Rise and Decline of Science in Islam

Rise and Decline of Science in Islam

2017, Religion  -   20 Comments
7.48
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Ratings: 7.48/10 from 60 users.

Islam is the second largest religion in the world, but its current representation in the scientific community is miniscule. Out of 1.6 billion Muslims, only two have ever been awarded Nobel Prizes in science. This was not always the case. Many centuries ago, the Islamic faith produced much of the world's most progressive advances in physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and a number of other scientific endeavors. Rise and Decline of Science in Islam explores this troubling disparity and outlines the historical shifts that likely contributed to it.

The Golden Age of Islam occurred during the time of the Abbasid Empire. During their most fruitful period, the Abbasids effectively globalized the quest for knowledge by working feverishly to translate every scientific text they could find into Arabic. The rise of cheap paper production, coupled with the enormous value the government placed on the acquisition of knowledge, played a major role in bringing about an intellectual renaissance. Their translations spread throughout the world, preserved the wisdom of previous generations of scholars, and inspired an avalanche of new discoveries in areas as diverse as mathematics and medicine. Eventually, this openness to new streams of knowledge inspired much of the Islamic world to embrace the concepts of free will, rational thought, and looser interpretations of the Quran.

That all began to disintegrate with the fall of the Abbasid Empire following the Mongol invasion of 1258. As anti-rationalist factions took power, independent thought became an endangered commodity. If the Quran was not interpreted on a strictly literal level, the punishment could be severe. Many scholars were banished or executed as Islam pushed farther away from modern intellectual pursuits. By shunning the need for innovation with violence and oppression, the Muslim world paved a path for Europe to assume the throne of scientific progress. This set a disturbing template for subsequent generations; in fact, the battles between pious traditions and commitments to modernity continue to rage in the Muslim world to this day.

Exhaustive and insightful, Rise and Decline of Science in Islam presents a sweeping examination of a long and fascinating history, and clarifies much of the repression and turmoil we witness today.

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20 Comments / User Reviews

  1. StopRapesInChurches

    Lousy documentary the kind the Christian-NAZI’s will use against their “christ crossifyer “ enemies, hope this Christian racist junkfull website show documentary about rapes, unspeakable molestation, forced abortions even the historical bestiality(specially with pigs their favourite one) which their people infamous for ,that will be some media honesty and professional isn’t so

    1. Dave

      Did you come back here 3 years later? After posting under the psudeoname ChristianNazi's analyser?

  2. Kevin

    If you watch this doc because of the title, the last 5 minutes is all you need. The rest is basically a history of Islam.

  3. Lex Apollo

    It really makes me very sad that educated and intelligent people can't acknowledge Astrology, firstly as a branch of Mathematics, and the VERY PURPOSE of ALL Astronomical observation.

  4. jim

    Islam has closed its ability tp cope with modern realities as passing laws against music art and any dissent is severely dealt with !
    No open science discoveries would be advised unless its approved or comes from Mullah as 21 virgins in heaven teachings show ?
    Mullahs are not true spiritual teachers but teachers of hate and punishment and have closed Islam to a focused misguided violent culture ?
    Islam is lost and controlled for power and rules by fear !
    No inspiring message is followed or taught only fear if you do not abide by current Mullah laws , do not be caught dancing or singing or playing non approved music ?

    Lost science is hidden but is in stasis until reason comes to the reality we live in !
    Only the Holy creator can pass judgement but Mullahs assume this corrupted function and cruelly enforced it is !
    Yet these Mullahs issue death warrants to those whom criticize the Mullahs and judged blasphemers ?
    Great power greatly corrupts the soul and blinds the Mullahs with there egos and importance such as we see !
    Rule by fear even keeps dissention of terrorism to be quiet even among the righteous Muslim peoples !
    Muslims in the UK & USA fear speaking out against Muslim violence , the Nazi SS learned about this fear and learned it well in early 1933 !

    1. Mustafa Ad-Deeb

      I don’t know where do you come up with that information.

  5. Devil Travels

    History often repeats itself in new and interesting ways, but the framework usually stays the same. Pay attention, this could happen with the current technological revolution. Arrogance, ignorance, and ideology are still factors in society.

  6. Islam Is Black

    This information is so correct but just as Hollywood portrays ancient Egypt as Arabic or European it needs to stop. Original inhabitants of those lands were black

    1. Dave

      Prove it.

  7. Chaela

    All religions shut down or, at the least, divert and narrow scientific inquiry. Is there a documentary on the effects of fundamental Christianity on scientic investigation?

    1. Ahmed Dourid

      See Jordan Peterson.Thx

  8. The Erasmus Man

    @scubahalo, let's prefer not a single one ;-)

  9. Katerine

    Subjective documentary missing several real and important facts...
    The real contributions of Muslims to science are completely missed...
    There still high active scientists Muslims all over the world.

  10. scubahalo

    @The Erasmus Man. It's still an interesting watch. I can agree with your statement "witch religion is dominant doesn't really matter" (funny typo, BTW). But having seen the effects of Islamic rule first hand I prefer it not be that one.

  11. The Erasmus Man

    @scubahalo, why watch history docu if your opinion is allready there. It is obvious that the decline in freedom of information is connected too the amount of religion in a nation. But witch religion is dominant doesn't really matter, especially judeo-christian religions. They are all the same...

    Ow and too the guy who made this docu, great job but there's in my opinion too much Shia bashing. Claiming that they haven't attributed as much or even more top Islamic science wouldn't be fair.

  12. scubahalo

    Just one of many things that declined under Islam. The only thing on the rise these days is terrorism. Oh, and goat sex.

    1. FoodForThought

      Can we agree that the West's centuries of attacks on Islam and the Middle East has generated terrorism? The majority of attacks occur where the US occupies Islamic countries (Iraq, Afganistan, Syria, Lybia, Palestine (through Israel). What would you do if your country was barraged by foreigners destroying everything your society built? That is why Palestinians fight back with stones and slings--it is all they have left.

    2. Sully

      Consider just one of the head-spinning subplots: We are allied with our declared enemy, Iran, against the bloody Islamic State, which was spawned from the chaos created by our own earlier decisions to invade Iraq and to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria, which has us fighting side-by-side with jihadist crazies financed by Saudi Arabia, whom we are supporting against the Houthis in Yemen, the bitter rivals of Al Qaeda -- the perpetrators of 9/11!

      Since 1980, we have invaded, occupied and/or bombed at least 14 different Muslim countries. After the sacrifice of thousands of American lives and trillions of dollars, the region is now a cauldron of death and destruction. Yet, we persist, with no end in sight. As a former Air Force General Charles F. Wald remarked told the Washington Post, "We're not going to see an end to this in our lifetime."

    3. Christianazi’s Analyzer

      I really want this Christianazi-doc website of yours post a documentary about the rapes and sexual abuses in your churches, not only that but how your molesting parents rearing you to became a potential future christ-racist, not mentioning all the bestiality( abusing dogs in your homes and pigs in farms), also a lot of exChristians who now turning to psychopath sick mind atheist in any Christianazi community, who think instead blaming their parents, grandparents ,pastors ,nuns and priests, to blame people of other faiths is new mental disorder called “ Christioracist syndrome”

    4. NoforChristianazism

      So pathetic that exChristiaNazi’s turned to psychopathic sickminded atheist junkies and spread hate and hereditary racism of their degenerate slave trading forefathers across the Atlantic, really if you been abused in past by your PASTOR, PRIEST, TEACHER Or PREACHER in your Church or by REDNECK hillbilly parents in home that not people of different race’s, ethnicity’s or faith’s problem, should take it to them and often psychologically, people who suffer from perversion attribute it to other as a defence mechanism as it is in your case of bestiality( as one comment mentioned ☝️ above , you people specially enjoy it with your cousin pigs) -so keep praise the pastor and the priest and atheist monkey 🐒 and next I catch you commenting racism and ChristiaNazim in this garbage website, my comments going to be worse for you