Islamic Golden Age - Series

[dexter]

The historical documentary will describe the Golden age of Islam. This particular video will cover the philosophy and humanities of the caliphate.

 

[Iltutmish]

Sums it up....

 

[kongn]

Needs to return to this ASAP.

 

[Old School]

Islamic philosophy and jahilyat can not coexist. People become so much intellectually bankrupt these days that they have to import Indus Valley jahilyat from oblivion for the sake of glory. Either you take Islamic philosophy or the philosophy of jahilyat. There is no scope in between. Anything outside the rim of Islam is Jahilyat.

 

[Mugen]

Islamic philosophy and jahilyat can not coexist. People become so much intellectually bankrupt these days that they have to import Indus Valley jahilyat from oblivion for the sake of glory. Either you take Islamic philosophy or the philosophy of jahilyat. There is no scope in between. Anything outside the rim of Islam is Jahilyat.

I would disagree with you here. There are many nations that are living the "golden age" in many ways whilst not following the Islamic philosopy.

 

[W.11]

the video completely dismissed the indians (at the intro when contributions of other cultures is highlighted)

this is so ironic

regards

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

Islam, during the times of the Arab Caliphates went through its golden age. After declines of the Caliphates, new Muslims like Turks and from the Indian subcontinent should have taken up that mantle. They failed. They were only interested in conquests not science, philosophy, medicine etc.

 

[Lincoln]

Islam, during the times of the Arab Caliphates went through its golden age. After declines of the Caliphates, new Muslims like Turks and from the Indian subcontinent should have taken up that mantle. They failed. They were only interested in conquests not science, philosophy, medicine etc.

The 'Islamic Empire' or 'Caliphate' was never under the mongols or mughals though, was it? It was only under the Arabs and Turks, and it did bring in a lot of good work in science.
Science and Islam is a good book to read, not just about the historical islamic science but also of the social life and disagreements, and power struggles back then and how they intervened with religion and science.

 

[Kambojaric]

Islamic philosophy and jahilyat can not coexist. People become so much intellectually bankrupt these days that they have to import Indus Valley jahilyat from oblivion for the sake of glory. Either you take Islamic philosophy or the philosophy of jahilyat. There is no scope in between. Anything outside the rim of Islam is Jahilyat.

The whole translation movement was based on the idea that non-Islamic (Jahaliyat) philosophy had important lessons to teach Muslims as well (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeco-Arabic_translation_movement). Greek, Zoroastrian, Indus, Chinese etc philosophies were at the core of the translation movement. Unless we are understanding the term philosophy differently I would strongly disagree and say openness to other civilizations and their teachings played an extremely important role in the Golden Age and their certainly is a space where Islamic philosophy can meet with other civilizations as well. In fact Ibn Rushd studied and commented on Aristotle so closely that in European philosophical circles apart from the Latinized version of his name Averroes, he is also known as "The Commentator".

 

[Old School]

The whole translation movement was based on the idea that non-Islamic (Jahaliyat) philosophy had important lessons to teach Muslims as well (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeco-Arabic_translation_movement). Greek, Zoroastrian, Indus, Chinese etc philosophies were at the core of the translation movement. Unless we are understanding the term philosophy differently I would strongly disagree and say openness to other civilizations and their teachings played an extremely important role in the Golden Age and their certainly is a space where Islamic philosophy can meet with other civilizations as well. In fact Ibn Rushd studied and commented on Aristotle so closely that in European philosophical circles apart from the Latinized version of his name Averroes, he is also known as "The Commentator".

Islam has synthesized the Greco-Roman philosophy and become a new thesis itself. It was done to address the jahilyat elements in the pre-Islamc philosophical model. Philosophy is not about name droppings. One has to know the fundamentals of Islamic and classical philosophy. Islamic epistemology is radically different than jahilyat.

 

[Kambojaric]

Islam, during the times of the Arab Caliphates went through its golden age. After declines of the Caliphates, new Muslims like Turks and from the Indian subcontinent should have taken up that mantle. They failed. They were only interested in conquests not science, philosophy, medicine etc.

It is unfair to say they were completely not interested in anything other than conquest but yes achievements of note declined gradually and their are reasons for that. For example the two main Islamic centers of learning during the Golden Age were Baghdad and Cordoba. The former was the capital of Abbasid Caliphate and the latter the capital of the Ummayad Caliphate. Rulers of both were in constant competition to attract the best intellectual minds to their courts meaning science and education received large scale financial patronage and major educational establishments were formed in these cities.

Then in 1236 Cordoba fell to the forces of Castilla y Leon (Spain) and a few years after that in 1258 Baghdad fell to Hulagus Mongols. The Mongol invasion was particularly devastating as unlike the Spanish who were keen to preserve the libraries and universities of the Islamic cities they captured, the Mongols saw no use in such practices and actively destroyed places like the Bayt al Hikmah (House of Wisdom) in Baghdad. A large portion of knowledge was therefore lost in the military defeats of the 13th/14th centuries. These invasions also coincide with the Crusader period meaning that the Muslim world was militarily on the backfoot on practically all fronts. In such times the focus of societies inevitably changes into survival mode and all the mental alterations associated with such a mode.

Once the tide had turned the Ottomans particularly did try to revive this scientific culture and notable scientists during this period are people such as Taqi ad-Din, Sabuncuoğlu Şerafeddin and the aviator Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi. The major turning point however is often regarded as the rejection of the printing press by the Ottoman clergy/sultan. The press and the movement of knowledge associated with it would set the foundation stone for Western civilization to move past others as far as science and technology were concerned. After that it was simply a game of trying to catch up.

 

[jamahir]

The cream of approved "Muslim" intelligentsia in India and Pakistan now seems to be the "intellectuals" of the Tableeghi Jamaat. I don't know what they discuss in their gatherings ( Ijtemas ) and don't want to know but I know for certain that had the TJ movement been present in The Golden Age they would have described these philosophers, engineers and medicine men as non-Muslim because of not adhering to the TJ's view of Islam being a strict adherence to only prayer, ritual and dress-code and nothing else. Am I right, @Areesh ?? @xeuss, I want you to see the reply of your friend Areesh.

Also, I like the picture in post# 2. It describes the general attitude of Muslims now.

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

TJ's view of Islam being a strict adherence to only prayer, ritual and dress-code and nothing else.

You have some wrong ideas about Tableegh. They are very elementary (entry level) and open-minded, even when it comes to fiqh.

The historical documentary will describe the Golden age of Islam. This particular video will cover the philosophy and humanities of the caliphate.

Interesting video, I will have to take a look when I get a chance.

 

[jamahir]

You have some wrong ideas about Tableegh. They are very elementary (entry level) and open-minded, even when it comes to fiqh.

What do you mean by elementary and open-minded ??

 

[Areesh]

The cream of approved "Muslim" intelligentsia in India and Pakistan now seems to be the "intellectuals" of the Tableeghi Jamaat. I don't know what they discuss in their gatherings ( Ijtemas ) and don't want to know but I know for certain that had the TJ movement been present in The Golden Age they would have described these philosophers, engineers and medicine men as non-Muslim because of not adhering to the TJ's view of Islam being a strict adherence to only prayer, ritual and dress-code and nothing else. Am I right, @Areesh ?? @xeuss, I want you to see the reply of your friend Areesh.

Also, I like the picture in post# 2. It describes the general attitude of Muslims now.

There was no TJ at that time but still some of these philosophers were called heretics due to some of their beliefs and they later repented of those beliefs later on

In short you are a Muslim not because you were born in a Muslim family or have a Muslim name but because of your beliefs. Just like in your case where whether you are a Muslim or not is doubtful