A New Cordoba

1
A New Cordoba

• Presented by Reza Aslan
• IN
• Conversation with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
  Alistair MacDonald

2
Early Islamic expansion

• Political domain of Islam expanded 634-756 CE,
  extending from Central Asia and Sind, to Iberia
• Religious interpretation understood Science to be
  supported by Quranic injunctions and ahadith.
• Inherited the scientific and technological legacy
  of the Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Hellenic
  civilizations and drew on the civilizations of
  China and India, providing a foundation for the
  intellectual capacity of the Islamic world.
• Arabic was lingua franca from Bokhara to Cordoba.
  Even Jewish scholars (as Maimonides) and
  Christian scholars in Andalus and Syrian scholars
  in Egypt and Syria were skilled in Arabic
• Transmitted knowledge allowed for the later
  possibility of the European Renaissance.

3
Deep and sustained

• Patronage of ruling dynasties large libraries,
  research, intellectual discussion
• dar al-Hikmah in 1005 CE and later Al-Azhar, one
  of the first learning institutions in the world
  in Cairo
• al-Hakam of Andalus created library of 500,000
  books

4
A fount of new knowledge

• From 7501100 CE explosion of scientific
  knowledge - Farabi, Ibn Sina, Al-Biruni, Ibn
  Shatir, Ibn Rushd and Ibn Khaldun
• The polymaths Al Kindi, Farabi, Ibn Sina and Ibn
  Rushd were the greatest exponents of Aristotelian
  rationalism translation into Latin of their
  commentaries on Aristotle in 13th CE reignited
  European rationalism
• Developed paper manufacturing in Samarqand,
  windmills in Iran, and teaching hospitals without
  discrimination of ethnicity or origin

5
Decline from the zenith

• Various accounts for decline
• Seljuk ascendancy (1077-1307 CE) suppression of
  diversity and loss of the spirit of Islam
• Mongol invasion in east (1258 CE) and
  Inquisition in West (1250-1500 CE)
• Cultural Renaissance in East but not sustained
• Ottomans Suleymaniye Mosque
• Safavids Imperial Mosque
• Moguls Taj Mahal and Hanging Gardens

6
Knowledge - a Tool for Success

• Knowledge is the ability to act and respond
  successfully in a complex, rapidly transforming
  environment
• Necessary tools
• knowledge-capture
• knowledge-creation
• knowledge-transfer