rational philosophy of
Aristotle to the West. His ideas found more relevant
to the West that to the Muslim world. As such, his
ideas were more appreciated in the West than in
the Muslim world.
• The Protestant Reformation movement was inspired
by the work of Ibn Rushd
• These are few among many works of the Muslim
scholars that contributed to the Renaissance
movement in the West

18. Honest Appreciation is Missing
• Not many Western scholars acknowledge the great
contributions of early Muslim scholars to the
advancement of science in the West
• The West has to acknowledge that many of its
advancement in the natural and social sciences
were based on ideas taken from Muslim scholars
like Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Biruni, Al-Zahrawi, Ibn
Khaldun, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Sina, Ibn Haitam, Al-Ghazali
& others

19. The Spirit of the Renaissance
• It was a birth from the ‘Dark Ages’ into a
period of ‘Enlightenment’ in the West
• It was against the church rule, dominance and
papacy
• Science and scientists became the newfound “gods”
of the West
• As if it was a rebellion against religion
• Gave people the freedom to express their ideas
• People started to believe in secularism, empiricism,
positivism, existentialism, etc. at the expense of
leaving behind religion

20. Islamic Golden Era & Renaissance
• During the Golden Age of Islam, rise in science &
technology brought people closer to God & life
revolved around a ‘God-Centered’ philosophy
• During and after Renaissance, rise in science &
human knowledge took the masses in the West
away from God
• Starting from the Renaissance people started to
over-glorify the potentials of the human mind
• As a result of this scenario, many ideas and
ideologies ruled Europe

21. The Shifting of Paradigms in the
West
• Secularism
• Modernism
• Post-Modernism
• Existentialism
• Utilitarianism
• Atheism
• Socialism
• Communism, etc.

22. Controversial Figures
• Friedrich Nietzsche’s slogan ‘God is Dead’
• Charles Darwin- ‘On The Origin of Species’
• Sigmund Freud- controversial ideas on sexuality-
‘psychosexual develop’, Oedipus complex,etc
• Hitler
• Mussolini, and many more

23. As a Result of the Missing God
• As a result of the missing God in the human lives in the
West, people left all grounded-values preached by religion
• What was previously taboo, is now an accepted life style
• Perverted sexuality found its acceptance in the modern
western society
• Human lust, passion, freedom, etc. took center stage in the
lives of the people, and at the same time God gone missing
in their lives
• European nations fought two great wars and as a result of
that 60 million lives were lost & massive damage to
infrastructure.

24. God
God is like the central piece of the jigsaw-
puzzle of life.Without Him life becomes less
romantic and meaningless
(Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak)
IIUM

25. The Present Scenarios
• The West has become more scientific and spirituality
is missing. It needs to embrace spirituality to solve all
its moral decadence
• Muslim nations due to political turmoil, sectarian
violence, tribalism, etc. are more divided than ever
before in the past
• Peace, unity and cooperation among Muslim
countries are the prerequisite for the return of the
glory of the past
• The spirit of learning and research of the past should
be brought back to the Muslim world
• Muslim countries should bring back the spirit of
‘Zikr and Fikr’

26. The Ideal Scenario
Since we have problems in the West and the Muslim
world, the best way to improve the conditions will be:
• All uncalled violence in the Muslim world should
stop. Politics in the Muslims countries should be
rather engaging than confrontational. The Muslim
Ummah can offer spirituality to the West to solve its
social decadence.
• Promote the true message of Islam as mentioned in
the Qur’an and Sunnah
• The West should stop meddling in the internal
affairs of the Muslim countries

27. Cont.
• The West can share their expertise in science and
technology with the underdeveloped countries of
the world; many Muslims countries fall under this
category
• By embracing spirituality and philosophy of life from
the Muslim world and the East, the West can be
enlightened
• It is hoped that by exchanging science and
spirituality between the Muslim world and West, a
balance can be created. With this balance a better
world can be created.

29. What makes the rainbow beautiful and
interesting are the different shades of
colours.
What makes humanity interesting is the
variation of our race, colour,
language, culture, etc. So, why fight and kill
one another
(Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak)
IIUM
Humanity

30. Moteshakeram
Syukran Jazilan
Terima Kasih
ThankYou