1. 1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage in our World
Astronomy
1001 Inventions:
Muslim Heritage in our World

2. A few etiquettes of note taking
Listen to what is being said first and then write down the key point ONLY.
Give attention to the teacher. Do not spend most of your time writing.
If you missed a point, put your hand up.

3. Study of the universe and outer space.
Astronomy

4. Why did Muslims master Astronomy?

5. Necessary for Muslims to calculate times of daily prayers by sun’s position in the sky.
To make a calendar in order to fast – lunar months
To calculate direction of Makkah by sun’s relation to Moon

6. What were the 3 reasons?

7. Copernicus refers in his book de Revolutionibus to al-Zarqali and al-Battani – 10th and 11th century Muslim astronomers
Toledo was centre of world astronomy for 300 hundred years – Europe used its astronomical tables for 200yrs

8. And there’s more… Ibn Rushd (12th C) – discovered sunspots
Al-Battani (died 929CE) – Calculated length of solar year, predicted eclipses etc
Al-Biruni ( ) – Calculated Earth’s circumference, stated Earth rotated around own axis, fixed direction of Makkah from any point on globe
Ibn Rushd (12th C) – discovered sunspots

9. Why were the Muslims so successful?
They fixed their relationship with Allah, so Allah fixed their relationship with everything else.
Perfect your deen, then Allah perfects everything else.
The Prophet (s.a.w) said
“If leaders do not govern according to the book of Allah, you should realize this will not happen without Allah making them into groups and making them fight another”
(Ibn Majah)