Page 8 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 7 Page 9 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 7 Astronomy While Astronomy withered in medieval Europe, it flourished within Islam. Renaissance astronomers learned from the texts of Islamic scholars, who had preserved, developed, and transformed the science of the ancient Greeks. The era of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) brought about great zeal, enthusiasm and enlightenment among the nomadic Arabs to acquire and spread knowledge which is simply astonishing. The Holy Qur’an gives supreme importance for acquisition of knowledge to probe into the vast expanses of the Universe with the power of reasoning and intellect bestowed on mankind. The Holy Qur’an states:”And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the heavens and on earth: behold, in that are Signs indeed for those who reflect.” (Qur’an 45:13) The following two centuries, after Hijri was regarded as the golden era in the Islamic sciences. In the words of a great Harvard historian of Science, George Sarton: “From the second half of the eighth to the end of eleventh century, Arabic was the scientific and progressive language of the mankind. When the West was sufficiently mature to feel the need of deeper knowledge, it turned its attention, first of all, not to the Greek sources, but to the Arabic ones.” A historian of the West says that from the 8th to the 14th century, most of the Astronomical activity took place in the Middle East, North Africa, Moorish Spain, while Europe languished in the Dark Ages. The wealth of knowledge in Astronomy and other sciences preserved and developed by Islamic scholars fell into the hands of Europeans which ultimately paved the way for Renaissance in Europe. The growth of Islamic Astronomy by leaps and bounds was mainly due to Islamic religious observances which presented a host of problems in mathematical astronomy mostly related to time-keeping. In solving these problems the Islamic scholars went far beyond the Greek mathematical methods. These developments notably in the field of Trigonometry provided the essential tools for the creation of Western Renaissance Astronomy. The glimpses of Medieval Islamic Astronomy are conspicuous even today. The familiar astronomical terms like Zenith, Azimuth, and the Stars in the Summer Triangle Vega, Altair and Deneb and many more such words are of Arabic origin. Mentioned below are some of the most prominent Islamic astronomers. Musa Al-Khawarzmi: He was among the most important of the early 9th century astronomers. Apart from his notable contribution to mathematics, he also wrote on Astronomy, especially on Ptolemy’s “Almagest” (Syntaxis). He prepared a set of “Zij” (astronomical tables) of future planetary and stellar positions, called “Zijal Sindhind”, since they were based on some Hindu tables that were brought to Baghdad. These tables are the first of the major Islamic Astronomical works that have survived in its entirety. Abu Al-Abbas Al-Farghani: He wrote a more general book on Astronomy, a critical commentary on Al-Khawarzmi’s “Zij” and a commentary on “Almagest”. This was of utmost importance, since it gave in Arabic, a thorough account of Ptolemaic Astronomy in a clear well organized text which enjoyed considerable popularity. Abu Abdullah Al-Battani: Of all the early Arabian astronomers he was the greatest and the most famous was. Al-Battani, a Sabian from Harran, made astronomical observations from AlRaqqa on the north bank of Euphrates. He made observations of eclipses and other celestial phenomena. His most notable contribution to the field was his “Kitab Al-Zij” (Book of Astronomical Tables). He also constructed several astronomical instruments to make accurate observations and measurements. Abdul Wafa Al-Buzjani: He was another great representative of astronomical and mathematical school that had grown up after the founding of Baghdad. He wrote a complete text book on Astronomy from a mathematical point of view, with explicit solutions. Abdul Hussain Al-Sufi: He was a late 10th century astronomer from Iran, renowned for his observations and descriptions of the stars and his “Book of the Constellation of the Fixed Stars”. This book became a classic in Islamic Astronomy and Abul Hussain was recognized in the West as Azophi. Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni: A multifaceted intellectual from Iran also contributed to the field of Astronomy, even though his primary interests were in Astrology. His contributions were in Astronomical Geography, using eclipses to determine the longitude of places on Earth. He also made astronomical observations to determine the distance of a degree of the Meridian. Abdul Hassan Ibn Yunus: He was another great astronomer as the close of the 10th century, from Egypt with major contributions in the area of astronomical determination of the prayer times. His tables were very extensive - they had more than 10,000 entries of the Sun’s position throughout the year. These tables were so accurate that they were used in Cairo until the 19th century. Ulugh Beg: He was the grandson of the famous Mongol Conqueror Tamerlane. Ulugh Beg also made astronomical observations and was a dynamic force behind the cultural life of Samarkhand which was abruptly cut off due to his untimely assassination. The great efforts of the Islamic Astronomers became very handy for the European Renaissance Astronomers to learn and further develop the field of Astronomy. Q: 1. What comes before the month of Ramadan? Shaban or Shawwal? Q: 2. During how many years was the Holy Qur’an completely revealed? Q: 3. What is the Zakah of the body? Q: 4. Who was known by the name Al-Amin? Q: 5. Name the birthplace of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)? Q: 6. In which month do we fast? Q: 7. There are some people mentioned in the Qur’an who are eligible to receive Zakah. Name at least four. A: The month that comes before the holy month of Ramadan is called Shaban. A: The Holy Quran was completely revealed in 23 years. A: Fasting is the zakah of the body. A: The Holy Prophet (SAW) was also commonly known as the Al-Amin. A: Mecca is the birthplace of the Holy Prophet (SAW). A: The Muslims fast in the holy month of Ramadan. A: There are 4 categories of people mentioned in the Qur’an who are eligible to receive Zakah: The poor, the needy, the slaves and the debtors. Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X) “The color-blindness of the Muslim world’s religious society and the color-blindness of the Muslim world’s human society; these two influences had each day been making a greater impact and an increasing persuasion against my previous way of thinking... There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue- eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual. Displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white.” - Hajj Malik (Malcolm X) Brief Chronological History 1925, May 19 Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska 1940 Drops out of school at age 15 1946 Convicted of burglary and sent to prison 1949-1951 Studies the Nation of Islam 1952 Leaves prison, dedicates himself to building Nation of Islam, changes name to Malcolm X 1963, Dec 4 Suspended from the Nation of Islam 1964, March Leaves Nation of Islam, starts the MuslimMosque, Inc. 1964, April 22 Makes his Hajj and becomes Al Hajj Abdul Malik Shabazz 1964, June 28 Forms the Organization of Afro American Unity 1964, July 17 Speaks at the Organization of African Unity in Cairo 1964, Aug. 13 U.S. State and Justice Department take notice of his influence on African Leaders at the U.N. 1965, Feb. 13 Al Hajj Malik’s house in Queens, N.Y. bombed 1965, Feb. 21 Al Hajj Abdul Malik Shabazz was assassinated in New York Why I Embraced Islam
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