Science in the medieval islamic world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Science in the medieval islamic world - Essay Example Knowledge occupies â€Å"a dominant position in Islamic doctrine†.1 Farudi discusses individuals who excelled in both scholarly as well as pious fields. These individuals include Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina, and Al-Biruni who despite having great knowledge in religious texts also excelled in medicine, mathematics, astronomy, geography, chemistry, and physics. 2 Science made great strides in the Golden Age of Islam compared to the Dark Ages in Europe when scientific knowledge languished. The contribution of Muslim science was the one that made renaissance occur in Europe in the preceding period. The Umayyad Dynasty is the one that set the stage for what came to be labeled as the Islamic Golden Age. The Umayyad Dynasty was in power in the period 661 to 750. Mu’awiya took over power after the death of Ali.3 Mu’awiya was an Umayyad, who used both force and persuasion to expand the empire. This set a pattern for the years that followed. During this period, many non-Arabs were converted to Arabs and brought into the Islamic faith. The 14 Umayyad rulers were the ones who played the greatest role in the expansion of the Islamic state. Under the Umayyad’s rule, the Islamic state expanded to the lands across Northern Africa, the Indus Valley (Pakistan), Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. These happenings/events are the ones that laid the foundation for Islamic Golden Age. The Abbasid Dynasty took over power from the Umayyad Dynasty and the years of Abbasid Dynasty (750 to 1258) are considered to be golden in many ways.4 These years were characterized by great discoveries and advancements in arts and sciences. There was also a great expansion in trade and the Islamic community expanded. Nevertheless, the period was characterized by plenty of unrest originating from Shi’a people in North Africa who were revolting against the Abbasid rule. In ninth century, the Abbasids faced a lot of