Muslim Scholars Contribution in Medieval and Today's World

Muslim scholars contribution in
medieval and today's world

Compiled by Ayesha Bhatti
In todays world, and specifically the western society, the characteristic

features of a muslim in the average persons mind can briefly fall into two
categories: either their image of all muslims collectively is highly distorted,
which would cause them to think that all muslims are terrorists, or if this is
not the case, then the view that not all muslims are terrorists and that most
muslims are at peace with themselves and their society, going through life
like people of other religions and societies. Whichever of these two views a
person holds, they would rarely think of a muslim as having any other
features or capacity, and especially not as having contributed anything to the
field of science, or being present in scholarly and academic circles, whether
this be in a pioneering role or otherwise. However, a little insight and
research will paint a very different picture.
Among the pioneers and founders of science were many muslims, including:
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

Muhammad ibn-Musa al-Khwarizmi was a Persian muslim mathematician,
astrologer, geographer and astronomer. His book The Compendious Book
on Calculation by Completion and Balancing was the first book on the
systematic solution of linear and quadratic equations. Consequently he is
considered to be the father of algebra, a title he shares with Diophantus. His
contributions not only made a great impact on mathematics, but on language
as well. The word algebra is derived from al-jabr, one of the two operations
used to solve quadratic equations, as described in his book.
Al-Kindi
Al-Kindi was a muslim Arab polymath: a philosopher, scientist, physicist,
astrologer, astronomer, cosmologist, chemist, logician, mathematician,
musician, physician, psychologist, and meteorologist. He was a pioneer in
cryptanalysis and cryptology, and devised several new methods of breaking
ciphers, including the frequency analysis method which is still in use today.
Frequency analysis is the study of the frequency of letters or groups of
letters in a ciphertext. The method is used as an aid to breaking classical
ciphers.
Abu Musa Jbir ibn Hayyn
Known also by his latinised name Geber, he was a prominent muslim
polymath: a chemist and alchemist, astrologer, engineer, philosopher,
pharmacist and physician, and physicist and scientist. He has been widely
referred to as the "father of chemistry".Ibn Hayyan is widely credited with the
introduction of the experimental method in alchemy, and with the invention of
numerous important processes still used in modern chemistry today, such as
the syntheses of hydrochloric and nitric acids, distillation, and crystallisation.
Ibn al-Haytham
A muslim polymath, he made significant contributions to the principles of
optics, as well as to anatomy, astronomy, engineering, mathematics and
many other fields. Ibn al-Haytham is regarded as the father of optics for his
influential Book of Optics, which correctly explained and proved the modern
intromission theory of vision, and for his experiments on optics, including
experiments on lenses, mirrors, refraction, reflection, and the dispersion of
light into its constituent colours. He studied binocular vision and the moon
illusion, speculated on the finite speed, rectilinear propagation and
electromagnetic aspects of light, and argued that rays of light are streams of
energy particles travelling in straight lines.
In recent times also, muslims have been playing their vital role when it
comes to advancement in science and technology. Below are some of the
examples:
Abdus Salam
A Pakistani theoretical physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in
1979 for his work in Electro-Weak Theory which is the mathematical and
conceptual synthesis of the Electromagnetic and Weak interactions, the
latest stage in the effort to provide a unified description of the four
fundamental forces of nature. He holds the unique distinction of being the
first Muslim Nobel Laureate in science as well as the first Pakistani Nobel
Laureate. He was a devout muslim.In his Nobel Banquet speech, he quoted
a verse of the Quran which says "Thou seest not, in the creation of the All-
merciful any imperfection, Return thy gaze, seest thou any fissure. Then
Return thy gaze, again and again. Thy gaze, Comes back to thee dazzled,
aweary." , after which he said This in effect is, the faith of all physicists; the
deeper we seek, the more is our wonder excited, the more is the dazzlement
for our gaze.
Ahmed Zewail
Ahmed Hassan Zewail is the winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for
his work on femtochemistry i.e. the study of chemical reactions across
femtoseconds. Using a rapid ultrafast laser technique (consisting of
ultrashort laser flashes), the technique allows the description of reactions on
very short time scales - short enough to analyse transition states in selected
chemical reactions. He is a great advocate of education and believes that
the true meaning of the word jihad, which is struggling, should be applied to
increasing the standards of literacy and education in modern science among
all muslim countries.
Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi banker and economist. He previously
was a professor of economics and is famous for his successful application of
microcredit, the extension of small loans.Yunus is also the founder of
Grameen Bank. In 2006, Yunus and the bank were jointly awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize, "for their efforts to create economic and social
development from below." Microcredit extends small loans to poor people
who lack the collateral to obtain a loan from regular banks. The fascinating
aspect of this system is that its honor based. Individuals that receive loans
are expected to pay them back by the goodness of their heart.
Jeffrey Lang
Jeffrey Lang is an American mathematician, currently a professor in the
Department of Mathematics at the University of Kansas.He received his
Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1981. His thesis, on Zariski surfaces, was
written under the direction of William Heinzer and Piotr Blass. Lang was born
in a Roman Catholic family and by the time he was 16 he was an atheist. He
converted to Islam in the early 1980s, and admits that he finds much spiritual
satisfaction being a Muslim. Lang has written several Islamic books which
are best sellers among the Muslim community in the US. One of his
important books is Even Angels ask; A Journey to Islam in America. In this
book, Dr. Lang shares with his readers the many insights that have unfolded
for him through his self discovery and progress within the religion of Islam.

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Muslim scholars contribution in

medieval and today's world

In todays world, and specifically the western society, the characteristic

Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

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