What Has Islam Contributed To The West?

If we study Europe's Middle Ages, we include Spain (at least not until after the so called "reconquest"). Our libraries abound with books on the Middle Ages, but try to find in any of them a single word about daily life and customs in Spain.



It is as if later historians, in order to justify a uniquely "European history", ignored the fact that a vibrant and brilliant civilization created by "Others"—by Arabs, by Muslims, by Jews—by brown and black people—not only existed in Europe, but without whose contributions the region could not have become what it did. When we talk about "Europe's" Renassiance, we never think of its beginnings in Spain several centuries before it reached Italy. It's as if we lopped off a good 1000 years of history—or at least amputated it from Europe. Nothing could be farther from the truth...

[Timeline of Islamic contributions:]

-     Chuzini, Abu al-Fath al-; physicist.
    -     Ibn Hisham; biographer, historian.
    -     Ibn Labban, Kushyar.
    -     Ibn Turk, `Abd al-Hamid; mathematician.
    -     Ibn al-Muqtafi, Abu al-Fadl Ja`far; astronomer.
    - 767 Ibn Ishaq; biographer, historian.
 721- 815 Jabir ibn Hayyan, Abu Musa (Geber); alchemist.
 780- 850 Khwarizmi, Muhammad ibn Musa al-; astronomer, 
          mathematician.
 82?- 861 Farghani, Abu al-`Abbas al- (Afragamus); astronomer, 
          geographer.
    - 870 Kindi, Abu Yusuf Ya`qub ibn Ishaq al-Sabah al-; 
          philosopher.
 828- 889 Ibn Qutaybah; historian, philologist, theologian.
 826- 901 Ibn Qurra, Thabit; mathematician.
 865- 923 Razi, al- (Rhazes); alchemist, philosopher, physician.
 839- 923 Tabari, al-; historian, theologian.
 858- 929 Battani, al- (Albatenius); astronomer, mathematician.
 870- 950 Farabi, al- (Alfarabicus); philosopher, poet.
 940- 998 Abu al-Wafa'; astronomer, mathematician.
    -1008 Ibn Yunus; astronomer, mathematician.
 936-1013 Abu al-Qasim (Albucasis); physician.
    -1029 Karkhi, al-; mathematician.
 930-1030 Ibn Miskawayh; historian, philosopher.
 980-1037 Ibn Sina, Abu `Ali al-Husayn (Avicenna); philosopher, 
          physician.
 965-1039 Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen); mathematician, physicist.
 973-1048 Biruni, al-; historian, mathematician, physicist.
1058-1111 Ghazali, Abu Hamid al- (Algazel); philosopher.
1048-1131 Khayyam, `Umar (Omar Khayyam); astronomer, mathematician, 
          poet.
1095-1138 Ibn Bajjah (Avempace); philosopher.
1075-1144 Zamakhshari, al-; philologist, theologian.
1090-1162 Ibn Zuhr, Abu Marwun `Abd al-Malik (Avenzoar, Abumeron);
physician.
1100-1185 Ibn Tufayl; philosopher, physician.
1126-1198 Ibn Rushd, Abu al-Walid (Averroes); philosopher, 
          physician.
1135-1204 Ibn Maymun (Maimonides); Jewish philosopher, physician.
1201-1274 Tusi, Nasir al-Din al-; astronomer, mathematician, 
          philosopher.
    -1288 Ibn al-Nafis; physician.
    -137? Ibn al-Shatir; astronomer.
1332-1406 Ibn Khaldun, Abu Zayd `Abd al-Rahman; historian, 
          sociologist.
    -1436 Kashi, al-; mathematician.
1445-1505 Suyuti, al-; historian, philologist, theologian.