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Science and Islam: A History
(Icon Science)
by
Today it is little acknowledged that the medieval Islamic world paved the foundations for modern science and the scientific institutions that now form part of our everyday world. The author provides an enlightening and in-depth exploration into an empire's golden age, its downfall and the numerous debates that now surround it.
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Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
May 15th 2010
by Icon Books, Ltd.
(first published May 15th 2006)
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Ehsan Masood (Twitter) produced a BBC documentary on Islam and science. This book is its companion. It's excellent as a survey introduction to this topic in the history of science. It discusses multiple causes of historical phenomenon and the predominant historiography and its dissenters.
As in any work of history presented to the public, the academic academician, or even the humble ABD history student such as myself, can find weaknesses. But the wider public is not reading and watching our fasci ...more
As in any work of history presented to the public, the academic academician, or even the humble ABD history student such as myself, can find weaknesses. But the wider public is not reading and watching our fasci ...more
A good light reading on the history of science in Islam. Masood briefly brings the readers to the main figures and ideas that painted the canvas of Islamic Civilisation and propose a thesis that one of the crucial factor that slow down the development of science in Muslim countries is due to the lack of the governmental support and infrastructures.
Masood take examples like Nasir al-Din al-Tusi who is supported by Hulagu Khan, Ibn Haytham by al-Hakim in Egypt and other scholars by Sultan al-Ma'mu ...more
Masood take examples like Nasir al-Din al-Tusi who is supported by Hulagu Khan, Ibn Haytham by al-Hakim in Egypt and other scholars by Sultan al-Ma'mu ...more
"If science is to return to the nations of Islam, it must do so without interfering in people's freedom to believe."
As a history buff, I really loved this book! Short and simple yet so detailed! It's an easy reads as well for someone who rarely reads non fictions.
I loved reading about Islamic history and I would totally recommend this book!
It's not only revolved around Science in Islam, but it also talked about how religions, politics, wars affected scientific revolution. It started from the bi ...more
As a history buff, I really loved this book! Short and simple yet so detailed! It's an easy reads as well for someone who rarely reads non fictions.
I loved reading about Islamic history and I would totally recommend this book!
It's not only revolved around Science in Islam, but it also talked about how religions, politics, wars affected scientific revolution. It started from the bi ...more
An interesting survey of the topic, but trying to cover eight centuries of history and thought in a single, compact hardcover means that it can only ever skim the surface of of the subject as a whole and the topics within it.
I read this book as research/inspiration for a fiction project but because it's so frantically trying to convey names and dates it doesn't have time to really get much further, so didn't get me thinking as much as I'd have liked. The most interesting section in that respect ...more
I read this book as research/inspiration for a fiction project but because it's so frantically trying to convey names and dates it doesn't have time to really get much further, so didn't get me thinking as much as I'd have liked. The most interesting section in that respect ...more
The premise of the book was a lot better than the execution, unfortunately.
Good introductory book, very easy and pleasant to read.
To answer author’s questions at the end of the book:
Does science need Islam?
No.
Does Islam need science?
Extremely yes.
I was born and raised in Malaysia. You mentioned Malaysia a number of times in a book. You wrote that Malaysia is that one Muslim country other Muslim countries should emulate.
I’m writing to tell you that you’re wrong. Malaysia should be the last country in the list. Our education system compels all Muslim kids to learn Islamic Studies. For 12 years. Primary and secondary. It's a ...more
Does science need Islam?
No.
Does Islam need science?
Extremely yes.
I was born and raised in Malaysia. You mentioned Malaysia a number of times in a book. You wrote that Malaysia is that one Muslim country other Muslim countries should emulate.
I’m writing to tell you that you’re wrong. Malaysia should be the last country in the list. Our education system compels all Muslim kids to learn Islamic Studies. For 12 years. Primary and secondary. It's a ...more
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It’s the best book I could encounter after reading a few books of non-fiction science by Writers not of the Islam faith. I always wonder why their introduction on science mention so little of the Golden Age of Islamic Empire but mention a lot of the Greek inventor, philosopher that came before. It puzzle me but this book have enlightened me abit on the issue.
Also, from this book, I realised that translated texts of Arabic to Latin may have deviate the Inventor/Scientist/Philosopher/etc. names t ...more
Also, from this book, I realised that translated texts of Arabic to Latin may have deviate the Inventor/Scientist/Philosopher/etc. names t ...more
A swift overview of the science credentials of Islam during its height, before the Mongols invaded... bookended with discussions of the interactions between government, religion and scientific education/support. I'd have like more in the middle of the sandwich. Maybe that's the difficult part to find adequate citations for.
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Why did science stagnate in islamic cultures?
The books had some amazing facts, But it was too hard for me to read. I may reread someday but not now
Ehsan Masood shines a light on the scientific achievements and breakthroughs of Muslim scholars during the “dark age” by also crediting Greek, Indian, Roman intellectuals.
try to read up to page six and see whether you'd like it or love it.
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Good short book on contribution of Islam/ Muslims to Science. Must read!
A very short and easy read, meant to accompany a BBC short series. As such, it is not very impressive academically and if you are a little knowleadgeble in the field, you won't find a lot of new info. If have no idea about the topic of Islamic science, it will give you a taste of it, albeit superficially. The last chapter is good for asking some interesting questions, but the attempt to answer them is half-hearted at best. Anyway, the book does not pretend or aim to be more than it is - a long p
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I enjoyed reading this but it didn't really go into depth on anything -- jumped between periods and subject matter in a way I found a bit confusing. Its strength was anecdotes. Worth reading if you need convincing that Islamic scholars came up with brilliant scientific innovations, and as an introduction to the subject, but for a proper history of science and Islam I think you'd need to look elsewhere.
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I got this out of the library after catching the tail end of the TV series of the same name. It's an interesting and engaging read but somewhat lightweight. Maybe that's inevitable given the huge scope of the topic, but I often found myself wishing for more depth and detail on the many fascinating scientists and discoveries mentioned.
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As it is a companion to a television series, it wasn't as in depth as I would have liked, in sections, but it was very informative nonetheless, and does much to combat the view that the Dark Ages produced nothing of academic merit. Everyone who knows the names of scientists like Newton and Copernicus should also know those of al-Khwarizmi, al-Tusi, Hunayn, and ibn al-Haytham.
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A short, well-written, objective and incredibly interesting history of Islam and cultural/scientific progress in the Muslim Golden Age. It's not very involved, but I think that's a good thing for beginners like me. I think even the most history-averse will still enjoy this book.
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Not exactly comprehensive or scholarly. If you're looking for a very brief overview, this book may suffice. But that's about it. For a more detailed perspective, the accompanying documentary or perhaps Jim Al-Khalili's book and his Al-Jazeera series would be better.
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I read Indonesian version...
Just a hint of new paradigm (again)
A good book but only skims over the facts ,would have liked it go into more depth.v
An excellent examination of the scientific advances made in Islamic culture during the European Dark Ages.
An eye opener. Whoever thinks that no progress was made during the 'Dark Ages', please read this book.
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ok
Must read for even beginner level self described scientist of the Muslim world.
Jul 25, 2016
Mills College Library
added it
297.265 M412 2009
Very informative and well researched book. Gives you a flavour of; apart from the centuries of rise and spread and development of Islam; also about clear directions and intent of all works and research done by Islamic and other Scientists of those years, also known as Dark ages, for some inexplicable reason.
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“If anything, the genesis of colleges in the Islamic world seems to have been a way to organise those scholars who were opposed to philosophy and rationalism. Knowledge and science in ancient times were supported by individual patrons and when these patrons changed their priorities, or when they died, any institutions that they might have built often died with them. This is a major reason why no observatory lasted more than 30 years in any of the Islamic empires.”
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“It is as if the memory of an entire civilisation and its contribution to the sum of knowledge has been virtually wiped from human consciousness. Not simply in the West but in the Islamic world too, the achievements of Islamic scientists were, until recently, largely forgotten or at least neglected, except by a few diligent specialists such as Harvard University’s Abelhamid Sabra, David King, Jamil Ragep and George Saliba.”
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