Science and Islam, Jim Al-Khalili - BBC

Documentary
Published on Nov 22, 2014
Science and Islam, Jim Al-Khalili.
BBC Documentary
Science and Islam is a three-part BBC documentary about the history of
science in medieval Islamic civilization presented by Jim Al-Khalili. The
series is accompanied by the book Science and Islam: A History written by
Ehsan Masood.
Episodes:
Part 1: The Language of Science
Part 2: The Empire of Reason
Part 3: The Power of Doubt
Part 1: The Language of Science:
Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell
the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the
Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.
Its legacy is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and alkali all
being Arabic in origin and at the very heart of modern science - there
would be no modern mathematics or physics without algebra, no
computers without algorithms and no chemistry without alkalis.
For Baghdad-born Al-Khalili this is also a personal journey and on his
travels he uncovers a diverse and outward-looking culture, fascinated by
learning and obsessed with science. From the great mathematician AlKhwarizmi, who did much to establish the mathematical tradition we now
know as algebra, to Ibn Sina, a pioneer of early medicine whose Canon of
Medicine was still in use as recently as the 19th century, he pieces
together a remarkable story of the often-overlooked achievements of the
early medieval Islamic scientists.
Part 2: The Empire of Reason:
Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell
the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the
Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.
Al-Khalili travels to northern Syria to discover how, a thousand years ago,
the great astronomer and mathematician Al-Biruni estimated the size of
the earth to within a few hundred miles of the correct figure.

He discovers how medieval Islamic scholars helped turn the magical and
occult practice of alchemy into modern chemistry.
In Cairo, he tells the story of the extraordinary physicist Ibn al-Haytham,
who helped establish the modern science of optics and proved one of the
most fundamental principles in physics - that light travels in straight
lines.
Prof Al-Khalili argues that these scholars are among the first people to
insist that all scientific theories are backed up by careful experimental
observation, bringing a rigour to science that didn't really exist before.
Part 3: The Power of Doubt:
Physicist Jim Al-Khalili tells the story of the great leap in scientific
knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th
centuries.
Al-Khalili turns detective, hunting for clues that show how the scientific
revolution that took place in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe had its
roots in the earlier world of medieval Islam. He travels across Iran, Syria
and Egypt to discover the huge astronomical advances made by Islamic
scholars through their obsession with accurate measurement and
coherent and rigorous mathematics.
He then visits Italy to see how those Islamic ideas permeated into the
West and ultimately helped shape the works of the great European
astronomer Copernicus, and investigates why science in the Islamic world
appeared to go into decline after the 16th and 17th centuries, only for it
to re-emerge in the present day.
Al-Khalili ends his journey in the Royan Institute in the Iranian capital
Tehran, looking at how science is now regarded in the Islamic world.

The Language of Science

Science and Islam Episode 1 of 3
Its legacy is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and alkali all being Arabic in
origin and at the very heart of modern science - there would be no modern
mathematics or physics without algebra, no computers without algorithms and no
chemistry without alkalis.
For Baghdad-born Al-Khalili this is also a personal journey and on his travels he
uncovers a diverse and outward-looking culture, fascinated by learning and
obsessed with science. From the great mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, who did much
to establish the mathematical tradition we now know as algebra, to Ibn Sina, a
pioneer of early medicine whose Canon of Medicine was still in use as recently as
the 19th century, he pieces together a remarkable story of the often-overlooked
achievements of the early medieval Islamic scientists.

The Empire of Reason

Science and Islam Episode 2 of 3
Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story
of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world
between the 8th and 14th centuries.
Al-Khalili travels to northern Syria to discover how, a thousand years ago, the great
astronomer and mathematician Al-Biruni estimated the size of the earth to within a
few hundred miles of the correct figure.
He discovers how medieval Islamic scholars helped turn the magical and occult
practice of alchemy into modern chemistry.
In Cairo, he tells the story of the extraordinary physicist Ibn al-Haytham, who helped
establish the modern science of optics and proved one of the most fundamental
principles in physics - that light travels in straight lines.
Prof Al-Khalili argues that these scholars are among the first people to insist that all
scientific theories are backed up by careful experimental observation, bringing a
rigour to science that didn't really exist before.

The Power of Doubt

Science and Islam Episode 3 of 3

Physicist Jim Al-Khalili tells the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that
took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.
Al-Khalili turns detective, hunting for clues that show how the scientific revolution
that took place in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe had its roots in the earlier
world of medieval Islam. He travels across Iran, Syria and Egypt to discover the
huge astronomical advances made by Islamic scholars through their obsession with
accurate measurement and coherent and rigorous mathematics.
He then visits Italy to see how those Islamic ideas permeated into the West and
ultimately helped shape the works of the great European astronomer Copernicus,
and investigates why science in the Islamic world appeared to go into decline after
the 16th and 17th centuries, only for it to re-emerge in the present day.
Al-Khalili ends his journey in the Royan Institute in the Iranian capital Tehran,
looking at how science is now regarded in the Islamic world.

Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell
the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the
Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.
Its legacy is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and alkali all being
Arabic in origin and at the very heart of modern science there would be
no modern mathematics or physics without algebra, no computers without
algorithms and no chemistry without alkalis.
For Baghdad-born Al-Khalili this is also a personal journey and on his
travels he uncovers a diverse and outward-looking culture, fascinated by
learning and obsessed with science.
From the great mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, who did much to establish the
mathematical tradition we now know as algebra, to Ibn Sina, a pioneer of
early medicine whose Canon of Medicine was still in use as recently as the
19th century, he pieces together a remarkable story of the often-overlooked
achievements of the early medieval Islamic scientists.
"Avicenna and Alkharazmi were both Persian not Arabs" that's true, but the most important thing
they were Muslims ! Islam is not a religion for Arabs it is a religion for everybody, our Prophet
said that "there is no difference between an Arab and an Ajam (not an Arab), the only thing that
counts is the good they do"
The documentary's name is Science and Islam, not Arabs and Islam!!! And just for the record :
Ahmad Zewail , Farouk el Baz , Jaber Ibn Hayan ..etc are all Muslim Arabs so before saying
nonsens , try to use a concept we call "thinking".

I quote you "the decedents of Mohammad had no idea what books were and they thought they
were sources of evil and anti-Islam", you still saying nonsense and still talking like an ignorant,
the first word of the Quran says "read" explained as "learn", our Prophet said " ask for
knowledge form the day you're born till the day you die "... so before repeating some
Propaganda judgment l, try to find out the truth at least !!!
Besides you say you're Persian, as far as I know 99% of the Persians are Muslims, so I don't
understand your attack on the Islam and on our Prophet .
By the way, I don't mind critics, but you can discuss about the philosophy of Islam, its social
impact nowadays or even the behavior of Muslims around the world, then we can discuss,
because the discussion there would be constructive, but repeating some sentences without
even taking the time to read a little bit about Islam, only shows that you don't even have the
dignity of being heard .
I think that a few people have gone off of subject in their comments here. The entire point of this
documentary, as well as an exhibition that is being held in the Science Museum in London about
Islamic scientific advances, is that it is to help people better understand that not all the Islamic
world is backwards like certain governments and media would want us to believe.

Religion, unfortunately, has more cons than pros in my eyes. Just like capitalism, communism,
and many other aspects of the world. What we have are great ideas, but they are all corrupted
by the people who gain power through them. What should have been a documentary about how
Islam was involed in some of the greatest scientific advances in the world, we end up seeing
some people damning the religion. Instead of trying to educate some of the people here about
the Islamic world, which I admit to not know enough of, people would rather rant and complain
about other religions. That I find to be very sad.

This article came about while I was writing the LegendaryLife profile of Al-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham, I was
so impressed that I decided that I had to dedicate a blog article solely on this great piece of journalism.
Introduction
The BBC produced an amazing series outlining the contributions (yes, contributions) that the Middle East
had given to science, I encourage you to watch this its well worth it! I wrote a summary of each video
under them to outline key points of interest. It also gives you a great overview of the history that AlHassan Ibn al-Haytham lived through, which helps greatly in understanding what made him tick.
BBCs Science and Islam: The Language of Science Part 1

Professor Jim Al-Khalili (University of Surrey) introduces himself, he grew-up in Baghdad where
he discovered his passion for science and fled with his family once Saddam Hussein came into
power
between the 9th and 12th centuries, the Middle East lived through a period of great scientific
fever which lead to a quantum leap in knowledge across many fields

purpose of this BBC series is to discover the relationship between science and Islam
Professor Jim Al-Khalili is a damn good artist!
scientific words such as Algebra, Algorithm, Alkali are all Arabic and ironically, are the foundations
of science from mathematics to chemistry!
few scientists in the West are even aware of this Medieval Islamic legacy today but between the
12th and 17th century, scientists regularly sourced material from and gave credit to their Middle
Eastern brothers
Arabic names show-up all over the place in Medieval texts from maps to medicines
Roman numerals were hopelessly inefficient compared to Islamic methods which is why we use
numbers now instead
the idea that you can represent any number you like using only 10 symbols was first developed
by Indians around the 6th century, they also created the decimal point to represent fractions
like all great science, things are blindingly obvious only after they have been discovered
(reference to the decimal point and numbers)
looking at a map, Baghdad (Capital of the Islamic Empire, modern day Iraq) is right in the crosshairs of the East and West, where scientific knowledge met head-on originating from Europe to
China
Baghdad was founded in 762 with the aim of it becoming the glorious capital of a vast empire,
united by Islam
BBCs Science and Islam: The Language of Science Part 2

the armies of Islam, starting in Medina, conquered a vast territory that spread from Spain to India
over several decades
by the 8th century, Islamic caliphs ruled a vast territory and the emperors at the time realized the
scientific and political power go hand in hand
medical knowledge could save lives, military technology can win wars, mathematics could help
make sense of increasingly complex state finances, Mohammad (the Prophet) himself told
believers to seek knowledge where ever they could find it (an idea that seems lost in modern
times)
studying Gods creations was a religious duty for most people at the time
the rulers used knowledge as a way to subjicate the rest of the world, making them feel even
more superior

in the 8th century, the caliph, looking over his vast, diverse empire, decided to end the Chaos that
multiple cultures, languages and ways of thinking caused and told everybody to learn Arabic as
the national language which also happens to be the language of the Koran, hence, Arabic is
considered the language of God
the text of the Koran is so sacred, its text hasnt changed in over 1 400 years
the effect of a unified language was huge, scholars could now talk and share knowledge with one
another
Arabic is a very precise and unambiguous language which isnt open to interpretation which is
ideal for scientific and technical terminology
between 750-950, the rulers were plowing money into a project of unifying all the worlds
knowledge in central libraries and translating all the texts into Arabic (The Translation Movement)
scolars spread all around the world, reviewing and translating texts into Arabic and if the ruler
didnt have the book they found, they would be paid in gold by their weight! (ei: instant
millionaires many times over)
the rulers were scared that what happened in Alexandria (total loss of thousands of years of
knowledge) would happen again, so they took steps to make sure this never happened again
BBCs Science and Islam: The Language of Science Part 3

medical knowledge was at the top of the must save, capture, translate and store list of the
Islamic rulers lists
minor infections during this time today would be a death sentence back then, as a result, few
people lived to old age
religious teachings were a constant reminder of our mortality
the Prophet Mohammad said God did not send down a disease without also sending down its
cure, its up to us to find it!
modern medicine still relies heavily on the findings of ancient Islamic doctors and researchers
medieval Islamic doctors acquired knowledge from India to China, Europe to Africa and used all
these different methods to find the most apt cure for any given condition
The Prophets Medicine is still a very popular Arabic book that first came out in the 14th century,
for instance, it warns against going onto land that had a plague and not bothering to try to escape
it if it comes to your door and the cure for epilepsy is exorcism due to a bad spirit, it has nothing
to do with the brain
the central idea behind Islam is compassion for our fellow humans, it also preaches a high level
of religious tolerance

BBCs Science and Islam: The Language of Science Part 4

as The Translation Movement was underway, new medical advances were being acquired from
all four corners of the world and lead to the development of a Pharmacy, a completely new
concept at the time
Islamic medicine also practiced extensive surgery in less than clean (by todays standards) rooms
eye surgery was one of Islamic medicines great successes, even with the use of incredibly crude
instruments
completed in 1025 by Islamic doctor Avicenna along with a group of researchers, the Cannon of
Medicine was a a 14 volume medical encyclopedia that ruled the world up until the 18th century
when modern medicine discovered bacteria and viruses. It was the first time that all the sums of
the worlds medical knowledge was able to be found, clearly organized, one one group of texts
BBCs Science and Islam: The Language of Science Part 5

Islamic medical researchers went at great lengths to discover the hidden secrets of the ancients,
whom they believed, possessed incredible knowledge that had been lost to time
the dark art of Alchemy was something that scientists at the time spent vast amounts of time and
resources on rediscovering
the Rosetta Stone had the same inscriptions written in both Greek and Egyptian Hieroglyphs,
which proved invaluable for European researchers to decipher the Hieroglyphs but this work was
done in the 9th and 10th century before by Islamic explorers who related Hieroglyphs to Arabic
texts (they are related) by discovering that the Coptic (basis for Arabic) was nothing but the
evolution of the Egyptian language
this discovery was directly related to The Translation Movement as they had gone through a
number of Coptic texts as part of their research
Egyptology didnt begin in the 19th century by Europeans, it began in the 9th or 10th century by
Islamic scholars
The Translation Movement, unlike other intellectual movements, was curious and inclusive
regardless of religion, background or origin which meant a vast amount of information could be
gathered, digested and put together
Baghdad, during The Translation Movement was a place in which innovation and knowledge
was richly valued and rewarded
the Caliphs at the time created Magelis, places where the rich would meet with the smart to
pursuit ideas and new innovations, think of it as the first Venture Capitalist System
If

you had a great idea, willing to debate and knew Arabic, no matter your background, you were
invited to share!

Al-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham is mentioned again (briefly mentioned at the beginning of the series)
and was a favorite of the caliphs, highly regarded and well versed in many disciplines, he was
fearless in his thinking
Greek mathemiatics dealt mainly with geometry while India invented the 10 number and decimal
system, what Al-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham did was put the two together
BBCs Science and Islam: The Language of Science Part 6

Al-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham managed to put together Greek Pictures with Indian Precision
(Symbols) which created what we call today, Algebra
Al-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham discovered that people require three sets of numbers; roots, squares
and numbers
Algebra helped to win wars by creating simple formulas that helped figure-out cannon ball
trajectories or even the energy required to split attoms which ended-up creating the nuclear
bomb, without Algebra, none of this would be possible
Science isnt Islamic, it cannot be claimed by any one group, but the Islamic scholars were the
first to piece together information from across the globe into one solid piece of work that lead to
the modern era we all enjoy today
Science is therefore, a universal truth
The Bottom Line
The truth IS out there!