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Islamic Heritage Month 2024 may have come to an end, but Muslim contributions to the world never do!
The Islamic Golden Age was an era defined by scientific, mathematical, and cultural advancements made by Muslim scholars that lasted for over five centuries. In fact, many of the inventions of our world today find their roots in the work of Muslims who dedicated their life to the study of various disciplines.
Here are four Muslim pioneers who made great strides in their respective fields — and for us today.
- Fatima al-Fihri: The World’s Oldest University
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The world’s oldest degree-granting university had its humble beginnings with a Muslim woman in Fes, Morocco.
A ninth-century daughter of a merchant family, Fatima grew up with a father who was incredibly passionate about his daughters’ education. When she inherited her father’s wealth after his death, she spent the money to build a mosque in the city of Fes called “Al-Qarawiyyin.”
Soon, the mosque turned into a library, and it wasn’t long before the institution became known as the centre of higher education. Under her wing, Fatima would take on many students and turn them into scholars like herself.Â
The university attracted people globally and went on to produce many notable Muslim (and even non-Muslim) scholars who would later make their own revolutionary strides in academia.
To this day, Al-Qarawiyyin University grants degrees to the scholars who come by its doors. Who knew that the basis of the universities we’re all in now started with a Muslim woman with a love for learning?
- Sufi Muslims: Coffee
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In every corner of Toronto, different coffee shops (and lots of Tim Hortons) have found their burrow in the fabric of the city. But did you know one of the earliest concepts of coffee began with Muslims who needed to stay up late?
In 15th-century Yemen, the concept of coffee as a hot beverage was introduced by Sufi Muslims. The drink, called “qahwa” in Arabic, was helpful in keeping them awake for late-night meditations and the remembrance of God. Sufi merchants played a great role in proliferating the drink worldwide.
- Ibn al-Haytham: The Pinhole Camera
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Cameras — they seem to be everywhere nowadays. And it all started with 9th-century Arab scholar, Ibn al-Haytham, a man of many trades: optics, mathematics, and astronomy. He’s most well known as “The Father of Modern Optics.”
The first use of the camera obscura (dark room with a small hole in one wall) principle is recorded by al-Haytham. Through his study of vision and light, he determined that light coming through a small hole would travel in a straight line and project an image on the opposite wall.Â
His study of optics centuries ago is the foundation for much of what is learned in optics today. Not to mention, his use of the camera obscura is what influenced the principles of modern photography, too.
- Dr. Abdus Salam: First Muslim Nobel Prize Winner
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Dr. Abdus Salam was a Pakistani physicist. From a young age, his intelligence was apparent — at age 14, he scored the highest marks ever recorded for the Matriculation Examination at the University of Punjab. He went on to obtain a PhD in theoretical physics.
He then became a professor and a prolific researcher in theoretical elementary particle physics and won the Nobel Prize in physics for his contribution to the electroweak unification theory.
Every step of the way, Dr. Salam credited his faith as a Muslim for his successes.
Many of the stereotypes today which label Muslims as illiterate or backwards stem from the lack of recognition of the many Muslims who define how our world operates. It’s important to be reminded that Muslims are equal members of the rich world of academia. They are jurists, scientists, artists, mathematicians, innovators, and more. For as many bright Muslim scholars who have lived before us, many more are sure to come.