Science & Islam
Science and Islam tells the history of one of the most misunderstood, yet rich and fertile periods in science: the Islamic scientific revolution between 700 and 1500 AD.
by Ehsan Masood
Between the 8th and 16th centuries, scholars and researchers working from Samarkand in modern-day Uzbekistan to Cordoba in Spain advanced our knowledge of astronomy, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medicine and philosophy to new heights. It was Musa al-Khwarizmi, for instance, who developed algebra in 9th century Baghdad, drawing on work by mathematicians in India; al-Jazari, a Turkish engineer of the 13th century whose achievements include the crank, the camshaft, and the reciprocating piston; Abu Ali ibn Sina, whose textbook Canon of Medicine was a standard work in Europe's universities until the 1600s. These scientists were part of a sophisticated culture and civilization that was based on belief in a God – a picture which helps to scotch the myth of the 'Dark Ages' in which scientific advance faltered because of religion.
Science and Islam weaves the story of these scientists and their work into a compelling narrative. He takes the reader on a journey through the Islamic empires of the middle ages, and explores, both the cultural and religious circumstances that made this revolution possible, and Islam's contribution to science in Western Europe. Masood unpacks the debates between scientists, philosophers and theologians on the nature of physical reality and the limits of human reason, and he describes the many reasons for the eventual decline of advanced science and learning in the Arabic-speaking world.
Science and Islam is essential reading for anyone keen to explore science's hidden history and its contribution to the making of the modern world.
This accessible and enjoyable book accompanies the BBC Four television series presented by Professor Jim Al-Khalili and is complementary to the Radio 4 series presented by author, Ehsan Masood. Starting in February, the radio series explores the relationship between science and Islam and the status of science in the Islamic world today. Masood will be speaking to Muslim scientists both in the UK and abroad about how their faith influences their work and asking whether, after years of neglect, science and scientists could once again play a key role in the fortunes of the Islamic world.
EHSAN MASOOD is Acting Chief Commissioning Editor at Nature and teaches international science policy at Imperial College London. He is on the board of the Atlas of Islamic-World Innovation, a three-year study of science in the countries of the Islamic world. He writes for Prospect and OpenDemocracy.Net and is a regular panellist on BBC radio's Home Planet.