Islamic civilizations have made a huge impact on western culture and the world history. Its culture brought advances in the arts, science and literature. One of the most impactful advances was science. Baghdad became the, philosophers, and scientific thinkers. They came up with answers to pragmatic questions. The best scholars then made the Baghdad House of Wisdom. Scholars came from all over the empire, some were Christians, Muslim and Jews. Scholars were sent out to gather as much Ancient text as possible which was the first scientific venture in history. Unlike Christians, Muslim saw no contradictions from their faith and the laws of the natural world. They studied the works of Aristotle and Plato. The scholars of the House of Wisdom developed Arabic numerals which paved the way for math in the world.
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, author of His book On the Calculation with Hindu Numerals was responsible for the Indian system of numeration in the Islamic lands and the West. They brought algebra, trigonometry, engineering and astronomy. The learning center translated works from the Greeks into Arabic. Their most important contribution in modern science was introducing the scientific method. Another advancement of science was medicine. Muslims came up with a theory that diseases were transmitted through tiny airborne organisms. They said that patients should be isolated then treated which was the basic institution that we use today which, the hospital. Muslims were the first to build hospitals to be primarily run by religious endowments. They had different rooms where they treated patients with different diseases. All types of diseases, including mental illnesses, were treated in these hospitals. They were staffed by specialists, physiologists, surgeons, etc.
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These hospitals were incorporated into large charitable foundations which were supported by people of wealth and power. Muslims were also intrigued in the anatomy of the human eye. The father of Optics, Ibn Al-Haytham, work leaded to the invention of the modern camera. He explained how the eye actually sees. Muslims were also the first to surgically remove cataracts. Another advancement of science was astronomy. Muslim astronomers accepted the structure of the universe by Ptolemy. He believed that the earth rests motionless near the center of eight spheres, which surrounds it. Some efforts to modify Ptolemaic theory were made by Nasir al-Din Tusi in northwestern Iran and continued by his successors at Tabriz and Damascus. Chinese colleagues helped Muslim astronomers work out planetary models that depended on combinations of uniform circular motions. Another scientific advancement was engineering. Muslim scientists focused on practical matters, like hydraulic engineering since water was a resource. Engineers designed water-raising machines. Watermills, bridges and dams were built. Muslims were also responsible for paper making. Paper was used for scientific and other types of texts. It took longer for them accept the use of paper for religious text.
God is known in Arabic as Allah to distinguish Him from ilah. This refers to any of the gods once worshiped in Arabia. God is unique and without equal. The Five Pillars of Islam: Belief, Worship, Fasting, Almsgiving, and Pilgrimage. The first Pillar of Islam is belief. The believer has to testify, in Arabic, that 'There is no god but God and that Muhammad is His messenger.' This phrase is known as the Profession of Faith, shahada. It affirms the role of the prophet and God's oneness. The second Pillar of Islam is worship. They must worship God five times a day; at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall. The believer washes to a ritual and places themselves on the ground in the direction of Mecca. They must recite certain phrases while doing this. The third Pillar of Islam is fasting. By fasting you have to refrain from food, drink, smoking and sex, between sunrise and sunset during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim calendar. These things bring awareness to God’s presence. The fourth Pillar of Islam is Almsgiving. This is giving to the poor. The fifth Pillar of Islam is Pilgrimage. Before entering Mecca, the pilgrim dons a special garment made of two seamless white cloths. The prophet Abraham and the center of Kaaba are the associated with pilgrimage. Muslims believe that this is the house that Abraham erected for God. The pilgrimage then moves to Arafat. Livestock is sacrificed in a tribute of Abraham's readiness to offer his son Ismail. The meat is distributed to the poor in an event called the Great Feast.
The two foundations of Muslim faith are God's revelations to Muhammad, known as the Koran and the reports about Muhammad's life and deeds, which are known as the hadith. The Koran can only be in Arabic language. The second foundation of Muslim faith is the Prophet. Muhammad serves as the model for all believers. His sayings are preserved in the Traditions, known in Arabic as hadith.
In conclusion, Islamic civilization has made a significant impact on the world. Coming from science, math and literature, it has impacted other civilizations and there ways today.
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