Islam Creator of the Modern Age
3. Muslim Contribution to Science
~ 106 ~
in A.D. 325. After the acceptance of Christianity by
Constantine the Great (280-337), the faith spread all
over Roman territory. Now vested with tremendous
power, the Christians patronized, in particular, the
theory of Ptolemy. The curtain of darkness fell over
the heliocentric theory of Aristarchus.
Of geocentricity the
Encyclopaedia Britannica
(1984)
says: “There was no further scope for cosmology in
the model, which continued to be taught and used
almost everywhere until the 17th century.”
50
It was not until 1495 that Copernicus arrived at the
conclusion that the earth was not the centre of the
universe. After a long period of research devoted to
astronomical studies, he was forced to conclude that
the planets revolved around the sun. But, fearing
the opposition of the Church, he refrained from
publishing his findings until 1543.
The Muslims, however, did not suffer from the
error of regarding as sacred, that which was non-
sacred. They were in a position to reflect upon
matters of scientific interest with open minds, and
in a purely academic way. When they found that
