Event

History of Science in Islam Exhibition

Monday, September 21, 2015toTuesday, May 31, 2016
Morrice Hall Islamic Studies Library, 3485 rue McTavish, Montreal, QC, H3A 0E1, CA

 

The History of Science in Islam exhibition highlights some of the prominent texts held by McGill that exemplify the intellectual depth, knowledge, and curiosity of Muslim scholars. The history of science and Islam dates back to the time of the prophet Muhammad. A significant corpus of scientific thought existed already by the 11th century, as scholars exchanged ideas in madrassas throughout Muslim lands from al-Andalus to Bukhara. Their scholarship was transmitted through lengthy manuscripts replete with ḥāshīyah (marginalia) and sharḥ (commentary). Indeed, many manuscripts include reading notes documenting how and where a text was being read and attesting to the role it played in a lively scientific culture.

From the 8th century on,  a flourishing of scientific thought took place, as caliphs provided patronage to scholars in centres such as Baghdad, who were engaged in the work of translating, interpreting, and building upon the work of Ancient Greek and Hellenistic naturalists, philosophers, and physicians. But the emergence of Arabic as a lingua franca of science by the 10th century was not only a means of preserving the works of Latin and Greek but of further investigating humanity’s understanding of the world in which we live. Ḥukamāʼ (philosophers, doctors) such as Ibn Haytham, Nasir al-Din Tusi, al-Ghazzali, Ibn Sina and many others were instrumental in furthering scholarship in various branches of the sciences.

A rich tradition of translating, transmitting, and transforming, the history of science in Islam is as enveloping as it is broad in scholarship and ideas. From optics to astronomy, from mathematics to medicine, from astrolabes to pendulums, Muslim scholars’ contribution to contemporary knowledge is as far reaching as it is diverse. Indeed, we are reminded every day of the impact of this history on various fields through commonly used words such as alchemy or chemistry (al-Kīmīyāʼ), algebra (al-jibra), zero (sifr), and the star name Betelgeuse (ibt al-Jauzā).

The exhibition before you is a representative holding of McGill’s unique collections; these collections live in the Islamic Studies Library, the Osler Library of the History of Medicine, and Rare Books and Special Collections. These examples have been brought together to celebrate Science Literacy Week. Some of the highlights include an 18th century copy of Ibn Manṣūr’s important work Tashrīḥ-i badan-i insān (Anatomy of the Human Body) and Ibn Sina’s al-Qānūn fi'l-ṭibb (Canon of medicine) as well as the recently published facsimile of al-Ghāfiqī’s Herbal.

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