Al-Biruni the greatest pioneer of Islamic sciences

Over the last two centuries, the world of Islam has confronted the assault of an alien civilization that has challenged Islam, and has also destroyed much of the civilization created by Muslims throughout the Islamic history. This destruction occurred under the philosophical, cultural, political, economic, and social domination of the modern West. The modern values and principles are fundamentally opposed to Islam, as a sacred, and divine religion. That’s why Western orientalists have tried their best to teach Muslims how to understand their own religion in accordance with what the orientalists have fabricated and concocted for them. During the recent decades they tried to introduce Islam as a religion of ignorance, poverty, terror and violence through their most influential media and communication technologies.

Nowadays the present day poisonous propaganda spread against Islam is as much as one cannot even imagine, that without scientific and intellectual accomplishments of Muslims in the past, modern civilization could not have been established or achieved. But, it is clear that no one can ignore the major role of Muslims in the development of sciences, during the golden age of Muslims, when they were at the forefront of almost all sciences from medicine to mathematics to philosophy to art to physics. Based on stunning discovers accomplished by Muslims scientists, different sciences were developed and improved throughout the history.

Amongst other universal figures of Islamic sciences such as Jabir ibn Hayyan, Al-Kindi, Hunain Ibn Ishaq, Al-Khwiirazmi, Zakariya Al-Raazi, Abu Nasr Al-Farabi, Abu Al-Hasan AI-Masudi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Al-Haitham and etc. Abu Raihan Al-Biruni is one of the greatest pioneers of science in the world, who lived from 973 to 1048 in Central Asia (Afghanistan) and buried there in Ghazni (the capital of Ghaznavid dynasty). [1] Like many of the Muslim scholars, he believed that through understanding God’s creation one could get closer to God.

 He was a prestigious scientist and physicist, an anthropologist and comparative sociologist, an astronomer and chemist, a critic of alchemy and astrology, an encyclopedist and historian, a geographer and traveler, a geodesist and geologist, a mathematician, a pharmacist and psychologist, an Islamic philosopher and theologian, and an scholar and teacher. [2] George Sarton, the father of the history of science, described Biruni as “one of the very greatest scientists of Islam, and, all considered, one of the greatest of all times.”[3] A. I. Sabra described Biruni as “one of the great scientific minds in all history.”[4]

Professor S. H. Nasr wrote that Every one of al-Biriini's writings, of which about one hundred eighty are known, is of value since he was both a great scientist and scholar.[5] As the Canon of Avicenna does in medicine while his Elements of Astrology was the standard text for the teaching of the Quadrivium for centuries. No one in Islam combined the qualities of an outstanding scientist with that of a meticulous scholar, compiler and historian to the same degree as al-Biruini. [6]

It should be noted that based on Islamic teachings all Islamic empires including the Ghaznaid dynasty, were supporting scholars and scientists in different parts of the Islamic world. Therefore, Al-Biruni could accomplish his greatest works under the patronage of Sultan Mahmud. At that time Ghazni was a major city located in what is now known as Afghanistan, But Mahmud’s empire stretched into present-day Iran, Pakistan, and India. Anyhow In his powerful empire, al-Biruni had the resources and ability to bring about his major achievements.

Finally, it could be concluded from the above mentioned points that Islam, as a religion of knowledge and science, encourages his followers to learn and improve their knowledge through training, teaching, experiencing, examining and etc. according to these Islamic teachings and principles, all Muslim empires supported and helped scientists to extend and develop different sciences under their rules. So contrary to the present inimical propagations against Islam, it is not the religion of ignorance and poverty rather Islam is the religion of knowledge, science, peace and stability. That is to say Muslims played a great and significant role in the process of development and extension of human civilization.  

Notes:
[1] www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/66790/al-Biruni#
[2] Read more: http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2012/01/science-and-technology/al-biruni-t...
[3] George Sarton, Introduction to the History of Science, Vol. 1, p. 707.
[4] A. I. Sabra, Ibn al-Haytham, Harvard Magazine, September-October 2003
[5] Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Science and civilization in Islam, p, 50.
[6] Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Science and civilization in Islam, p, 51.