1001 Muslims Inventions and Counting...

I’ve noticed how elderly Muslims try to guide the Muslim youth with a time in history known as the ‘Golden Age of Islam’ and with talks about some kind of ‘Super Awesome Muslim Civilisation’.

They always say that there was a time when the Muslim Society was on top of the world while the Western societies were still living in the Dark Ages. They interrupt conversations to proudly claim that Muslims invented and developed great things, like algebra, medicine, architecture and even the square! But why is it that after boasting about those past inventions or discoveries, they never continue the conversation in further detail? What about today's inventions? Are Muslims active for tomorrow? If you ever ask them for further information they would start to mumble or even go silent.

Shocking Fact: 1000 years of history has mysteriously been lost in the curriculum of education today. It’s almost as if pages in history books have literally been ripped out. The information about Muslim greatness which we’re somewhat told about is missing! It’s strange how all the missing pages in history books are all related to Muslims and their past discoveries or inventions.

"The remarkable jump of one thousand and six hundred years from the time of Archimedes to Johannes Guttenberg was marvelling but troubling. Further reading of other books revealed that the whole period, 450-1492 CE, in fact is passed over as 'The Dark Ages'". [Professor Salim T S Al-Hassani - 1000 inventions – Muslim Heritage in Our World]

The Western world ignores Muslim History despite a great deal of its society being influenced by the amazing Muslims of those times. But the ignorant are not my main concern right now, trying to help anyone interested in learning, is.

Everyone lives life accordingly. They wake up, survive and then go back to bed, but for once just picture the little things that happen in your life. For example: turning your tap on, drinking coffee or even studying chemistry at school. Did you know it was thanks to the Muslim inventors of the past that you don’t have to travel miles just to collect water in a bucket for your daily necessities?

So ‘anyone’ if you’re interested, I recommend the book, 1001 inventions – Muslim Heritage in Our World [1000 Inventions link]. It was a real eye opener for me when I first read it and whenever I asked another person’s opinion about the book they all told me the same positive response. It is £25 in the UK (don’t let that scare you), it’s totally, absolutely, definitely worth it.

Plus, the London Science Museum is hosting a new EXHIBITION from January 21^st to April 25^th and this time it’s free! Oh and please note that between February 25 – March 12 2010, the exhibition will be closed to the public. I haven’t been there yet but Insha’Allah I want to go soon. :) ‘Featuring a diverse range of exhibits, interactive displays and dramatisation, the exhibition shows how many modern inventions, spanning fields such as engineering, medicine and design, can trace their roots back to Muslim civilisation...’ 1001 Inventions

‘This glorious book overflows with the great ideas of the Muslim middle ages. From al-Jazari and his elegant clocks and al-Kindi and Ibn al-Haitham with their revolutionary optical theories, experiments, and books, to the astronomers who navigated across the dessert by the stars, and the map-makers who put north at the bottom, every page is a mine of joyous information. There are even recipes to try out, and everything is beautifully illustrated. I wish I had this book fifty years ago.’ [Adam Hart-Davis – Photographer, Writer and TV Science Presenter of BBC series ‘What the Ancients Did for Us’]

By reading about Muslim history you’ll discover even more interesting inventions and developments that these Super Muslims from the past succeeded in and even better, you’ll find out who those Super Muslims actually were. Get inspired and Insha’Allah do something beneficial with that inspiration to help us, today.