Page 8 - Pakistan Link - October 13, 2023

P8 - PAKISTAN LINK - OCTOBER 13, 2023 OPINION
n By Dr Amineh Ahmed Hoti The Inextricable Link between Knowledge European scholars during the Enlight-

ismillah ar Rahman ar Rahim enment and Renaissance.
As a rival of Baghdad, Abd al Rehman
(In the name of the Compas- and Tolerance: A Lesson for Us All III and Hasdai his wazir (second in com-
Bsionate, the Most Merciful). mand) had gained for Cordoba the title
‘Compassion’ and ‘mercy’ are poten- of “most civilized place on earth” (Rosa,
tially powerful words if ence, philosophy, medicine, and educa- 2002, p. 86). Muslim Spain has been
we delve deep and en- tion. In ‘The House of Wisdom’ works by described as a “first-rate” culture spear-
deavor to decipher their Euclid, Archimedes, Aristotle, Ptolemy heading broad-mindedness and scien-
all-inclusive meanings. and numerous other classical thinkers tific inquiry, with the level of religious
It is understood that from all over the world were found in freedom prevalent at the time at par with
people of faith would bits and pieces and translated into Arabic. a modern tolerant state today. From the
infallibly gravitate to- The Greek knowledge they amassed was earliest days, The Umayyads strove to be
wards embodying these traits, that the not just translated blindly, but reformed, recognized as intellectual rivals to the Ab-
faithful would practice compassion and critiqued, and an alternative science basids; and for Córdoba to have libraries
mercy towards their fellow human be- emerged in the Islamic world. (Dr George and educational institutions to outshine
ings. Having said that, it is only achiev- Saliba, in 1001 Inventions, p. 188). Baghdad. Yet, despite the tangible con-
able for each of us if we within our per- During the reign of al-Ma'mun, astro- tention between the two powers, there
sonal capacities immerse into the sea nomical observatories were set up, and was freedom to travel among their lands,
of knowledge available to us. It seems ‘The House of Wisdom’ became an un- which helped spread new ideas and inno-
implausible that in the present scenario, rivaled center for the study of humanities vations over time. These models belong
Muslim countries are recognized for just There was a time in history when education was so diffused in Muslim so- and science, including mathematics, as- to mainstream Muslim societies and their
the opposite in present times. We repre- cieties that “it was said to be difficult to find a Muslim who could not read tronomy, medicine, chemistry, zoology, leaders were seen widely as the protectors
sent some of the lowest literacy rates the or write” (Educationist E H Wilds, in 1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage and geography. Drawing on the ancient and representatives of the Muslim um-
world over, whereas most countries have in Our World, 2006) wisdom amassed by Greek, Indian, and mah. We have all these larger-than-life
managed to perpetuate a 90% or above Persian texts, the scholars accumulated role models and we must ask ourselves -
literacy level: Afghanistan: 28%; Bangla- performs an act of devotion to God (Al- all night, running water from aqueducts an impressive collection of world knowl- how close we are to our ideals?
desh: 53%; Pakistan: 49%; Burkina Faso: Bukhari & Muslim). supplied 9,000 public baths! With proper edge, and propagated further discoveries. As Pakistan painstakingly moves to-
28%; Niger 28%; Mali: 26%. The chapters of history in Andalusian food becoming a luxury today, goldfish By mid-9th Century ‘The House of Wis- wards its Millennium Goals, we must
Likewise, it seems paradoxical for us Spain when the floodgates of knowledge then ate 12,000 loaves of bread per day, dom’ was the largest repository of books keep in mind the UN Declaration of
to claim we come from a God whose were wide open under the flourishing postal services used carrier pigeons, in the world. Scholars of all creeds and Human Rights Article 26 (A): “Educa-
communication with his Prophet began reign of Muslims runs parallel to when there were thousands of shops, including cultures came here to understand and tion should be directed to the full de-
with the word Iqra (read), and yet harbor the rest of the world, especially Europe, bookshops, 70 scribes produced Qur'ans appreciate the value of knowledge and velopment of the human personality
misgivings about acquiring education was in the “Dark Ages”, signifying an era exclusively and there were thousands of it was a time when erudition was valued and to strengthening respect for human
for ourselves. Our religion repeatedly of backward, unenlightened, and intoler- mosques which were used as inclusive greater than gold. rights…it shall promote understanding,
encourages believers to think, to pon- ant culture. For almost 800 years in Eu- (not exclusive) universities and centers Think about this, dear people of tolerance and friendship among all na-
der, to traverse the vistas of knowledge. rope (711 — 1492) Muslims ruled An- of learning. The Caliph’s library in Cor- thought (ahl-e-aql), Ptolemy’s Almagest, tions, racial or religious groups…(in or-
There was a time in history when educa- dalusia (present-day Spain – north and doba alone, one of 70 libraries in a city the most influential scientific text of der to maintain) peace”; and Article 27,
tion was so diffused in Muslim societies south, Portugal, part of South of France, that “adored books”, had four hundred all time, was claimed as a condition for “everyone has the right freely to partici-
that “it was said to be difficult to find a Andora). Knowledge was valued tre- thousand volumes, that put to shame peace after a war between the Abbasids pate in the cultural life of the community,
Muslim who could not read or write” mendously and resulted in a progressive the 400 manuscripts in Europe’s largest and the Byzantine Empire. From this to enjoy the arts and share in the scien-
(Educationist E H Wilds, in 1001 Inven- interaction between Muslims and the ahl library at the time. (In 1955, the Ger- book, the caliph’s scholars drew the first tific advancements and its benefits”.
tions: Muslim Heritage in Our World, al kitaab (People of the Book). Moses/ man nun Hrosvit described Cordoba as maps of the world. The scientific advancements and ben-
2006). The luminous beacon of Muslim Musa and Jesus/Isa had books revealed “The Brilliant Ornament of the World In the 9th century Al-Khwarizmi efits that Andalusian Spain and Abbasid
erudition shone brightly once and it is to them by God, so Jews and Christians (that) Shone in the West”. (Based on this regarded as the Chief of Mathematics, Baghdad gave our shared world remind me
now up to us to find our way back and were regarded as ahl al kitaab and ac- poetic verse, the Director of the Humani- wrote the first book on Arabic numer- of a Qur'anic verse that fits here beautifully:
reflect upon the teachings of the Prophet corded great respect – their food could ties Center at Yale University, Maria Rosa als. Expanding upon Greek mathemati- “Each community has its own direc-
of Islam (PBUH) that emphasize upon be eaten, their women could be married, Menocal, in 2002 wrote a book, The Or- cal concepts, he developed Algebra in tion in which it turns: then strive togeth-
acquiring knowledge, not just passively and their books studied. nament of the World. This literary gem his book Kitab al muktasar fi hisb al jabr er (as in a race) towards all that is good”
but proactively and with great passion. Despite their differences, they lived side is a must-read for everyone interested in wal muqbalah, which has become the (Qur'an: 2:148).
“Valueless is the Muslim who is not a by side and nourished a complex culture of knowledge and Islam.) foundation for the principles of Mod- Indeed, for educated Andalusians of
teacher or a student” – this of course is acceptance that was enriching and produc- How many public libraries do we ern Algebra. Even the word ‘algorithm’ all faiths, their world was that of civili-
not in the literal sense, but it identifies tive. The result was a deep cultural tolerance have in Pakistan today? How valued are without which no computer scientist zation and light and their life a glorious
knowledge as the central focus for a Mus- and interfaith harmony that yielded a tre- the books there? How much do we read? can function, is derived from a corrup- journey to acquire knowledge and share
lim, whether receiving it or imparting it. mendous outpouring of creativity and mutu- Can all of us read? tion of Al-Khwarizmi’s name. More- it to benefit our world. At the end of the
From cradle to grave, our life’s journey al benefit. Córdoba, the capital of Andalusia, Simultaneously, the Abbasids (750- over, scholars calculated the earth’s day, the Book (of God) inspired the desire
is strewn with treasure troves of wis- became one of the world's leading centers of 1258) who were rivals of the aforemen- circumference, made maps of the earth, to learn and shone the light of knowledge
dom waiting to be collected. Acquiring medicine and philosophical debate. It gained tioned Andalusian Umayyads, pains- used astrolabes to measure the sun’s in a world of “darkness.” This led to in-
knowledge becomes “obligatory for ev- fame for its riches and its seven streams of takingly constructed a parallel center altitude, deciphered the direction of clusiveness and respect for the Other and
ery Muslim, male and female” (Tabari). wisdom – the 7 liberal arts – grammar, rhet- for knowledge in Baghdad and called it Mecca, and learnt to tell time. Scholars brought forth the renaissance or rebirth.
Yet more than 2,000 schools were de- oric, dialectic, arithmetic, geometry, astrono- ‘The House of Wisdom’ (Bait al hikma of the likes of Al-Kindi revolutionized God is light/noor upon light/noor – as
stroyed in Pakistan in 2013 in a spree of my, and music. In The Abacus and the Cross or Khizanat al kutub al-hikma). This mathematics and synthesized Greek Pakistanis, it is well to remind ourselves
madness by so-called ‘Muslims’. (2012) Nancy Marie Brown writes, “Cordoba served as an academy, library, translation philosophy with Islamic thought. Al- of Iqbal’s famous line, “Ilm kee shamma
Knowledge enables its possessor to impressed everyone who heard of it”. There center, and in many ways, an early form Biruni and Abu Nasr Mansur among se ho mujhko mohabbat ya Rab”.
distinguish right from wrong; it lights were libraries with 400,000 books under Al- of university. It hosted Muslim and non- many others made important contribu- (Dr Amineh Ahmed Hoti served as
the way to Heaven…and [is] an armor Hakam II, the heir of Abd ar-Rehman, the Muslim scholars who sought to translate tions to geometry and astronomy. Ibn Executive Director of the Center for
against enemies. [Therefore] the ink of largest of its kind in the Western world then. and gather the cumulative knowledge of al-Haytham contributed significantly Dialogue and Action at FCC, Lahore
the scholar is more sacred than the blood By contrast, The Bobbio Monastery in Italy human history. It was a major intellectual to the field of optics, and was credited and was a Fellow-Commoner of Lucy
of martyr… Acquire knowledge because housed 690 books. hub of the world, thriving and giving to with developing the concept of the sci- Cavendish College, University of Cam-
he who acquires it in the way of the Lord Imagine my fellow residents of a our shared world its own gems of wis- entific method. These works provided bridge. The theme of this article was
performs an act of piety; who speaks country with excessive “load-shedding” dom and knowledge. Baghdad became fundamental foundational theoretical from her class at FCC on ‘Ahl-e-Aql
of it, bestows alms; and who imparts it, and no clean water - paved streets were lit the world’s most important center for sci- material as well as inspiration for many and Ahl-e-Kitaab’)

World Intervention Needed to End Gaza paign of indiscriminate bombing against Palestinian people”. tal. Peace in the Middle East will remain According to Ms Baloch, Pakistan’s
Hostilities: Foreign Office the people of Gaza”. “It should fulfil its Urgent intervention elusive in the absence of such a solution.” Permanent Mission to the OIC was in
(Continued from page 1) obligations as an occupying power under The unprecedented situation de- When asked if there was any consul- consultation with other member coun-
and collective punishment by Israeli international law, lift the blockade and al- manded urgent intervention by the inter- tation at the highest level among Muslim tries, and discussions are ongoing for
forces,” Foreign Office spokesperson low unhindered access to humanitarian national community, Ms Baloch said, and states about a practical strategy to end calling a special meeting of the OIC on
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters at aid to the Palestinian people.” urged the UN to play a proactive role in the blockade, the FO spokesperson said the current situation in Palestine. The
a weekly briefing on Thursday. Ms Baloch added that the current facilitating a ceasefire to alleviate the dete- these consultations were taking place at spokesperson said Pakistan has always
“The decision to cut off electricity, cycle of aggression and violence was “a riorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, where maintained that the only solution to the
fuel and water supplies is unjust and sad reminder and a direct consequence “The international community must various options were being discussed. situation is a two-state solution and the
should be reversed, as it would severely of over seven decades of illegal foreign work in concert for a just, comprehen- “We have also noted the meeting creation of a state of Palestine established
impact the lives of the Palestinians re- occupation, aggression and disrespect sive and lasting two-state solution with which has been held by the Arab League, on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Al-
siding in the enclave.” for international law, including UNSC a viable, sovereign and contiguous State and we hope that the demands made by Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. “We believe
The spokesperson demanded Israel resolutions that recognize the inalien- of Palestine on the basis of pre-1967 bor- the Arab League are heeded by the Israeli that this policy is in alignment with the
to “bring an immediate end to its cam- able right to self-determination of the ders, with Al Quds Al-Sharif as its capi- authorities,” she remarked. wishes of the people of Pakistan”. - Dawn
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