What Would the World Be Like Without Medieval Islamic Science?

 

What Would the World Be Like Without Medieval Islamic Science?

Introduction

I often ask myself: what would the world look like if it had never been touched by Islamic science during the Middle Ages? This question is not just romantic nostalgia. It’s a reminder that knowledge once took a completely different route through Baghdad, Cairo, Cordoba, and Samarkand. (Hodgson, The Venture of Islam, 1974)

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Baghdad: The Heart of the Knowledge Revolution

When I imagine Baghdad during the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid and his son Al-Ma’mun, it feels like seeing Silicon Valley in the 9th century. The House of Wisdom stood as a massive translation hub for Greek, Persian, Indian, and Roman works. (Gutas, Greek Thought, Arabic Culture, 1998)

Without Baghdad, Europe might never have recovered Aristotle or Galen. Many Greek manuscripts that vanished in Europe survived in Baghdad. For me, this is the essence of Islamic science: not only creating new ideas but bridging civilizations. Without that bridge, Europe’s Dark Ages might have lasted much longer.

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Mathematics: Algebra, Algorithms, and Zero

As a Muslim, I feel both proud and sad that children worldwide study ‘algebra’ without knowing the word comes from Al-Jabr by Al-Khwarizmi. (Rashed, The Development of Arabic Mathematics, 1994) Without Al-Khwarizmi, Europe would not have the modern decimal system, zero, or the algorithm concept that underpins computers.

Imagine if the West had never ‘borrowed’ zero from India through Muslim scholars how would Newton write calculus? How would computers exist? (O’Connor & Robertson, MacTutor History of Mathematics, 2001) This is, in my eyes, one of civilization’s biggest ‘what ifs’.

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Medicine: From Avicenna to Modern Hospitals

Imagine medieval Europe without Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine. This book was a core reference in European universities for centuries. (Pormann & Savage-Smith, Medieval Islamic Medicine, 2007) Modern hospitals also borrowed the Bimaristan model from Baghdad and Damascus.

I believe if Europe hadn’t learned anatomy, pharmacy, and quarantine methods from Muslim doctors, pandemics could have been deadlier. Islamic science gave Europe a foundation rarely acknowledged today.

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Astronomy: Mapping the Skies to Cross the Seas

I’m always fascinated by the observatories of Maragha and Samarkand. Scholars like Al-Tusi and Ulugh Beg mapped the skies with incredible accuracy centuries before Galileo. (Saliba, Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance, 2007)

Without Islamic astronomy, European navigators would have struggled to cross oceans. Columbus used navigation tables rooted in Muslim Spanish works. So, ocean voyages weren’t just Western brilliance they carried Islamic science beneath the sails. (Hillenbrand, Islam: A New Historical Introduction, 2018)

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Philosophy and Logic: Seeds of Enlightenment

Islam’s legacy didn’t stop at practical science. Islamic philosophy played a key role in paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance. Muslim philosophers like Al-Farabi, Al-Ghazali, and Averroes (Ibn Rushd) preserved Aristotelian logic when Europe forgot it. (Goodman, Avicenna, 1992)

Without Averroes, Thomas Aquinas might not have written his synthesis of faith and reason. Without this discourse, Europe’s Enlightenment could have come later. (Davidson, Alfarabi, Avicenna, and Averroes, 1992)

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Without Islamic Science: Europe Behind, the World Delayed

I don’t want to romanticize the past blindly. But I believe without Islamic science, Europe might not have rediscovered rational thought until the 18th century, not the 12th. (Lewis, What Went Wrong?, 2002) The Industrial Revolution would have been delayed; ocean exploration might have waited for the next generation.

I stay neutral here: this doesn’t mean Islam was superior or the West inferior. History shows civilizations grow by borrowing. Sadly, the borrowers sometimes forget the lenders.

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Identity Crisis: From Guardians of Knowledge to Spectators

It saddens me that modern Muslims often forget this history. Many shy away from philosophy, fear modern science, as if it’s a ‘Western product’. Yet science was once nurtured by scholars and caliphs alike. (Nasr, Islamic Science, 1968)

Today we ask why the Muslim world lags behind partly because we lost our rational tradition. The biggest lesson: science has no religion, but Islam once protected it well.

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A Lesson for Today

If I may draw a lesson, a world without medieval Islamic science would be crippled. But today’s Muslim world, without a scientific spirit, is equally crippled. History is just pride without action. What was once a bridge must now be a superhighway of new ideas.

So I believe reviving Islamic science isn’t nostalgia it’s an obligation to catch up. We once conquered Europe with books, not swords. Maybe today we can tackle global challenges with innovation, not just rhetoric.

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Conclusion

In closing, I see it clearly: modern Europe stands on the shoulders of Islamic scientific giants. Without medieval Islamic science, the world might have been darker, slower, and poorer in ideas.

The question “what would the world be like without Islamic science?” should push us to remember: we were once the guardians of knowledge today, we must be its producers too. That’s the real legacy, not just pride.