In his book “Islamic Sciences and the Rise of the European Renaissance,” George Saliba narrates the story of this discovery, which greatly confused the academic community, and opened the broad question about the origin and sources of the development of European Renaissance sciences.

Europeans viewed the sciences of the Renaissance and Enlightenment as a stand-alone European innovation.

That is, these sciences were created almost out of nothing, but those whose horizons were a little broad and looked beyond the borders of the European world assumed that the sciences of the Renaissance were inspired by their sources from the classical Greek heritage instead of any other source, not to mention that someone assumed that these sciences were derived from Something from Arab Islamic sources.

Arab-Islamic sciences

The prevailing public opinion in those circles assumed the existence of European hostility towards Arab-Islamic sciences, and no one expected such fruitful scientific contact to occur.

This is why Saliba believes that the discovery of the direct link between Copernicus’s work and the theories of Arab planetary movements that appeared in the Islamic world about two or three centuries before that time is a shocking matter that has not yet been absorbed by the secondary sources that narrate the history of science in general.

Therefore, we see a small number of researchers realizing the existence of This connection and its meaning are appreciated.

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This scientific discovery opened the door wide for research into Arabic manuscripts that study the planets, spheres, the moon, and the sun.

Development of modern Astronomy

It was a surprise that Arab astronomy was the scientific material that led to the development of modern astronomy, and that every scientific revolution in the study of astronomy and space is in no way separated from theories.

And the equations of Ibn al-Haytham, Ibn al-Shatir, al-Battani, Abu al-Rayhan al-Biruni, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Muayyad al-Din al-Ardi, and many others.

The Islamic world was the center of astronomy in the world in the period from the second century until the tenth century AH.

There was an absorption of previous sciences from Greece and India, then their translation, and criticism, which led to the development of new theories, mathematical equations, the invention of astronomical machines, and the construction of observatories.

Major astronomy, discovering

Major astronomy, discovering the paths of the planets, stars, spheres, and the orbits of the sun and moon, calculating the days, studying the sphericity of the Earth, presenting maps, making models of the Earth, and wondrous astrolabe machines, observing the stars and assigning names to them, to the point that today we can hardly look into an astronomical instrument or an observatory.

Or a mathematical equation, except that we find that the Arab heritage has a deep imprint on it… In general, it was a major scientific revolution that led to the modern scientific renaissance in astronomy.

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What did the Arabs invent in astronomy?

Astrolabes. Astrolabes made of brass were created in Late Antiquity. Muhammad al-Fazari, who lived in the late eighth century, is the first Islamic astronomer to be credited with creating an astrolabe. In the “Golden Age” of Islam, astrolabes were widely used, primarily as a tool for locating the qibla.

Who was the Arab scientist in astronomy?

Hasan Ibn al-Haytham, also known by his Latinized name Alhazen (/aelhzn/; full name Ab Al al-asan ibn al-asan ibn al-Haytham; c. 965–c. 1040), was an Islamic Golden Age mathematician, astronomer, and physicist from modern-day Iraq.

Is there astronomy in Islam?

Long-term observations were made by astronomers in the Islamic world to create zjes. An astronomical manual known as a zj contains guidelines and tables for making calendars and determining celestial object positions as precisely as possible.

What does Allah say about astronomy?

Allah has granted humans the capacity and authorization to discover and journey into space. The night, day, sun, moon, and stars are all under His control, according to a different scripture. In fact, there are signs therein for those who use reason (Quran 16:12).

The Arabs corrected the mistakes of Greece

Tawfiq Al-Taweel tells us in his book “Our Arab and Islamic Heritage” about the great breakthrough achieved by Arab scientists in the field of astronomy.

They invented machines that would extend the ability of the senses to perceive, and invented devices that help in converting the results of their studies into numerical quantities characterized by extreme accuracy. They established the first observatories in astronomy.

The observatory that was established in Alexandria in the third century was the only one in the world, until the Arabs established observatories in Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, the cities of Andalusia, Maragheh, Samarkand, and others.

Al-Ma’mun

Al-Ma’mun gathered the most famous Arab astronomers of his time and asked them to create new machines to observe the planets. They did so and used them in many of their observations.

Thanks to these machines, the Arabs corrected many of the errors of the Greek sciences in astronomy that were common and accepted among the people, and they arrived at treasures of new facts. And they made an accurate calculation of the days of the year.

They are (as in the calculation of Abu Abdullah, Muhammad bin Jabir bin Sinan al-Battani) 365 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes, and 24 seconds. That is, they differ by a very slight difference from our accurate calculation today, by two minutes and twenty-three seconds.

Amazing Precision

This is amazing precision and unparalleled ingenuity, if we compare the tools and techniques that we have today with their tools. The Arabs also predicted solar and lunar eclipses with admirable accuracy.

They proved the Earth’s sphericity and rotation, and monitored the position of the sun from Palmyra and Sinjar at the same time.

From this, they reached an estimate of the Earth’s circumference at 41,248 kilometers, i.e. a slight increase from what is in modern astronomical calculations.

Abbasid era

In the third century AH, astronomers in the Abbasid era came to measure the declination of the Earth’s axis, and Al-Battani calculated the value of the inclination of the zodiac’s ecliptic to the average day’s orbit and found it to be 23 degrees and 35 minutes (35’.23°).

Modern astronomical studies have shown us that he was very correct, except for one minute.

Al-Ma’mun wanted to confirm the accuracy of the measurement of the Earth’s circumference in Ptolemy’s Geography, so he asked a group of Arab astronomers to verify the truth of this issue, so some of them traveled to between Wasit Raqqa – a village west of the Euphrates opposite Raqqa – and Palmyra.

There they measured the extent of a degree of the greatest circle passing through the surface of the Earth, and that was fifty-seven miles.

Astronomy

That is why the Italian orientalist Carlo Nellino, in his book “Astronomy: Its History among the Arabs in the Middle Ages,” says: “The Arabs’ measurement of the Earth’s circumference was the first true measurement, all of which was conducted directly, with all the long time, difficulty and hardship required by the area, and the participation of a group of astronomers.” And the workers in this work, we must count that analogy in the glorious scholarly works of the Arabs.

Arab ingenuity and excellence

The examples of Arab ingenuity and excellence in astronomy are so many that it is difficult to enumerate them. Indeed, a number of historians and orientalists believe that the greatest science that distinguished Islamic civilization is astronomy and space.

However, this ancient heritage is still a vast sea that requires further discovery and research into its treasures and secrets. However, these models provide us with a picture of the scientific accuracy that these distinguished scientists achieved with their tools and observatories at that time.

They express the highest forms of dedication and devotion to the service of science and the advancement of human civilization.

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Saudi astronaut

We remember those great achievements and Arab deeds, in this historic moment created by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when it launched the scientific flight heading to space, carrying the first Saudi astronaut, Rayana Barnawi, and astronaut Ali Al-Qarni, making Saudi Arabia the first in the Arab world to send three astronauts.

Space, this space that radiates the giving of Arab scientists who made history and led a great scientific revolution in the sciences of astronomy, planets and stars… and the sky still radiates the depth of their giving and the brilliance of their impact to this day.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Arab astronomy has left an indelible mark on the study of the cosmos, leaving behind a rich legacy that continues to inspire and shape our understanding of the universe.

From the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia to the Islamic Golden Age, Arab astronomers made significant contributions in various fields, including celestial observations, mathematical calculations, and astronomical instruments.

Earth’s circumference

Moreover, Arab astronomers made groundbreaking discoveries and advancements in various areas of astronomy. They accurately determined the Earth’s circumference, developed models to explain the motion of celestial bodies, and made significant contributions to the field of optics.

Their work laid the foundation for future scientific advancements and influenced astronomers from different cultures and civilizations.

Today, we continue to benefit from the contributions of Arab astronomers. Their work has shaped our understanding of the cosmos, and their methods and instruments continue to be used in modern astronomy.

Arab astronomy serves as a reminder of the importance of cross-cultural exchange and the power of human curiosity and ingenuity in unraveling the mysteries of the universe.