Islamic Golden Age: Science, Culture, and Western Civilization

Cultural Environment and Contributions to Western Civilization

The Islamic Golden Age is also known as the Caliphate of Islam or the Islamic Renaissance. The term refers to a system of political, cultural, and religious authority derived from the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed in the early sixth century AD. At its high point under the Abbasid Dynasty (eighth to thirteenth centuries AD), Islamic civilization experienced a flourishing of art and culture that blended Arab, Persian, Egyptian, and European elements (Kraemer). The result was an era of incredible intellectual and cultural advancements (Wiet). At the height of its power, the Caliphate controlled all of the present-day Middle East, all of northern Africa and into Spain, and as far east as the Indus Valley, making it among the largest empires of all time and one of the few states ever to extend direct rule over three continents (Kennedy).

Following the disintegration of the great Middle Eastern empires — Babylonian, Assyrian, and Egyptian — the Arab world was not unified and remained a series of nomadic tribes under the nominal control of various warlords. Mohammed and his followers understood that real incentives were needed to increase agricultural production (Chaudry). As a result, Islam became a force for social transformation that made economic stability a reality. This allowed various tribes to coalesce into a community, or umma, united under religious teaching. After unifying, the leaders began a sweeping conquest of all surrounding lands. During the Islamic Golden Age, the Roman Empire had transferred most of its political power to Constantinople, and the population of Europe was loosely organized under feudalism.

The Islamic Golden Age extended its rule to Spain and Sicily around AD 700, moving as far north as southern France by AD 730. Through this channel, Islamic arts and sciences entered European consciousness. Al-Hakam II, a ruler of Muslim Spain, gathered as many books as possible from Arab countries and placed them in a library. This library became a translation center for the texts to be rewritten in Latin (Lindberg 57–8). In this way, older knowledge was reintroduced into Europe. Influence was also exerted by the relocation of Arab scholars to Europe. Many had studied Greek texts in their home countries and brought those ideas with them (Laughlin 120). In other words, Islamic civilization contributed to Western civilization by preserving its own intellectual heritage and reintroducing it at a later date.

Furthermore, the European invasions of the Middle East during the Crusades created instability in the Islamic Empire beginning in the eleventh century, but also allowed a sharing of culture. Crusaders often returned with culture and technology from Islamic civilization. The Islamic Golden Age also kept alive the advances and texts of ancient Greece and Rome. What is most clear is that Islamic civilization was rich with artists, scholars, philosophers, poets, physicians, and engineers who made significant contributions to the arts and sciences. So valued was the idea of learning during this period that Turner wrote, "Muslim artists and scientists, princes and labourers together made a unique culture that has directly and indirectly influenced societies on every continent" (Saliba 270).

The Islamic Golden Age had a significant influence not only on the future world affairs of the Islamic world, but also on the Christian-Latin and Jewish societies of the time (Sahar 4–5). It brought Muslim society from the fringes to center stage, allowing Islamic society to define its identity and its place in the wider world. It became a force that would serve as a catalyst for change in every other society it touched, through the knowledge gained across all the areas to which it contributed.

Medieval Islam became known as a place where diverse peoples found tolerance. Non-Islamic groups such as Jews were undoubtedly second-class citizens, but they did not face violent oppression while living in these lands (Kessler, p. 32). Fringe groups found tolerance in the Muslim world while intolerance reigned elsewhere — even toward Islam itself, as the Crusades clearly demonstrate. To understand why Islamic leaders showed tolerance to others even when reciprocal tolerance was not extended to them, one must examine the influence of religion on Islamic politics. In the world of Islam, religion is not separate from secular law. The Qur'an states that anyone who pays tax shall be protected and shall not be taxed into poverty (Kessler, p. 24). As long as non-Muslims paid their dues, they were considered second-class citizens but were still offered the protection of the government.

The Islamic community not only influenced other cultures by promoting tolerance; it also preserved the ancient knowledge that contributed to the European Renaissance (Al-Khalili). The translation of ancient texts contributed to Islamic learning and also served as a repository of knowledge for other civilizations. While Europe was in the Dark Ages, knowledge and wisdom in the Islamic world were at their peak. The preservation of knowledge during Islam's Golden Age set the stage for the European Renaissance by serving as a repository for knowledge that had been lost — and in some cases had never existed at all in European societies. Without Islam's commitment to the preservation of ancient knowledge, the European Renaissance might never have happened.