In this fascinating world of science and wisdom, let’s restore credit to the contributions of the classical world of Islam. It is remarkable how Muslims laid the foundation of what we call wisdom today. It was initiated with the thirst and will to explore through fearless adventures. Quoting a few incredible examples of Muslim scholars and inventors from the golden era…
- The ability to accurately tell time and determine dates. Here, the chief instrument was the astrolabe, the most powerful analog computer before the modern age.
- The art of alchemy, the forerunner of modern chemistry.
- Trigonometry and spherical geometry – invaluable for making maps, navigation, and locating cities.
- Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and our contemporary number system.
- Star tables and almanacs capable of predicting celestial events, like lunar eclipses, with considerable accuracy.
- Our modern technical lexicon: from azimuth to zenith, from alcohol to zero.
- Many of the foods we eat – apricots, oranges, artichokes, hard wheat for pasta, to name but a few.
- Natural philosophy, scientific cosmology, and optics.
- And, most important of all, the notion that religion and science, faith and reason, could coexist; this gave medieval Western intellectuals ‘permission’ to explore the universe without impinging on the majesty of God.
Wisdom stirs in the bold motivation of tapping into the world of knowing the unknowing. The above examples speak for it.
Keep Exploring Wisdom!
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