Page 7 - Pakistan Link - July 2, 2021

OPINION JULY 2, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P7

n By Dr Akbar Ahmed Golden Age of Islam and the first men to attempt flight was the An-

American University dalusian Ibn Firnas. To honor him there is a
Washington, DC Lessons for Today — I bridge in the shape of wings in Cordoba and
he great philosopher Ibn Rushd a crater on the moon bears his name.
Ibn Al-Haytham — known in the West
(known in the West as Averroes) as Alhazen — is widely credited for the
Talmost single-handedly restored invention of the camera obscura, the pre-
Greek philosophy, especially that of Pla- cursor to the pinhole camera; an idea that
to and Aristotle. Thereby would lead to the creation of modern cin-

filling in the black hole of ema. Al-Zahrawi’s magnum opus is a thirty-
knowledge that surrounded volume encyclopedia of medicine which
Ancient Greece in Europe. was translated into Latin and used in Eu-

St Thomas Aquinas, the rope for centuries. His pioneering methods
famous Italian Dominican in surgical procedures and instruments are

friar, offered a philosophic said to be still used to this day. The works of

maxim influenced by Ibn Ibn Sina, another physician, were used for

Rushd: “God would never give us reason, centuries after him. Ismail al-Jazari is com-
then give us divine laws that contradict such monly known as the ‘father of robotics’ and
reason.” St Thomas respected Ibn Rushd so pioneer of hydropower automatons. He in-

much so that he simply referred to him as vented, among other things: different ways

The Commentator and cited him over 500 of raising water through pipes; the earliest

times. While Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio), the water supply system to be driven by gears
great Italian painter, included him in his cel- and hydropower; as well as the earliest
ebrated School of Athens alongside Socrates known automatic gates, which were driven
and Plato. One American philosopher by hydropower.

called him, “the Islamic scholar who gave us This was an age when good rulers pa-

modern philosophy”. Contemporary scien- tronized scholars and were often seen in the
tists have honored Ibn Rushd by naming a local central mosque; sitting in the corner
crater on the moon after him. after prayers while engaging in earnest con-

Ibn Rushd was just one of the philoso- versations with scholars and students alike.
phers of the Golden Age of Islam. Of course, what I am describing is an ideal

Although my article reflects on a time situation. Some rulers behaved like tyrants
long since past — it still holds much rele- and showed no respect for scholars.

vance in today’s modern world. After all, we One of the great characteristics of that

face three global crises which affect each and age was the prevalence of what I call the
every one of us. Firstly, there is a global virus ‘ilm ethos’. Respected scholars were treated
that is constantly mutating and re-emerging like celebrities or even pop stars of our day.
just as we think we have conquered it. It It is said that when Al Ghazali spoke —

has already cost millions in lives lost and is thousands would be in attendance. The ilm
poised to remain a source of fear for some ethos came directly from the Holy Quran
time to come. Secondly, the climate change that exhorts Muslims to acquire knowledge
crisis poses an imminent global threat and throughout life. Ilm is the most used word
scientists believe that we may have already in the Qur’an after the name of God. When

reached the tipping point. Thirdly, there is I look at the Muslim world’s shamefully low

the out-of-control confrontation and vio- education budgets, I wonder whether the

lence among different communities and re- rulers understand the true message of their

ligions across the world. This is not to over- holy book.
look the growing tension on the world stage (The writer is the Ibn Khal-

between the US and China, which experts d u n Chair of Islamic Studies, School
warn will lead us into a “dangerous decade”. of International Service, American Univer-
All that being said, my article focuses sity, Washington, DC and author of, most
on a remarkable period of world history recently, ‘The Flying Man, Aristotle, and the

that historians refer to as the Golden Age of Philosophers of the Golden Age of Islam:

Islam. I need to also point out the irony of Their Relevance Today’)
how contemporary Western culture knows Statue of Ibne Rushd in Cordova, Spain
this era as the Dark Ages. World history is FEAR FROM P4
understood in the following linear man- architects, physicists and scholars of the But what, you may ask, did these schol- who had taken part in blackmailing the
ner: first came the great civilization of the universe; some were accomplished poets. ars achieve? victim by threatening to kill him and his fam-

Greeks and then the Romans; second, the Not only were they producing high quality Here are just some examples of the ily. When questioned, Arif Rana, a spokes-
Dark Ages; third, the Renaissance leading to work— but doing so in quantities that con- hundreds of scholars who were writing and person for the Lahore Police, said that the
the Enlightenment which created the con- tinue to amaze us in our age of high-tech- researching at the time. Al Ghazali wrote his mufti had somehow “escaped”. It was likely

ditions for America to emerge and shoot nology computers. Ibn Arabi was supposed magnum opus, “The Revival of Religious because of the outcry following the reporting

ahead like a rocket with its emphasis on sci- to have written 7-800 books many of them Sciences,” of which it was said if all the books of the incident in the media that they finally

ence, innovation, and democracy. still untranslated and Ibn Sina some 200. of Islam were lost and this alone survived Is- located the mufti and his sons and all three

The Muslim world of yesteryear that There was high public respect for our lam would be secure; Ibn Rushd established were arrested and taken into police custody.
I am looking at stretched from Andalusia scholars in and outside the Muslim world. the compatibility of faith and reason; Ibn Since then, the police say that the mufti has

in the West, across North Africa and the Roger II of Sicily would not take his throne Arabi was hailed as Sheikh al Akbar or the confessed to assaulting the student.

Middle East, to Bukhara in modern day Uz- There are Mufti Rehmans everywhere

bekistan in the East. As for the time period, The Muslim world of yesteryear that I am looking in Pakistan and their continued existence is
this spanned from the reign of Harun al- owed in no small part to the denialism re-
Rashid in the 9th century to the destruction at stretched from Andalusia in the West, across garding the issue among the general popu-
of Baghdad in 1258 by the Mongol armies. lation. A saddening number of people, for in-
A man could travel from Córdoba North Africa and the Middle East, to Bukhara in stance, will not read an article like this simply
across North Africa into what we now call because it has to do with clerical abuse. The

the Middle East through Syria and Iraq and modern day Uzbekistan in the East. As for the consequence, as was noted in a 2017 explora-

arrive in Bukhara. That is, crossing three tion by the Associated Press of clerical abuse,
continents while speaking the same lan- time period, this spanned from the reign of Harun is that there are hundreds of such cases in
guage and broadly encountering the same madressahs. Boys from poor families, like the
culture. Similarly, a man could be a Jew, al-Rashid in the 9th century to the destruction of victim in this particular case, are largely left

Christian or Muslim and find a home from under the supervision of men like the mufti.

home in a distant land. Baghdad in 1258 by the Mongol armies There are no checks and no accountability.
Our philosophers were not scholars The paedophiles victimize the youngest

isolated in ivory towers. Most of them were and ‘groom’ them for the abuse and it contin-
men and women of the world and held of- until his advisor, Al Idreesi, was seated. Greatest Sheikh; and Rabbi Maimonides ues, as it did in this victim’s case.
fice while dealing with practical day-to-day Elsewhere, the Holy Roman Emperor Fred- wrote his seminal “Guide for the Perplexed,” For every case that is reported, there are

matters. The purpose of their studies was to erick II had immense respect for Islamic which is still influential in the Jewish com- likely thousands that are, under an efficient

discover ways in which men and women of scholarship. It allowed him to win the con- munity and has much wisdom to share mechanism of cover-ups, never reported at

different religions and backgrounds could tested holy city of Jerusalem without battle with those outside the community; while St all. As the AP investigative report says, such
live together in peace and harmony. There as the Muslim rulers held him in such high Thomas Aquinas completed his great work crimes are rarely prosecuted and police are

are excellent books, biographies and videos regard. That incident in the middle of the the “Summa Theologica” during this period. often bribed not to pursue their investiga-
on these scholars for anyone interested in Crusades provides an example which dip- In addition, there were dozens of tion into the abuse perpetrated by the clerics.

further research. lomats and think tanks should today study. world-changing scientific breakthroughs Some do not even register FIRs. The crimes

The philosophers of the Golden Age For it demonstrates how showing respect like algorithm and algebra and the discov- take place but the law-enforcement system

of Islam were polymaths and Renaissance and affording dignity to the opponent can ery of the planets, which is why there are so completely and shamefully fails the victims.

Men. They were physicians, engineers, win the game. many planets with Muslim names. One of FEAR, P10

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