Islamic Worldview Week 3

7/31/2019 Islamic Worldview Week 3

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UNI 104

Understanding Nature andKnowledge

Instructor:

shak Arslan, PhdSpring 2012/1


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Third Week

Islamic WorldviewFrom Cosmology to Science


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Contents

Week 1: Introduction, Outline, The ClassicalWorldview Aristotelian-Ptolemaic System

Week 2: Transition From the Classic to theModern Worldview, Copernican System

Week 3: The Legacy of Arabic/Islamicworldview

Week 4: Development of mechanisticworldview, Newtonian System

Week 5: The spread of mechanistic system,positivist worldview

Week 6: Transition from the modern to thecontemporary

Week 7: The Special and General Theory ofRelativity

Week 8: Quantum Theory

Week 9: Theory of Evolution

Week 10: The comparison of the worldviews

Week 11: Basic concepts of the philosophyof science

Week 12: Problems of Philosophy ofScience, overall summary/conclusion


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Muslim World

The religion of Islam originatedin the Arabian peninsula, hasbeen permeated by Arabianculture and language.

It today covers a wide area,including Middle East, CentralAsia, parts of south-east Asia,North Africa, some parts ofBalkans.

Islam has consequently played acrucial role in world history, bothas an important civilization in itsown right, and as an intermediarybetween the civilizations ofantiquity and the early modernworld.


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Historical Background

The journey, known as the hijrah is traditionally considered tomark the beginning of the Islamic era. (AD 622)

Two years after prophets death, (AD 632) his followers built onthe momentum of his teachings, and quickly achieved the task ofuniting the different tribes of the Arabian peninsula.

Muslims expanded their territories from Syria to the westernAsia and north Africa. By AD 750 the Muslims controlled acontinuous empire from Spain to the Indus.

They inherited, among other things, the science of the Greeksfrom many Hellenistic cities, as well as the culture of SassanidPersia. A golden age of Islamic culture emerged after the age ofexpansion was over. Another flowering was later to occur inIstanbul. (1453)


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Islamic Worldview

The basic principle of Islamic theocentric cosmology is thebelief oftawhid(La ilaha illa Allah) and its conception ofAllah. The principle oftawhidis the main holistic IslamicWeltanschauung. This principle implies that Allah is one in Hisessence (dhat), i.e., not composed of parts, one in Hisattributes (sifat), i.e., not being influenced in any way byanything other than Himself. This principle together with theprinciple oftanzih (no compromise with the transcendentpurity of Allah) might be accepted as the paradigmatic base ofunity among conflicting schools, sects, and tradition in Islamichistory. (A. Davutoglu: Alternative Paradigms, p. 47)


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Islamic Worldview

The main sources are the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet ofIslam

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT:

the Shariah or Divine Law and classical schools of jurisprudence(fiqh)

theology (kalam)

the various manifestations of Islamic spirituality, Sufism(tasawwuf),

Islamic philosophy (falsa- fah/ hikmah), and Science


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Its cosmos is now the Ptolemaic structure of concentricspheres, its elements are the Aristotelian elements of fire,water, earth and air, combined with the Plotinian emanationsof pure intelligences and souls, transformed into or

combined with he angels of the monotheistic religions, andcontrolled by the One Supreme Necessary Being,from whom all being is derived, being their origin andprinciple, and to which the whole creation yearns to return.The Muslim concept ofJustice, Harmonyand controlled

Order is extended to the whole cosmos, all of whoseelements are maintained in that state of equilibrium which isappropriate to their nature an operate in orderedhierarchy, from the ninth heaven to the lowliest minerals

H.A.R. Gibb, Islamic Cosmological Doctrines, p. XVI.

Islamic Cosmologies


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Islamic Cosmologies

With the conquests of the first two centuries of Islam,astronomical techniques were made to serve the needs ofreligion.

To determine more precisely the hours of prayer, thedirection of Mecca, the periods of fasting.

The heritage of ancient astronomies was brought fromAlexandria and India, from Syria and Harran and fromByzantium.

Arabian Islamic scholarship were to be absorbed by Europe.

The names ofleading astronomers Latinized. (Jabir ibnAflah as Geber, Al Bitruji as Alpetragius, Ibn Rushd asAverroes, Ibn Al Haytam as Alhazen)


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Islamic CosmologiesAl-Khwarizmi

Al Khawarizmi (AD 850) was one of the leadingastronomers in the Islamic world.

He wrote on astronomy, prepared a set of zij(astronomical tables) of future planetary andstellar positions.

Influenced by Ptolemys original tables, they arethe first Islamic astronomical work.

Al Khwarizmi wrote an influential work on algebra(algorithm/khawarizm) and on the astrolabe in theIslamic tradition.


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Islamic CosmologiesAl-Farghani

Another of the early Baghdad mathematician and one of thefamous astronomers in 9th century

He wrote a general book on astronomy, a criticalcommentary on Al-Khawarizmis zij, and a commentary ontheAlmagest.

He wrote also on the astrolabe, made some crucialcorrections on the device.

His textbookElements of astronomy on the celestial motions,written about 833,

It was translated into Latin in the 12th century and remainedvery popular in Europe


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He was born in Harran, in AD 826. He inherited in his young

days knowledge of Greek, Syriac and Arabic.

He studied in Baghdad, wrote about the sundial, made acareful study of the Suns apparent motion across the sky.

He studied also Moons motion, came to conclusion thatthere is undiscovered factor in their movement. (Tremblingof the elliptic)

This effect (trepidation) substantially affected all subsequentastronomical tables, not only in Arabia but also in Westernworld.

Islamic CosmologiesThabit ibn Qurra


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He made observations of ellipses and other celestialmovements near Aleppo and wrote his own zij (Kitab al Zij-Book of astronomical tables).

He constructed a sundial, o novel type ofarmillary sphereknown sometimes as the egg, a large quadrant fixed to awall.

His corrections of errors of observation in theAlmagestwere very valuable not only in themselves but also in themathematical techniques.

These techniques were taken up by later generations, theywere quoted by western astronomers such as Copernicus,Tycho Brahe and Kepler.

Islamic CosmologiesAl-Battani


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Al Haytam (Al Hazen) was born in Basra, (AD 965).

He made significant contributions to the principles of optics, as well as tophysics, astronomy, mathematics, philosophy, and to the scientific method.

He was also nicknamed Ptolemaeus Secundus ("Ptolemy the Second") orsimply "The Physicist" in medieval Europe.

Al Hazen was the first to discover that the celestial spheres do not consistof solid matter. He also discovered that the heavens are less dense than theair. These views had a significant influence on the Copernican and Tychonicsystems of astronomy.

In hisAl-Shukuk ala Batlamyus, variously translated as Doubts ConcerningPtolemyorAporias against Ptolemy, published at some time between 1025 and1028, Alhazen criticized many of Ptolemy's works, including theAlmagest,

He considered that some of the mathematical devices Ptolemy introducedinto astronomy, especially the equant, failed to satisfy the physicalrequirement of uniform circular motion.

Islamic CosmologiesIbn Al-Haytham


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He was astrologer as well as astronomer.

He wrote his own zij, gave details of al kinds ofastronomical phenomena from eclipses to

planetary conjunctions.

His second work was concerned with theastronomical determination of times of prayer.

Yunuss tables were excellent and extensive,containing more than 10.000 entries of the Sunsposition through ought the year.

They remained part of the corpus of tables used inCairo until 19th century.

Islamic CosmologiesIbn Yunus


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He was born in Tus, Persia in 1201.

He was well trained in virtually all branches ofIslamic learning and considered himself the heirto Hellenistic science and philosophy.

He founded the Maragha observatory. It was thefirst research institution on a large scale with arecognizably modern administrative structure.

Based on the observations in this for the timebeing most advanced observatory, Tusi madevery accurate tables of planetary movements asdepicted in his bookZij-i ilkhani(Ilkhanic Tables).

This book contains astronomical tables forcalculating the positions of the planets and thenames of the stars.

Islamic CosmologiesAl-Tusi


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His model for the planetary system is believed to be the mostadvanced of his time, and was used extensively until thedevelopment of the heliocentric model in the time of NicolausCopernicus.

For his planetary models, he invented a geometrical techniquecalled a Tusi-couple, which generates linear motion from the

sum of two circular motions.

The Tusi couple was later employed in Ibn al-Shatir's geocentricmodel and Nicolaus Copernicus' heliocentric Copernican model

usi criticized Ptolemy's use of observational evidence to showthat the Earth was at rest, noting that such proofs were notdecisive.

Islamic CosmologiesAl-Tusi


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Islamic Cosmology

Copernicus Planetary Movement, 1543Illustration of Tusi Couple Sharh al TadhkiraFirst proposed in Tusis Tahrir El Majesti, 1247


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Islamic Cosmology

Ibn al-Shatir's(1304-1375) modelfor the appearancesof Mercury, showingthe multiplication ofepicycles using theTusi-couple, thuseliminating thePtolemaic eccentricsand equant.


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Ulugh Beg (1394-1449) founded the School ofSemerkand.

He founded an institute for higher learning. Themain subject of school was astronomy.

He built an observatory, the largest astronomicalinstrument of its type in the world, having a radiusof no less than 40 m.

This observatory produced its own zij, themathematical tables were extraordinarily precise,in fact they can be comparison with todays tables.

Islamic CosmologiesUlugh Beg


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He was born in Bursa in 1346. Trained inmathematics and astronomy, he moved to

Samarkand in 1383.

He appointed as a rector to the Ulugh BegObservatory.

Returned to Istanbul and worked with AliQushji, for Sultan Mehmet II.

Islamic CosmologiesQadi Zada Al-Rumi


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Observatory:

It is a location used for

observing terrestrial orcelestial events.

Numerous observatoriesestablished at the Muslimcapitals During theGolden Age of islamiccivilization.

Islamic Cosmologyinstruments


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Muslim Observatories

1. DAMASCUS AND BAGHDAD The first systematic observations in Islamare reported to have taken place under the patronage of a l-Mamun. Here, and inmany other private observatories from Damascus to Baghdad, meridian degreeswere measured, solar parameters were established.

2. ISFAHAN It was Malik Shah I. who established the first large observatory,probably in Isfahan. It was here where Omar Khayym with many other

collaborators constructed a zij and formulated the Persian Solar Calendar

3. MARAGHAThe most influential observatory was founded by Hulegu Khanduring the 13th century. Here, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi supervised its technicalconstruction at Maragha. Some of the top astronomers of the day g atheredthere, and from their collaboration resulted important modifications to thePtolemaic system over a period of 50 years.

4. SAMARKHANDIn 1420, prince Ulugh Beg, himself an astronomer andmathematician, founded another large observatory in Samarkand, the remains ofwhich were uncovered in 1908 by Russian teams.

5. ISTANBUL And finally, Taqi al-din Rasidfounded a large observatory in Istanbulin 1575, which was on the same scale as those in Maragha and Samarkand.


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Astrolabe: Thisinstrument displays amathematical modelof the heavens.

It can be used forpredicting thepositions of the Sun,Moon, planets, andstars, determininglocal time anddirection.


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Sundial: a device thatdetermines the time of

day by the position ofthe Sun.

Sundials werefrequently placed onmosques to determinethe time of prayer.



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Quadrant is a

rectangular divisions onthe celestial sphere that isused for findingconstellation.

Several forms of quadrantswere invented by Muslimsto determine the time ofprayers.



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Equatorium:

The Equatorium is anIslamic invention fromAl-Andalus. The earliestknown was probablymade around 1015. It is amechanical device forfinding the positions ofthe Moon, Sun, andplanets.



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Armillary Sphere is acelestial globe consistingof metal hoops; used byearly astronomers todetermine the positionsof stars


Armillary Sphere


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Classical Worldview

Aristotle: Philosophy

Ptolemy: Astronomy

Galen: Anatomy-Medicine

Euclid: Geometry-Logic


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Two primary intellectual traditions:

1- Kalam: Islamic speculative theology

adopts the atomistic framework. Ultimate material constituentsof the wold must be discrete rather than continuous. Bodies/

the matter must be composed of a finite number of atomic parts.Universe is made up of many indivisible entities that move aroundin the void. Motion is colliding of atoms in the void.

2- Falsafa/Philosophy:

had roots in the Greek intellectual world, namely Aristotle,Galen, Euclid, Ptolemy and Plotinus. Ultimate materialconstituents of the world must be continuous. Motion is anattempt to obtain the perfection (kamal) between potential andactual.

Islamic Philosophy


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Islamic Philosophy

Muslim philosophers created their own original

philosophical tradition based on Greekphilosophical legacy.

One of their greatest representatives and thethinkers, who gave uniformity and concreteness tothis philosophical system was Avicenna (980 - 1037).


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Islamic PhilosophyIbn Sina

Ibn Sina was born in AD 980, Afshana near Bukhara, Iran,commonly known by his Latinized name Avicenna.

He wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of

which around 240 have survived. In particular, 150 of his survivingtreatises concentrate on philosophy and 40 of them concentrateon medicine.

His most famous works are The Book of Healing (Shifa) a vastphilosophical and scientific encyclopedia and The Canon ofMedicine (Qanun) which was a standard medical text at manymedieval universities as late as 1650.

Ibn Sn's Canon of Medicine provides a complete system ofmedicine according to the principles of Galen.


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Ibn SinaCosmology

Avicenna defended the emanationist cosmology, or the doctrinewhich says that all things derive from the First Reality anddescend gradually from the most divine to the least divine. TheFirst Reality then, would be Allah, and everything else would belower degrees of "divinity".

He also theorized that the universe would be constituted by achain of beings organized hierarchically, and those who were atthe top of the chain would be responsible for those below.

Since this chain of beings could not be infinite, it would derivefrom a self-sufficient being which is Allah.


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Like Aristotle Ibn Sina uses the wordnature with several meanings, of which

the most essential is the force responsiblefor moving the elements.

The form of an element is a Nature whichis known by action not felt or seen by thesenses This nature keeps the element atrest or makes it move.

Philosophy of AvicennaNature tabiah


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According to Ibn Sina knowledge comes about byabstraction

The act of communication between God and the human being

occurs through the intellect, as God gave us the capacity whichenables us to acquire knowledge.

The more knowledge we have, the closer we can get to God.Knowledge contributes to the recognition of God and goesdeeply to the Truth.

The act of communication between the human being and God isdue to knowledge. The link in this realization is the soul. Theactive intellect makes the cognition of God (the pure truth)possible.

Ibn SinaKnowledge

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Islamic Worldview Week 3