Lesson Overview
Module 1- Introduction
Lesson 1 – Why studying Islamic Science is important (Part 1)
Looking at Islamic history purely from a historical perspective, we find this period to be the most significant eras in human history; one that had a great influence on our time. It is important for us to know and understand how the ideologies and institutions that built our post modern world, took form. Since the Islamic civilization was the direct precursor to the rise of the west, studying the significant developments- intellectual, socio-religious, political and economic- will give us a better insight into our times and the global society we live in. Understanding this period will be instrumental in understanding the development of modern science.
Lesson 2 – Why studying Islamic Science is important? (Part 2)
The 1000 years of Islamic history is the most significant period to understand Islam and how it changed the world. This historical period highlights how science, philosophy and religion can coexist and evolve as interdependent sciences, leading to a productive intellectual heritage. studying the history of islamic science will provide us an insight into how the first scientific revolution was inspired by a religious text- the quran.
Lesson 3 – Why studying Islamic Science is important? (Part 3)
studying the history of islamic science will help us in dealing with serious intellectual challenges that we as modern muslims are faced with. Islam today faces many challenges, but the most significant one is the intellectual
challenge. Revival of Islamic science and philosophy will constitute a formal response to the challenges hurled at the religious view of reality. Reviving the complimentarity between Islam, science and philosophy is a much needed
effort in this context.
Lesson 4 – Who is Jabir bin Hayyan? (Part 1)
Jabir bin hayyan was a Medieval era polymath, an alchemist, chemist, geographer, physician, physicist, astronomer, pharmacist, and philosopher all rolled into one. he is one of the most brilliant thinkers in history and the founder of modern science.
Lesson 5 – Who is Jabir bin Hayyan? (Part 2)
JABIR BIN HAYYAN WAS A MEDIEVAL ERA POLYMATH, AN ALCHEMIST, CHEMIST, GEOGRAPHER, PHYSICIAN, PHYSICIST, ASTRONOMER, PHARMACIST, AND PHILOSOPHER ALL ROLLED INTO ONE. HE IS ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT THINKERS IN HISTORY AND THE FOUNDER OF MODERN SCIENCE.
Module 2- The life and achievements of Jabir bin Hayyan
Lesson 6 – Jabir bin Hayyan's life
Jabir bin Hayyan was called The Sufi, probably the first person to be called that. At that time, the word sufi didn't mean a sectarian designation, rather simply a person whose main goal in life was the purification of the self and attain the level of Al Ihsan. He was tutored by a Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq.
Lesson 7 – Rise of Experimental science
Jabir bin hayyan is credited as being the founder of Experimental Science. Experimenting separates science as practiced by Muslims from the Ancient Greek
tradition of speculation. Experimentation and observation is the basic fundamental of Modern Science. And it was Muslim scientists like Jabir bin Hayyan, Al Kindi and Ibn al Haytham who introduced the world to this. He invented the idea of a Laboratory. He had one in Kufa.
Lesson 8 – Building Chemistry (Part 1)
Will Durant explains, ”Chemistry as a science was almost created by the Moslems;
where the Greeks were confined to industrial experience and vague hypotheses, The Muslims introduced precise observation, controlled experiment and careful records”.
Lesson 9 – Building Chemistry (Part 2)
Jabir is credited with the use of over twenty types of now basic chemical laboratory equipment such as the alembic and retort, and with the description of many now commonplace chemical processes in modern chemistry.
Lesson 10 – Islamic Atomic Theory
Jabir bin Hayyan is the first person in history to introduce an atomic theory into chemistry. this later on was adopted by european scientists and led to the development of quantum physics in the 20th century.
Lesson 11 – Alchemy or Chemistry? What did Jabir develop?
Many western scholars erroneously attribute the occultic pseudoscience known as alchemy to muslim chemists. on the contrary, With Jabir Bin Hayyan we see the transformation of the ancient occult practice of Alchemy which was shrouded with superstition and magic into Experimental Chemistry. This along with being empirical and scientific was based on an underlying 'spiritual' philosophy of the Quran. So we can say that Jabir developed a type of chemistry that was based on the spiritual values of islam.
Lesson 12 – Spiritual Chemistry
The Spiritual Chemistry developed in the Islamic world, was a science whose subject matter was the soul, as well as the mineral world. Inspired by the spiritual teachings of the Quran, the human being was considered the microcosm and the cosmos the macrocosm.
Lesson 13 – The 'Geber' Problem
Much controversy surrounds the figure of Jabir ibn Hayyan. This is called the Geber Problem. It mainly revolves around the issue of whether Jabir and the Latin Geber are one and the same scholar. Surely, Geber was the Latin counterpart of Jabir.
Lesson 14 – Theory of Natures- Jabir bin Hayyan's Philosophy
For Jabir the world is not made up of physical stuff, like the materialist Greek scientists thought. Rather, according to him non physical qualities/natures interact with each other to form the physical world around us. He and his mentor Imam Ja'far reject aristotle's famous four element theory.
Lesson 15 – The Theory of Balance (I’lm al Mizan)
Jabir’s important contribution to Science is the Theory of Balance ('ilm al-Mizan) which
he called “a divine science (I'lm lahuti). It's aim was to reduce all facts of human
knowledge to a system of quantity and measure and realize that everything in the
cosmos is according to an intricate balance.
Lesson 16 – Balance of Letters
From very early on Muslim mystics inspired by the Quran's disjointed letters had a deep
notion about how even the letters of the the Arabic language in themselves carry
meaning. For Jabir bin Hayyan not only do the letters of Arabic have meanings in
themselves but an intricate balance exists between them and the natural world.
With the Theory of Balance, Jabir is not merely interested in the formulation of a theory, he is attempting something far greater. He is attempting to construct a philosophical system on the basis of his central principle, Mizan al-Huruf, to systematically explain harmony and balance that exist in the world of nature (outer physical world) and the world of the mind (the inner psychical world).
Lesson 17 – Takwin- Precursor to Artificial Intelligent Life Synthesis (Part 1)
Artificial intelligence or the creation of any form of man made intelligence one may think is a very recent innovation. On the contrary The oldest reference to the feasibility of creating synthetic forms of life and intelligence in a controlled environment of a laboratory is Jabir bin Hayyan's book 'Kitab al Tajmi' (Book of Assemblage).
Lesson 18 – Takwin- Precursor to Artificial Intelligent Life Synthesis (Part 2)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OR THE CREATION OF ANY FORM OF MAN MADE INTELLIGENCE ONE MAY THINK IS A VERY RECENT INNOVATION. ON THE CONTRARY THE OLDEST REFERENCE TO THE FEASIBILITY OF CREATING SYNTHETIC FORMS OF LIFE AND INTELLIGENCE IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT OF A LABORATORY IS JABIR BIN HAYYAN'S BOOK 'KITAB AL TAJMI' (BOOK OF ASSEMBLAGE).
Lesson 19 – Takwin- Precursor to Artificial Intelligent Life Synthesis (Part 3)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OR THE CREATION OF ANY FORM OF MAN MADE INTELLIGENCE ONE MAY THINK IS A VERY RECENT INNOVATION. ON THE CONTRARY THE OLDEST REFERENCE TO THE FEASIBILITY OF CREATING SYNTHETIC FORMS OF LIFE AND INTELLIGENCE IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT OF A LABORATORY IS JABIR BIN HAYYAN'S BOOK 'KITAB AL TAJMI' (BOOK OF ASSEMBLAGE).
Module 3 - Jabir bin Hayyan’s influence on Europe
Lesson 20 – Influence on Western Chemistry
Jabir bin Hayyan's influence may be traced throughout the whole historic course of European alchemy and chemistry.
Lesson 21 – The Chemical Revolution
The fact that most terminology in Chemistry has Arabic roots denotes the deep influence of Islamic Chemistry in the building of Modern Chemistry.
Lesson 22 – A new era in Science
There are three main figures of Western Chemistry who are attributed with starting the Chemical Revolution- Robert Boyle, Lavoisier and John Dalton. Most of their contributions towards Modern Chemistry evolve around Jabir bin Hayyan's
work.
Module 4 - Why is Jabir bin Hayyan important and still relevant?
Lesson 23 – Quranic Mysticism and development of Science in the Muslim world
The Golden Age of Islam saw the developments of religious, spiritual, rational and
empirical sciences in a common intellectual atmosphere. This was unlike how science and philosophy flourished in the west.
Lesson 24 – Role of Imam Ja'far as Sadiq
The role of Imam Ja'far as Sadiq as the mentor of the Father of Chemistry (Jabir bin
Hayyan) has interesting implications. Where did the Prophet's Great great grandson recieve scientific know-how to refute famous greek philosophers? was there scientific activity in medina that early on in muslim history? What is the Role of spiritual insight in scientific inquiry?
Lesson 25 – Demolishing the Orientalist narrative
Jabir bin Hayyan's Quranic philosophy and his mentorship by one of the Ahlul Bayt-
Imam Jafar, negates many of the Orientalist false narratives that fill up journals on the history of science.
Lesson 26 – What are the purposes and ethics of science?
Jabir bin Hayyan's spiritual line of thought influenced his views on the practice of science and its ethics.
According to Jabir, the purification of the self and its spiritual rectification is the primary requirement and consequently, the ultimate goal of the practice and study of physical science
Lesson 27 – Islamic Futurism
Jabir in his theory of 'Takwin' or Artificial creation of life in a laboratory environment, does not only provide a hypothesis, but puts forth a road map of scientific and technological progress.
He lays down the foundations of futuristic thought in the contect of science and technology.
Lesson 28 – The ‘Dajjal and Science’ question (Part 1)
Jabir bin Hayyan's theory of Takwin will also find application in the field of Islamic Eschatology (I’lm al Akhiruzzaman).
As Jabir puts forward this bold road map of human technological progress, Muslims can make sense of the various trials of the False Messiah mentioned in the Hadith that come under the purview of science and technology.
Lesson 29 – The ‘Dajjal and Science’ question (Part 2)
JABIR BIN HAYYAN'S THEORY OF TAKWIN WILL ALSO FIND APPLICATION IN THE FIELD OF ISLAMIC ESCHATOLOGY (I’LM AL AKHIRUZZAMAN).
AS JABIR PUTS FORWARD THIS BOLD ROAD MAP OF HUMAN TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS, MUSLIMS CAN MAKE SENSE OF THE VARIOUS TRIALS OF THE FALSE MESSIAH MENTIONED IN THE HADITH THAT COME UNDER THE PURVIEW OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.
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