People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Larbi Ben M'Hidi University, Oum El Bouaghi Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of English Islamic Contributions to Development of the Western Sciences, Technologies, and Thoughts: Seyyed Housein Nasr Vs Bernard Lewis A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Letters and Languages, Department of English, in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master in Anglo-American Studies By: MERAD FATIMA ZOHRA Examiner: Mm. GHENNAM Fatima Supervisor: Mr. FILALI Billel 2013-2014 ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates the contributions of the Islamic civilization to the development of the western world. In spite of the fact that most western scholars ignored those contributions such as Bernard Lewis, there were other Islamic and even western intellectual figures who affirmed this reality among them Seyyed Hussein Nasr. As a matter of fact, this research attempts at unveiling the realities behind the controversial ideologies that focus on the idea of the Islamic contributions in the building of the western civilization between approval and denial. In order to support this, the research was pursued under a form of comparative study between two prominent figures; a Muslim and a Westerner scholar. The latter who criticized the bases of the Islamic civilization and denied the existence of any form of give and take between the two civilizations and Nasr who was successful, to a great extent, in proving the profound role of the Islamic contributions to the advancement of western scientific enterprises, through the use of certain historical and scientific evidences. i ملخص تدرس هذه المذكرة إسهامات الحضارة اﻹسﻻمٌة فً تطور العالم الغربً بالرغم من التجاهﻻت واﻻنكارات من طرف العدٌد من العلماء الغربٌٌن من بٌنهم برنارد لوٌس بالمقارنة مع علماء آخرٌن غربٌٌن ومسلمٌن الذٌن اٌدو هذه الفكرة مثل العالم سٌد حسٌن نصر ، إضافة إلى ذلك تحاول هذه الدراسة كشف اللثام عن الحقائق المتخفٌة وراء اﻹٌدٌولوجٌات المثٌرة للجدل التً ترتكز على فكرة اﻹسهامات اﻹسﻻمٌة فً بناء الحضارات الغربٌة بٌن الموافقة والرفض . من اجل دعم هذه الحقٌقة اتبع هذا البحث طرٌقة المقارنة بٌن شخصٌتٌن بارزتٌن مسلم وغربً هذا اﻷخٌر الذي انتقد اﻷسس التً قامت علٌها الحضارة اﻹسﻻمٌة ونفى أي شكل من أشكال اﻷخذ والعطاء بٌن الحضارتٌن، بالمقابل كانت ردة فعل نصر ناجحة إلى حد بعٌد من خﻻل إثباته لوجهة نظره حول اﻹسهامات اﻹسﻻمٌة فً تقدم المشارٌع العلمٌة الغربٌة وذلك عن طرٌق أدلة علمٌة وتارٌخٌة. ii Résumé Cette thèse étudie les contributions de la civilisation Islamique au développement du monde occidental. En dépit du fait que la plupart des chercheurs occidentaux sur ces contributions comme Bernard Lewis, il y avait d'autres figures intellectuelles Islamiques et même de l'Ouest qui ont affirmés cette réalité parmi eux; Seyyed Hussein Nasr. En fait, cette recherche tente de dévoiler les réalités derrière les idéologies controversées qui se concentrent sur l'idée de la contribution Islamique dans la construction de la civilisation occidentale entre l'approbation et le refus. Pour soutenir ceci, la recherche a été poursuivi sous une forme d'étude comparative entre deux figures ; un musulman et un Occidental. Ce dernier qui a critiqué les bases de la civilisation islamique et a nié l'existence de toute forme de donner et prendre entre les deux civilisations et Nasr qui a réussi, à mesure loin, à prouver le rôle profond des contributions Islamiques à l'avancement de la recherche scientifique occidentale des entreprises, par le biais de l'utilisation de certaines preuves historiques et scientifiques . iii DEDICATION To my endearing Parents, Brothers and Sister iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you Almighty Allah for giving me patience to accomplish this humble work. Thank you, Mr. Filali Billel, for the valuable guidance, generosity, and advice. You have been a great source of inspiration. I would also express my gratitude to all the members of the board of the examiners. I owe a big thank you for Dr. Maamri Fatima for her instructions and advice in the seminar class. Last but not least, I do thank my smallest family, my father, my mother, my sister and my brothers for their unconditional love, for their generosity and patience. I would like to thank my dear friends for being a source of great help and courage. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract………………………………………………………………………………...i Rrésumé…………………………………………………………………………….....ii iii............................................................................................................................. ملخص Dedication……………………………………………………………………………iv Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………….v Table of Content……………………………………………………………………..vi General Introduction…………………………………………………………………1 Chapter I: Historical Chronology of the Christian-Islamic Relations. Introduction………………………………………………………………………….6 I. The Early Appearance of Islam…………………………………………………....7 1. Muslims toward Christians…………………………………………………….7-11 a. Before the Death of Prophet Muhammad……………………………………..8-10 b. After the Death of Prophet Muhammad………………………………………10-11 2. Christians toward Muslims. ……………………………………………..........11-12 II. The Medieval Period: The Climax of Antagonism 650-1500………………….12 1. Christian Perceptions of the Islamic Penetrating……………………………..12-15 a. Eastern Christian Perceptions…………………………………………………12-13 b. Western Christian Perceptions………………………………………………...13-15 2. Islamic Reactions against Christians Doctrines……………………………….15-17 III. The Modern Period 1500-1950…………………………… ………….………..18 1. Western Writings………………………………………………………..……..19-20 2. Muslim Reactions to Christians Writings……………………………..………21-23 IV. Contemporary Period 1950-2000…………………………………….…………23 1. Christian Rethinking toward Muslims………………………………………...23-27 vi 2. Muslim Rethinking toward Christian………………………………………….27-28 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..28-29 Chapter II: Islam and Muslims in the Western Sphere. Introduction……………………………………………………………..…………….30 I. Islamic Andalusia: The Golden Ages of Human History………………………..31-36 II. The Transmission of Islamic Knowledge……………………………………….37-39 III. The Universal of the Islamic Sciences………………………………………….39-47 V. Islamic Figures and the Universal Dimension…………………………………47 1. Ibn Sina……………………………………………...................................47-50 2. Ibn Rushd………………………………………………………………...50-51 3. Al Buruni………………………………………………………………..51-52 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………52 ChapterIII: Sayyed Houssein Nasr Vs Bernard Lewis: Comparative Study Introduction……………………………………………………………………….53-54 I. The Contributions of the Islamic Civilization to the Development of The West 54 II. Lewis’s Writings…………………………………………………………………...55 1. Lewis’s perception of the Islamic Civilizations………………………………..55-60 2. Lewis’s and his Oriental Perspectives…………………………………………60-64 III. Nasr’s writings…………………………………………………………………...64 1. Nasr and the Islamic Origin of the Universal Sciences and Knowledge………64-66 a. Medicine………………………………………………………………………..66-67 b. Alchemy………………………………………………………………………..67-68 c. Mathematics……………………………………………………………………68-69 2.Nasr and the Oriental Perspectives……………………………………………..69-71 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………….71-72 General Conclusion……………………………………………………………....72-76 Works cited………………………………………………………………………76-78 vii 1 General Introduction: The appearance of Islam in the 7th C was a great event in human history. Chronologically The wide spread of Islam has began initially in the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East and then it moved to Africa, Asia, and Europe. Particularly for Europe, Muslims have made two different trials for dominance; the first attempt was to create an important cultural fusion and the second one in which they created a durable pocket of Muslims in Andalusia (Spain), where Muslims have ruled for 800 years, from the7th to the 15thc. During Andalusia, many scholars, be they Muslims or not, stated that the era was deemed to be the Golden Age of Islamic Civilization, where there were a great emphasis of the pursuit of knowledge scholars as Avicenna, Al hazen, and Averroes. Undeniably, the fall of the last Islamic hold in Andalusia in 1492 that coincided with Columbus‘ voyage to the new world marked the beginning of the change in dynamics that took place in the world. The western expansion to the Islamic world destroyed their Islamic civilization through weakening their traditional systems and by using some modern ways as what happened in the French conquest (Napoleonic conquest) in Egypt during the 19th century. By the end of the WWI the Islamic world was completely dominated by the imperialist countries. Nonetheless, Europe absorbed all Islamic sciences and knowledge that were transmitted first through Spain and then during the colonization movement in the Islamic world. Despite that the Islamic contribution to the development of western sciences, technologies and thought is considered as a debatable issue. Furthermore, many scholars, be they Muslims or non-Muslims, argued that the Western Christian world could have not witnessed and enjoyed modern advancements without the early immense contribution of Muslims at the level of all domains. On one 2 hand this research aims at investigating the influence of the Islamic civilization on the western world through shedding light on its positive impacts that led to the building of a great European civilization. On the other hand, it aims at denying the western scholars claims that ignored any Islamic contributions through some historical and scientific evidences. This Research attempts to answer different questions: How was chronological background of Islamic