re. Until then everything was thought to be a miracle by Qur’an stressed that there are fixed causes behind phenomena and causes and effects do not change.
This encouraged scientific approach as against superstitious approach then prevalent in the world. No wonder then the Muslims produced great thinkers, philosophers, scientists and mathematicians like Avicenna, Averros, Jabir bin Hayyan, al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Ibn Maskawaih, Ibn Haitham, Ibn Tufail, Ibn Khaldun and so on. It was these great stalwarts who developed sciences and made great discoveries in otherwise dark ages in Europe.
It was through them that Europe learned science and philosophy and but for these great thinkers, scientists and philosophers that Greek knowledge survived and European universities taught them. It was Avicenna who discovered concept of flow of blood, it is he who wrote extensively on philosophy. It was school of Mu’tazila which popularized rationalism and rational way of thinking.
But for Mu’tazilite thinkers whole theology would have remained prisoner of superstitions. Again it was Ikhwanus Safa who produced encyclopedia of philosophy and composed epistles on mathematics, music and astronomy. And it was Qur’an which developed inductive logic as against Aristotle’s deductive logic and science develops with inductive logic.
But for Qur’an medieval ages would have remained ages of darkness and it was because of Muslims that Greek knowledge survived. The Abbasids realized the importance of knowledge and paid for Greek books in gold and precious jewels. Camel loads of gold were exchanged with camel loads of gold from Greek authorities. The Abbasids in Baghdad and Fatimids in Cairo enriched world of knowledge beyond ordinary persons’ imagination.
And who produced Ibn Khaldun? He was great philosopher of history and great sociologist. In a way he was counterpart of Marx in the east that too in medieval ages. In no way Ibn Khaldun’s contribution to history of philosophy and sociology can be underrated. His Muqaddimah is considered a masterpiece of introduction to history. Muslims also contributed to what is called ‘ilm al-kalam i.e. rational theology.
The world would have been much poorer but for these thinkers who blended Islamic teachings with the best knowledge then available in the world and enriched the world through their contribution. They neither practiced violence nor ever talked of violence. Why then the west only attributes of violence to Islam? Is it not politically motivated? It is deliberately done to denounce Islam and glorify west as the only civilized region of the world. This began from colonial era itself. It was done to hide their own greed, lust for power and wealth and violence they used to achieve all that.
But for Islam would the world have seen Sufis like Rumi and Ibn Arabi? Maulana Rum (popularly known as Rumi) was philosopher of love and peace. When he died his coffin was accompanied by Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians. They were wailing and beating breasts in sorrow and reciting from their respective holy books and saying today our prophet has died. He was so tremendously popular among all communities. He was perfect model of Muslim.
He was one who said my only identity is love. And world would have been poorer without sufi like Ibn Arabi who said my Din and Sharia is love and he contributed richly through his scholarly works. These Sufis believed in conquering inner world than outer one and hence shunned violence in all forms and instead subjugated their selfish desires and controlled their lust.
They remained in the world and yet were not of the world. They did not renounce the world as Islam does not permit it but were never absorbed in it. They were not conquered by the world but they conquered others’ hearts and souls. They did not live in borrowed world but created world of their own which was more spiritual than material. Among these Sufis was Junaid who is said to have become restless when he saw in his room an ant crawling and became restless lest someone should crush it under the feet until he picked it up gent