Botany
The
Muslim scientists made considerable progress in biology
especially in botany, and developed horticulture to a
high degree of perfection. They paid greater attention
to botany in comparison to zoology. Botany reached its
zenith in Spain.
Al-Masudi,
has given the rudiments of the theory of evolution in
his well known work Meadows of gold. Another of his works
Kitab al-Tanbih wal Ishraq advances his views on evolution
namely from mineral to plant, from plant to animal and
from animal to man.
In
botany Spanish Muslims made the greatest contribution,
and some of them are known as the greatest botanists of
mediaeval times. They were keen observers and discovered
sexual difference between such plants as palms and hemps.
They roamed about on sea shores, on mountains and in distant
lands in quest of rare botanical herbs. They classified
plants into those that grow from seeds, those that grow
from cuttings and those that grow of their own accord,
i.e., wild growth. The Spanish Muslims advanced in botany
far beyond the state in which "it had been left by
Dioscorides and augmented the herbology of the Greeks
by the addition of 2,000 plants." Regular botanical
gardens existed in Cordova, Baghdad, Cairo and Fez for
teaching and experimental purposes. Some of these were
the finest in the world.
The
Cordovan physician, Al-Ghafiqi (D. 1165) was a renowned
botanist, who collected plants in Spain and Africa, and
described them most accurately. According to G. Sarton
he was "the greatest expert of his time on simples.
His description of plants was the most precise ever made
in Islam; he gave the names of each in Arabic, Latin and
Berber". His outstanding work Al Adwiyah al Mufradah
dealing with simples was later appropriated by Ibn Baytar."
Abu
Zakariya Yahya Ibn Muhammad Ibn Al-Awwan, who flourished
at the end of 12 century in Seville (Spain) was the author
of the most important Islamic treatise on agriculture
during the mediaeval times entitled Kitab al Filahah.
The book treats more than 585 plants and deals with the
cultivation of more than 50 fruit trees. It also discusses
numerous diseases of plants and suggests their remedies.
The book presents new observations on properties of soil
and different types of manures.
Abdullah
Ibn Ahmad Ibn al-Baytar, was the greatest botanist and
pharmacist of Spain--in fact the greatest of mediaeval
times. He roamed about in search of plants and collected
herbs on the Mediterranean littoral, from Spain to Syria,
described more than 1,400 medical drugs and compared them
with the records of more than 150 ancient and Arabian
authors. The collection of simple drugs composed by him
is the most outstanding botanical work in Arabic.
"This
book, in fact is the most important for the whole period
extending from Dioscorides down to the 16th century."
It is an encyclopedic work on the subject. He later entered
into the service of the Ayyubid king, al-Malik al-l(amil,
as his chief herbalist in Cairo. From there he traveled
through Syria and Asia Minor, and died in Damascus.
One
of his works AI-Mughani-fi al Adwiyah al Mufradah deals
with medicine. The other Al Jami Ji al Adwiyah al Mufradah
is a very valuable book containing simple remedies regarding
animal, vegetable and mineral matters which has been described
above. It deals also with 200 novel plants which were
not known up to that time. Abdul Abbas Al-Nabati also
wandered along the African Coast from Spain to Arabia
in search of herbs and plants. He discovered some rare
plants on the shore of Red Sea.
Another
botanist Ibn Sauri, was accompanied by an artist during
his travels in Syria, who made sketches of the plants
which they found.
Ibn
Wahshiya, wrote his celebrated work al-Filahah al-Nabatiyah
containing valuable information about :animals and plants.
Many
Cosmographical encyclopedias have been written by Arabs
and Persians, which contain sections on animals, plants
and stones, of which the best known is that of Zakariya
al-Kaiwini, who died in 1283 A. D. Al-Dinawari wrote an
excellent 'book of plants' and al-Bakri has written a
book describing in detail the 'Plants of Andalusia'
Ibn
Maskwaih, a contemporary of Al-Beruni, advanced a definite
theory about evolution. According to him plant life at
its lowest stage of evolution does not need any seed for
its birth and growth. Nor does it perpetuate its species
by means of the seed.
The
great advancement of botanical science in Spain led to
the development of agriculture and horticulture on a grand
scale. "Horticulture improvements" says G. Sarton,
"constituted the finest legacies of Islam, and the
gardens of Spain proclaim to this clay one of the noblest
virtues of her Muslim conquerors. The development of agriculture
was one of the glories of Muslim Spain."
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