The
Muslims played a principal role in the history of Spain. Their presence
illuminated the Iberian Peninsula while the rest of Europe was engulfed
in darkness. And so, Andalusia produced a great civilization far ahead
and advanced than the rest of Europe.
Under
their rule, Muslims made Spain a center for learning and knowledge. The
Muslims were taught reading, writing, math, Arabic, Qur'an, and Hadith
(Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH), and became leaders in math,
science, medicine, astronomy, navigation, etc.
Al-Andalus
became renowned for its prosperity as people who quested for knowledge
journeyed from afar to learn in its universities under the feet of the
Muslims. As a result, Andalus gave rise to a great many intellectual
giants. Muslim Spain produced philosophers, physicians, scientists,
judges, artists, and the like. Ibn Rushd, (Averroes) Ibn Sina,
(Avicenna) Ibn Zuhr, (Avenzoar), Al-Kwarizmi, (Algorizm) and Al-Razi,
(Razes) to name a few, were all Muslims educated in Andalus.
Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, was also educated in
Andalusia. It is from the Andalusian philosophers, Ibn Rushd, and Ibn
Sina that great renowned Christian men like St. Thomas Aquinas borrowed
their philosophies. Both St. Thomas Aquinas and Dante called Ibn Rushd
or "Averroes" the "The Commentator" and incorporated the views of
Muslims. Through the works of Aristotle, Ibn Rushd reconciled reason
with religion. However, Aquinas attempted to refute Ibn Rushd's ideas
because they placed a great deal of emphasis on human reason over faith,
which were a "threat" to Christian beliefs. 15 Interestingly enough,
Thomas Aquinas described Arabs as "brutal men dwelling in the desert."
Dante himself was familiar with Muslim figures. It is reported by
countless historians, including William Phipps, in his book, Muhammad
and Jesus: A Comparison of the Prophets and their Teachings, that the
theme of Divine Comedy was inspired by the mi'raj or ascension of the
Prophet (PBUH) into heaven from upon the rock which today sits below the
dome of Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
Roger Bacon, another individual who refrained from describing Arabs and
Muslims in kind words, consulted Ibn Sina's (Avicenna) work. Ibn Sina's
work, Al-Qanun, (Canon) the widely studied medical work was used in
European Universities for over 300 years, and formed half the medical
curriculum.
In any case, the list of contributions from the Andalusian Muslims is endless.
The Islamic civilization had reached its peak in the 10th century, and by 1100, the number of Muslims rose to 5.6 million.
There
existed in Cordoba alone, 200,000 houses, 600 mosques, 900 public
baths, 10,000 lamps, 50 hospitals, lighted and paved streets. Muslims
introduced public baths because of their need to to wash in preparation
for prayer 5x a day. Libraries and research institutions grew rapidly in
Muslim Spain, while the rest of Europe remained illiterate.
In Muslim
Spain, knowledge from Greece and Rome was preserved. Arab scholars
produced encyclopedias on medicine and astronomy in 11th century, also
including astrology, psychology, zoology, biology, botany, chemistry,
physics, mathematics, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, etc., which
Christian scholars acquired and translated. Toledo thrived essentially
because of its Muslim rule, and became the "cradle of learning," and the
chief point of interaction between the Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Western
scholars traveled to Spain and Sicily to learn Arabic and to make
transcripts of texts in Latin. Muslims produced cotton, paper, salt,
silk, satin, pepper, stamps, clocks, soaps, rulers, maps, globes, furs,
velvets, described over 200 surgical instruments, and named over 200
stars with Arabic names.
So
this Islamic civilization in Spain was the main threshold behind the
European Renaissance. During the time the Muslims set foot in Spain in
711 until 1084 (a year before Toledo was taken) Muslim Spain had become
an area unique to the entire world.
The
Muslim artisans applied their remarkable skills to architecture in
making mosques (masajid) and palaces. The Muslims mastered technique and
design. The Alhambra Palace, and The Great Mosque of Cordoba, are just
two of the famous magnificent architectural masterpieces of the Muslims
which can still be seen today. Of the Alhambra, it is called, "a utopia,
the brightest memory of a lost golden age of pleasure, poetry,
tolerance, art, and learning."
One Muslim poet wrote:
"A sun
dwells in this place and even its shadow is blessed. In this palace a
multitude of pleasures capture the eye and suspend the intellect. Here a
crystal world teaches marvels. Everywhere Beauty is carved, opulence is
manifest."
The
Islamic architecture in Spain is elaborate and decorative with intricate
designs. Stone, and stucco, plaster for coating exterior walls, were
widely favored. Later, brick replaced stone. 20 The "Mezquita" or The
Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alhambra of Granada are two Islamic
monuments that utilize this design.
There
are, however, not many examples of Islamic architecture remaining today
in Spain because many were destroyed or converted from mosques to
churches when Muslims were later exterminated (officially) in the year
1492 and beyond. The Alhambra is the only palace left nearly intact and
preserved of all the Muslim masterpieces in Spain.
Narrated
by Ibn Abbas (RA), the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "Whoever creates a
living image in this world (i.e, human, animal) will be charged with
putting a soul in it which he will never be able to do."
Muslim
artists were prohibited from making images of living things so that they
could concentrate on the oneness of God. Paintings of inanimate
objects, trees and flowers were permitted. Islamic ideology teaches that
the making of images can lead to idolatry. It can also lead to praising
of one's own work, which does away with humility and humbleness,
important virtues stressed in Islam.
Inevitably,
it leads to one's neglect of the remembrance of Allah, and one's
neglect of the fact that it was Allah who gave the artist the talent
from birth. It is also rivaling with Allah Himself who is the sole
creator of the Universe and its inhabitants. Though many of Muslims
therefore abstained from painting figures of people and animals, Islamic
art was far from lacking beauty. Muslim scribes in Spain developed
calligraphy into art form. Islamic art is known for its repetitious
patterns, a constant reminder of the uniqueness of God. 22
Calligraphical, floral, arabesque, and geometric designs flourished in
the Muslim world.
References:
. Shubert, Adrian. The Land and People of Spain. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1992.
. Chejne, Anwar. Muslim Spain: Its history and culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1974.
.
Saud, Muhammad. Islam and Evolution of Science. India: Adam Publishers
& Distributers, 1994. and Vernet, Juan. Al-Andalus: The Art of
Islamic Spain. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Abrams, 1992.
. Harvey, L.P. Islamic Spain: 1250-500. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990.
. Barrucand, Marianne. Moorish Architecture in Andalusia. Italy: Taschen, 1992.
. King, Geoffrey. Architecture of the Islamic World. London: Thames and Hudson, 1978.
. Rodriguez, D.C. Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Abrams, 1992.
. Grabar, Oleg. The Alhambra. Massachusetts: Harvard University, 1978.
