Science & Islam pdf

2The Coming of the ProphetHow could naked men, riding without armour or shield have been able to winand bring low the proud Persians?Christian monk John Bar Penkayأ©, Turkey, 680 CEThe speed of the spread of Islam seems as astonishing today as it must have done when it happened inthe 7th century. Alexander the Great and the Mongols also conquered vast areas very quickly. Yet boththese conquests were short-lived and had little, if any, lasting effect. Islam seemed to change forevervirtually every area it went to — from the west of China to the south of Spain, and including much ofAsia, Africa and the Middle East.Many of the lands that eventually came under Muslim rule would adopt Arabic and Persian asworking languages, and Islam would become the new religion — permanently. Only Spain returned toChristianity after Muslims and Jews were driven out in the 15th century. However, the Arabiclanguage has fared less well, and both Arabic and Persian today are confined to the countries of theMiddle East and North Africa. The majority of the Islamic peoples use indigenous languages, as wellas European languages such as English and French.Even more remarkable than the speed and permanence of Islam was the fact that it was achievedwithout a professional army: instead, Islam spread far and wide through the efforts of untrained men,often mystics, on camel and on foot. It’s no wonder that they believed, as did many who witnessed it,that they were driven by a divine wind. The energy and vision which powered Islam’s spread maywell be the same motor that drove learning and science in the Islamic world, so it’s worth looking athow it all began.