The Golden Age of Islam and Lessons for a Post-Covid World
By Mitchell Moskowitz
American University
Washington, DC

 

In our era of unprecedented globalization, cooperation between the countries and peoples of the world is absolutely essential to face existential challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, or the other daunting threats facing our collective civilization. As evidenced by the current state of global affairs, such cooperation is often rather difficult, as we are much more aware of our differences – be they religious, political, or otherwise – than our similarities. Yet, if we are to succeed in ushering in this new era of much-needed cooperation, the only path forward is one which emphasizes our common humanity and the interconnectedness of the 7.9 billion people who call Earth home.

It is out of this desire to emphasize our similarities and build bridges that Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University’s School of International Service and former Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, has written his latest book The Flying Man, Aristotle, and the Philosophers of the Golden Age of Islam: Their Relevance Today. Representing yet another chapter in Ahmed’s lifelong commitment to improving interfaith relations – especially between the Abrahamic religions – The Flying Man analyzes the legacies of some of Islam’s greatest medieval philosophers and examines the impact of the Islamic Golden Age’s achievements on the Jewish and Christian philosophical traditions. Featuring the intellectual giants Ibn Arabi, Averroes, Avicenna, and al-Ghazali, the book exposes the reader to the deep philosophical and religious issues which preoccupied the great scholars of the era, largely revolving around the reconciliation between divine revelation as represented by Islamic doctrine and the philosophy of the ancient Greeks with their emphasis on human rationality and logic.

Through the examination of these philosophers and their ideas on issues ranging from the relationship between the soul and physical body, the nature of existence itself, and the value of human rationality relative to theological knowledge, Ahmed serves to hammer home two key points which are relevant to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. First, the unfortunate misperception of Islam as a religion hostile to scholarship and intellect is just that – a misperception. At a time in which Europe remained in a period of cultural and intellectual stagnation, the Muslim world was producing polymaths like Avicenna and Averroes who excelled in medical science, astronomy, mathematics, and many other fields in addition to philosophy. Furthermore, it was the work of Muslim translators which first made the texts of Aristotle and the Ancient Greeks widely available in Europe. The Muslim world continues to face many challenges, yet the notion that Islam has failed to produce significant intellectual and cultural contributions is simply false, as evidenced by the impressive philosophical developments covered in the book, themselves representing but the tip of the Islam’s iceberg of contributions to the West.

Second, and perhaps most importantly, is that the work of these and other Muslim intellectuals directly influenced the philosophical development of Islam’s Abrahamic counterparts, as highlighted in the instances of Rabbi Moses Maimonides and St. Thomas Aquinas, on which Ahmed has dedicated two sections within The Flying Man. Not only did Maimonides and Aquinas, widely regarded as the brightest medieval thinkers in their respective faiths, have access to and interact with the philosophical works of their Muslim contemporaries, but in many cases shared their conclusions and beliefs.

For example, Maimonides recommended that his students read al-Farabi’s writings, and the rabbi’s views on the resurrection of the body after death were remarkably similar to that of al-Ghazali who similarly held his faith required its adherents to believe in the resurrection of the dead. Thomas Aquinas respected Averroes so much that he referred to him as “the Commentator” in his writings, something which clearly stands out during a time of intense hostility towards Muslims from many in Europe. Though these are but two examples of the Islamic Golden Age on non-Muslim thinkers, The Flying Man itself may be said to be a testament to the historical reality that the Muslim world’s cultural, scientific, and intellectual advancements played a direct and crucial role in the successive period of European development which produced the Renaissance and Enlightenment.

Growing up as a member of a Jewish family in which knowledge and education were prioritized, my discovery of the Golden Age of Islam – which is similarly viewed as a golden age for Jews, especially in Muslim-controlled Andalusia – came much earlier in my life than for many others. My long-held fascination with the history of my own people directly led to my greater familiarity with Islamic history and a deeper appreciation for the ways in which the peoples of the Abrahamic faiths are inextricably linked, regardless of those among us who would prefer to ignore this reality and the unparalleled similarities between these great religions. Indeed, growing numbers of Jews, Muslim, and Christians around the world are championing the cause of interfaith relations and recognizing the ties which connect our world’s religions under the common banner of humanity. The growing desire to rediscover and emphasize a common humanity is shared by billions across the world and clearly embodied in the warm reception Ahmed’s latest book has received from adherents of each Abrahamic faith.

“This book,” writes Dr Lord Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, “from perhaps the most distinguished and versatile Muslim scholar in the English-speaking world today, brings out both the intellectual and the human qualities of the great souls presented here.” “In this inspiring book Professor Akbar Ahmed continues his personal quest to bridge the gap between the Orient and the West, as he did in his earlier books and projects,” offers Dr Husein ef. Kavazović, Grand Mufti of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “You are making the world a much better place by bringing people together from a deep vantage point rather than just superficial agreements,” wrote Rabbi Mendel Bluming of Potomac, Maryland. “G-d bless you!”

In Judaism, there exists the concept of tikkun olam which asserts that mankind’s mission is to repair and improve the world by extending kindness and compassion to one’s fellow man, thereby making the world a holier place in accordance with God’s will. As coronavirus vaccines continue to make their way into the arms of patients and the nations of the world begin to increasingly shift their focus towards the rebuilding process necessitated by the ongoing pandemic, compassion and cooperation among our world’s countries and communities will be crucial in the collective effort to repair and heal from this incredibly devastating period. To facilitate this cooperation, it is incumbent among us all to take to heart the message of a common humanity which underlies The Flying Man and Ahmed’s career in general, and this vision is best realized when we learn that, as put by Grand Mufti Kavazović, “it is obvious that we humans, regardless of our backgrounds and affiliations, are similar in our quest for Truth, understanding ourselves, and in our ‘love of wisdom.’” An appreciation of this reality will invariably lead to the discovery that, as shown in The Flying Man with the case of the Golden Age of Islam and its impact on the philosophical development of the West, each religion, culture and people have something of value to offer each other. If the world is to successfully build a better world in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, then it would do well to keep this in mind.

This is a phenomenal book and a must-read for all of those invested in building a better future after the pandemic.

( Mitchell Moskowitz is the Program Assistant to the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University’s School of International Service in Washington, DC. He is a 2019 graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he studied Political Science with a concentration in International Affairs.)