Reason
& Rationality
No
one before Islam said use your reason. Repression was
based on priesthood, hierarchy or the one in control.
They emphasized the use of intellectual capacity in all
areas of life. One of the principles they created is that
the mind deals with reason, exploration, but does not
harbor emotions.
As
a result of Islamic teachings and the preservation of
Greek and Roman thought through Arabic translations of
original texts, the Renaissance came into being.
Averroes
(and wider Islamic thought) was instrumental in the development
of rationalism within the Christian tradition, a factor
which has been a major influence on the development of
the West as such.
At
this point, most especially in the Islamic kingdom of
Spain but also in the East, Islamic culture was by and
large tolerant and affirmative of religious diversity
within its own boundaries.
This
made for a rather impressive inter-cultural intellectual
milieu, where Islamic philosophers and theologians discussed
and clarified their faith alongside similar representations
from Christian and Judaic thinkers.
Cordoba
in southern Spain, the then capital of the Moorish empire,
is perhaps the most impressive example of such inter-cultural
diversity.
Here,
Muslim translations and commentaries on Aristotle from
Greek into Arabic were translated by Jewish scholars into
Hebrew and by Christian scholars from Hebrew into Latin.
This
led to an extraordinary degree of mutual dependence and
influence between the three religious traditions, and
by today’s standards, a surprising level of respect
and friendship between Islamic philosophers and their
counter-religionists.
Thus,
for example, the formidable Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides
declared himself a disciple of the Muslim Averroes while
an influential (although heretical) grouping called the
Christian Averroists also sprung up in Paris, declaring
their debt to the Master.
No
less a figure than Thomas Aquinas also owed a huge debt
to Averroes, although this debt was not always so explicitly
acknowledged.
Christian
thinkers relied more on Ibn Rushd (Averroism) than on
Aristotle in researching in the world of science. Among
Ibn Rushd's followers were the Jewish thinkers who called
him "the soul and intelligence of Aristotle. In fact,
Jewish philosophers such as Ibn Maymun, known as Maimonides
(d. 1204), Yahuda ben Solomo Cohen and Aveicebron who
were the main glory of intellect were students of Ibn
Rushd and Arabic philosophy.
It
is the Islamic philosophy that floats high above all racism
that gave freedom and protection to minority and the Jews
who translated the Arabic works into Hebrew (12th to 14th
century). Rom Landau stated in his book, "The Arab
Heritage of Western Civilization" that "Averroism
became the chief doctrine of the philosophical schools
of Paris, Padua and Bologna.
It
helped lay the foundation for the Renaissance"
Print
Page 
Email
to a Friend
