As we all know, after a short time after Renaissance hit the Europe, people started to critisize church and Catholic principles. As a result, some people revolted against the Catholic Church and established a new Christian sect, which is Protestantism. A similar Islamic sect, which is more liberal and rational than other sects of Islam, i.e. Sunni and Shia, had been established in Islamic Golden Era (An era which is very similar to Renaissance in Europe) too, which is Mu'tazila. Similar to Protestantism (those who protest against the Catholic Church), Mu'tazila means "those who are seperated themselves from" other Islamic sects. Some famous scientists lived in Islamic Golden Age, such as Avicenna and Al-Farabi, accepted Mu'tazila's view of Islam. Mu'tazilites based the analysis of all religious texts and doctrines to be analysed by sane mind and solid logic and if there is a discrepancy then the texts or doctrines should be rejected. This part alone made them the enemy of state and fanatic orthodox (Sunni) Muslims who conservatively follow the Hadith (Mohammed's words and actions) and Quran. During and after Abbasid rule many of Mu'tazilite people were executed under Sharia (Islamic laws). As a result, Mu'tazila remained a dead sect of Islam, and almost nobody followed this sect after 13th century. No wonder why Islamic Golden Age died and never revived after that century!
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Mu'tazila
This is a really interesting parallel. The Islamic Golden Age, as it's called, was one of greatest intellectual movements in history, and when the ideas of these thinkers arrived in Western Europe, they had a tremendous impact on the development of the sciences, especially mathematics, medicine and mechanical arts (technology). It's an unfortunate irony of history that the Europeans ended up profiting from these ideas, whereas for religious reasons, they were suppressed in the cultures that had given birth to them, who didn't realize that such knowledge would give them power!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting parallel. The Islamic Golden Age, as it's called, was one of greatest intellectual movements in history, and when the ideas of these thinkers arrived in Western Europe, they had a tremendous impact on the development of the sciences, especially mathematics, medicine and mechanical arts (technology). It's an unfortunate irony of history that the Europeans ended up profiting from these ideas, whereas for religious reasons, they were suppressed in the cultures that had given birth to them, who didn't realize that such knowledge would give them power!
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