Introduction
Since Islam stemmed and grew from the Arab traditions, other cultures which have embraced Islam also seem to be influenced by the Arabic customs. Therefore, Arabs and Muslims have cultural affinities, although every group has maintained its distinguishing features. This implies that Arabs are not necessarily Islamic and Muslims are not necessarily Arabs. Islams inherited Arabs’ heritage believed to have originated from the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabs have oral customs grounded on the transmission of culture through narrative and poetry. In addition, they also have written records that have had a considerable effect on the progress of human history. The contribution of Islam and Arab to global civilization and the advancement of society is based on the value of education, which both the Prophet Muhammad and the Qur’an emphasize.
The History of Islam
Islam began in 610 CE after Prophet Muhammad’s first revelation about God’s will. Muhammad started his teachings which attracted a small group of followers, but later, he faced great opposition due to his attacks on the Meccan ruling class (Shepard, 2014). In 622 CE, Muhammad and his supporters moved to Medina to escape persecutions in Mecca. This migration is popularly known as Hijra; it forms the basis of the Islamic religion because it marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar and the establishment of the Islamic state based on the Qur’anic laws. In Medina, Muhammad accumulated a large army and conquered Mecca in 629 CE, after which he cleared the city of all idols and rededicated the worship places to Allah. After the death of Muhammad in 633 CE, his father-in-law Abu Bakr succeeded him as the next caliph (Shepard, 2014). After ruling for two years, Abu Bakr designated Umar as the next leader. Umar ruled from 634 to 644 CE, during which the Muslim army captured many Byzantine and Sasanite territories, including Egypt, Syria and Iraq.
From 661 to 750 CE, the Umayyads took over the Islamic leadership, expanding their territory to India. During the Ummayads’ rule, the Islamic community split into Sunni and Shia. Later the Abbasids shifted the power seat to Baghdad, where Islam spread to Africa. Under the Abbasids, the Islamic civilization thrived, creating the Islamic Golden Age, which resulted in remarkable innovations in astronomy and medicine, among others (Shepard, 2014). From the 11th to the 19th century, Islam spread in many parts, including Asia. However, the Muslims also encountered many challenges, especially under the Ottoman and European rules, making some flee to the United States, where they established Muslim communities (Martin, 2004). From the 20th century to the present day, many Islamic states are independent while others remain as conflict-areas with frequent bombings and war.
The Islamic Culture
The Muslims base their culture on the belief in one true God, Allah and his Prophet, Muhammad. The Islamic culture also involves the adherence to the five pillars of Islam, namely declaration of faith (shahada), prayer (Salat), almsgiving (Zakat), fasting (Sawm) and pilgrimage (Hajj) (McAuliffe, 2001). These pillars are the foundation of Islam life, and they guide the Muslims in fulfilling their obligations to Allah. Regarding prayers, Muslims pray five times a day, involving different postures such as standing, bowing and kneeling. Most Muslims speak and understand Arabic because it is the language used in the Qur’an which guides all adherents throughout their lifetime. In addition, the Muslims use the lunar calendar to determine the timing of their key religious events such as the Hajj and Ramadan.
Muslim women adorn veils (hijabs) to cover their heads which is a sign of modesty. They also wear niqabs and burqa, which cover their entire bodies, while on their part, the men wear long robes. The dressing code aligns with the Qur’an and the hadith teachings (McAuliffe, 2001). Additionally, the Islamic culture forbids the consumption of pork and alcohol and only allows its followers to eat halal meat prepared according to the Qur’anic rituals (Martin, 2004). Even though the Qur’an discourages divorce, it is legal if a marriage fails. However, for men intending to divorce their spouses, they should wait for four months to reconsider a reconciliation (Quran 2:226-227). The interpretations of the Islamic laws imply that only men can initiate a divorce while women only obtain their husband’s consent. Due to this law, the divorce process is not complete unless the man grants his wife a religious divorce. If the men withhold their consent, this traps the women in difficult situations because they are still married under the Islamic laws hence cannot enter new relationships.
The History of the Arabs
Historians trace the origin of the Arabs to the Arabian Peninsula around the 1st to the 4th century. Being Semites and nomads, the influence of the neighboring Sasanians and the Byzantines people increased their belief in Christianity, mainly Monophysite. In the pre-Islamic Arab world, polytheism became a significant practice, including the worship of different spirits and gods as well as the belief in Jinn (Shepard, 2014). The God, Allah, also formed a part of their worship in the sanctuaries.
From the 7th to the 8th century, Muhammad united many Arabs under Islam. Even after his death, his supporters continued their conquests on surrounding territories forming a new empire, the Rashidun caliphate. Through the caliphate, Arabs expanded beyond the Peninsula, taking over the Byzantine and Sasanian territories while stretching their borders from central Asia to Spain. Other caliphates like the Umayyad and Abbasids arose, extending Arab boundaries to Syria, Iraq, China and Anatolia. Due to the growth of Islam in the Arab Peninsula, most Arabs conformed to Islam, although some retained their Christianity and other minor religions (Shepard, 2014). In the 20th century, the partitioning of the Arab Peninsula created modern Arab countries. The formation of the Arab League in 1945 further strengthened the unity of the Arab countries. Many people believe that all Arabs are Muslims; however, although Islam is the dominant religion among the Arabs, other religions such as Christianity are acceptable. Nonetheless, it may be proper to argue that the popularity of the Arabic language received a major boost from the spread of the Islamic religion, particularly during the Muslim conquests.
The Arabic Culture
The Arabic culture encompasses various traditions and customs that guide its members’ conduct. Arabs mainly use the Arabic language as a means of communication. In addition, the family is the most important social unit, and it signifies honor. Arabs prefer larger families for possible economic benefits, and male children are responsible for caring for their elderly parents. Similarly, the Arabic community adopts a patriarchal system where the men are the heads of families with women as their subordinates (Yassin & Hoppe, 2019). Regarding the dressing code, women most adorn the traditional dresses known as abaya or jilbab that cover the entire body and a veil (hijab) to cover their faces (Almila & Inglis, 2017). The men’s wear ranges from traditional robes to jeans, t-shirts and business suits. The robes are popular because they allow for air circulation, which helps to cool the body. Men also adorn the headdress to shield themselves from the sun.
Regarding greetings, handshakes are common, with hugs and kisses on the cheeks restricted to close friends. Arabs allow consanguinity, which is marriage between cousins, because it fosters the transmission of cultural values while safeguarding family wealth and security (Begum, 2021). The Islamic and Arabic cultures may be distinct, but Islam has a lot of influence on the latter. In this case, most of the critical Muslim events, including Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, are also observed by non-muslim Arabs. The Islamic culture also influences the Arabic eating etiquette because it forbids the consumption of pork or alcohol, just like the Muslims. The slaughtering of meat also follows the Qur’anic rituals of halal.
Islam and Arab’s Contributions to Civilization and the Advancement of Human Society
The discoveries made in the golden age in the Arab world, especially in science and technology, have made a significant impact on the advancement of society over the years. Muslim achievements in these fields promoted the European Renaissance of the 15th to 16th centuries and the birth of modern scientific methods. The importance of education is emphasized in the Qur’an with repeated commands, such as “God will exalt those of you who believe and those who have knowledge to high degrees” (58:11). In this regard, the accumulation of knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim, regardless of gender. One significant contribution of Islam to the culture of modern civilization is in the area of mathematics and astronomy. The academy of science built in Baghdad encouraged intellectual development in these areas of knowledge by translating the major Indian and Greek astronomy and mathematical works into Arabic.
One of the most outstanding mathematicians is Al-Khwarizmi, whose strong advocacy of the Hindu numerical system of 0 and 1–9 significantly impacted Islamic civilization. He was inspired by the need to find a more accurate and comprehensive method of ensuring precise land divisions so that the Qur’an could be carefully obeyed in the laws of inheritance (McAuliffe, 2001). Al-Khwarizmi also introduced the basic algebraic methods of balancing and reduction and various ways of solving polynomial equations up to the second degree. Thus, Al-Khwarizmi and other scholars, such as Al-Karaji and asir Al-Din Al-Tusi, who later improved mathematical concepts of algebra and trigonometry, helped create the powerful abstract mathematical language still used across the world today. This is because the major mathematical projects, such as the development of algebra, algorithms, and geometry, are the foundation of the present arithmetical decimal system and the fundamental operations linked with it. These include multiplication, division, addition, subtraction, square and the cubic roots.
Mathematics knowledge from the Arab world encourages logical reasoning and acts as a tool for building mental rigor and discipline. In addition, the concepts play a crucial role in understanding the contents of other school subjects such as natural science, art and music. Quran encourages its readers to study and explore, thus explaining why scholars in the golden age relied on mathematical concepts to study astronomy, verify the solar year’s length, and calculate the length of the month (McAuliffe, 2001). Like trigonometry and algebra, astronomy was promoted based on religion. This knowledge is essential in charting the exact time of sunrises and sunsets and determining the period for fasting in Ramadan.
Arab astronomers of the golden ages compiled planetary tables and charts in observatories. Over time, they were able to calculate the angle of a degree, investigate the relative speeds of light and sound, and determine latitude and longitude. Al-Biruni is considered one of the prolific figures in astronomical topics. His studies are essential in the development of planetary theory. (Martin, 2004). The calculations used for astronomy were also improved by Islamic scholars who advanced the knowledge of algebra and spherical trigonometry, which are fundamental to accurate calculations of the stars. Today, people use mathematics to provide evidence and produce knowledge in other fields. The applications of mathematical knowledge in different areas show that it is not confined to its own discipline but can also add understanding in other studies.
In medicine, probably the most famous scientist-philosopher is Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna. Through his memoirs, it is evident that he does not consider medicine (tibb) one of the technical sciences because he mastered it by the age of sixteen (Martin, 2004). Ibn Sina’s involvement in various medical experiments is responsible for the accumulation of knowledge reflected through several manuscripts, whereby 40 are devoted to medicine (Masic et al., 2017). His canon of medicine, also referred to as Qanun fi’ l-Tibb, is a standard textbook on health issues in the Islamic world and has been widely used in European medical universities over the years than any other works (Martin, 2004). It contains drug formulas, the power and action of some medicines and important knowledge necessary for pharmacy. It summarizes all the ancient knowledge of the materia medica and highlights many drugs unknown to the Greeks (Masic et al., 2017). This implies that Ibn Sina’s manuscript collections of the imperial age, Arabic works, and his own experiences, according to his clinical notes, are essential to human civilization because they enrich modern medicine.
Qanun fi’ l-Tibb plays a significant role in transferring Arabic medical and pharmaceutical knowledge. Consequently, promoting the comprehension of scientific phenomena to develop effective treatments for various infections, such as skin cancer, depression, stomach problems, immune diseases, skeletal and psychiatric disorders (Masic et al., 2017). Therefore, Ibn Sina’s passion for medicine not only promotes the world’s civilization in science but also allows health experts to actively engage in the systematic pursuit of knowledge to develop holistic care.
As with mathematics and astronomy knowledge, the main purpose of Arab architecture is to glorify Islam. Many architects dedicated their skills chiefly to the construction of mausoleums and mosques. This is the primary reason behind the commissioning of many commemorative structures, such as the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (Martin, 2004). This also includes other building types, ranging from madrasas to small mosques that are essential for daily worship, such as the Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque in Isfahan. In addition, the Islamic ban on portraying the human forms in building enhance the widespread use of complex symmetries to beautify buildings, making geometry a form of art. This also promotes harmony between the environment, buildings, people, and Allah. As a result, people worldwide revere the Muslim buildings’ exuberant decoration. The elegant color, especially tiles, is one of the hallmarks of Islamic architecture.
Middle Age architecture influences other works like the Arabesque calligraphy, designs, and extravagant color in today’s buildings, such as the Grand Mosque of Cordoba, the Lion Court of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, and various medieval civic and religious structures in Europe. Islamic decorations also influence the production of a wide range of works of art, including metalwork, ceramics, and photography and are extensively applied in theater and music. This is also evident as Islamic architecture has continued to inspire contemporary architects by using traditional building techniques in a new manner. These modern buildings include the Palace of Justice in Córdoba, Spain, Arc house in Germany, Linxia National Grand Theater in Gansu, China and Punchbowl Mosque in Punchbowl, Australia. Therefore, it is evident that Islamic and Arabic techniques and artistic ideas have progressively continued to influence buildings and constructions worldwide.
Conclusion
The Arabic language is related to Islam because it is used in the Holy Qur’an, which Muslims believe are Allah’s words. Therefore, Muslims believe it is the most sacred text and contains the ultimate guide for all people. This explains why Arabic became the language of intellectual progress during the Middle Ages. It allowed scholars to advance many aspects of knowledge, such as mathematics, medicine, astronomy, geography, calligraphy, and architecture. Even today, society recognizes that Islam played an integral part in all facets of life in the golden era. Society risked losing the works of various scholars, but due to their translations into Arabic, most of this knowledge was transferred and further developed. Inspired by the hadiths and the Qur’an, Muslims sourced knowledge for the benefit of the human race. Therefore, it is crucial to appreciate the scholars of the golden age for their contributions to science.
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