Studies In The Making Of Islamic Science Knowledge In Motion

Situated between the Greek, Indian and Persian scientific traditions and modern science, the Islamic scientific tradition received, enriched, transformed and then bequeathed scientific knowledge to Europe. The articles selected for this volume explore the fascinating process of knowledge in motion between different civilizations.

Brings together the most important influential articles dealing with various aspects of the relationship between Islam and science. It sheds new light on historical links between modern science and the Islamic scientific tradition and also includes special studies on major voices in Islam and science discourse.

Situated between the Greek, Indian and Persian scientific traditions and modern science, the Islamic scientific tradition received, enriched, transformed and then bequeathed scientific knowledge to Europe. The articles selected for this volume explore the fascinating process of knowledge in motion between different civilizations.

The rise and fall of the Islamic scientific tradition, and the relationship of Islamic science to European science during the Renaissance. The Islamic scientific tradition has been described many times in accounts of Islamic civilization and general histories of science, with most authors tracing its beginnings to the appropriation of ideas from other ancient civilizations—the Greeks in particular. In this thought-provoking and original book, George Saliba argues that, contrary to the generally accepted view, the foundations of Islamic scientific thought were laid well before Greek sources were formally translated into Arabic in the ninth century. Drawing on an account by the tenth-century intellectual historian Ibn al-Naidm that is ignored by most modern scholars, Saliba suggests that early translations from mainly Persian and Greek sources outlining elementary scientific ideas for the use of government departments were the impetus for the development of the Islamic scientific tradition. He argues further that there was an organic relationship between the Islamic scientific thought that developed in the later centuries and the science that came into being in Europe during the Renaissance. Saliba outlines the conventional accounts of Islamic science, then discusses their shortcomings and proposes an alternate narrative. Using astronomy as a template for tracing the progress of science in Islamic civilization, Saliba demonstrates the originality of Islamic scientific thought. He details the innovations (including new mathematical tools) made by the Islamic astronomers from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, and offers evidence that Copernicus could have known of and drawn on their work. Rather than viewing the rise and fall of Islamic science from the often-narrated perspectives of politics and religion, Saliba focuses on the scientific production itself and the complex social, economic, and intellectual conditions that made it possible.

This volume brings together thematically arranged articles on the relationship between Islam and science and how it has been shaped over the last century. The articles represent a broad variety of approaches and perspectives as well as reflective and analytic views and include some of the most important voices in the Islam and science discourse. This collection, which includes a special section devoted to studies that explore various aspects of the relationship between the Qur'an and science, is a valuable resource for researchers interested in gaining a greater understanding of the broader relationship between religion and science.

The articles selected for this volume explore emergent issues in the contemporary relationship between Islam and science and present studies of eight major voices in the discourse. Also included is a section on the operationalization of Islamic science in the modern world and a section on studies in traditional Islamic cosmology.

Aiming to unveil the revelation that Islam is a religion that encourages and supports scientific research, this collection of essays by Muslim scholars focuses on the importance of the universe in Islamic tradition. The contributors offer extensive historical and doctrinal evidence that reveals the harmony between Islam and positive sciences.