flat earth koran 09 of 13 - medieval islam
DESCRIPTION
An interpretation of the Cosmology of the Koran and a critque of Islamic Fundamentalism.Why the Koran is not the word of God.How Muslims discovered that the Earth was a sphere despite what the Koran and Hadith say to the contrary.TRANSCRIPT
30th April 2009 09 - Medieval Islam 1
The Flat Earth Koran
09 of 13 – Medieval Islam
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An interpretation of the Cosmology of the Koran & a critique of Islamic
Fundamentalism
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Introduction1. No discussion of Islamic Cosmology would be complete without
reference to the Golden Age of Islam (AD750-1250) when Islamic Civilisation was at its height & leading the World in many fields of Science.
2. Sometimes Muslims try and claim that this achievement was based on Islam and the Koran thus showing perfect harmony between their Religion and Science.
3. Sometimes they boast how “they” were so advanced while Western Europe was in the Dark Ages and Christians thought that the Earth was flat while “they” were accurately measuring its circumference.
4. Sometimes we are then told how superior Science and civilisation is due to a superior Religion – Islam.
5. Often we are told that we owe so much to “them”, the superior Civilisation and that we should acknowledge our inferiority.
6. Finally, we are often told that logic dictates our conversion to Islam.7. However, this is just Muslim hype and propaganda.
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Cosmology of the Koran & Hadith
In the previous eight Presentations in this seriesit was suggested that the
Koran and Hadithassume a Universe
such as the one shown inthe picture on the left.
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Al-Ma'mun Globe AD800’s
This is a modern reconstructionof a Medieval Islamic Globe
which was said to have been commissioned by the
Caliph Al-Ma'mun who ruled between AD813 & AD833
During the Golden Age of Islamthe Islamic World view from a Flat Earth to a Globe like this.
However, this was nothing to dowith the Koran
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Planetarium by Abbas Ibn Firnas
This is a modern reconstructionof a Medieval Islamic Planetarium
designed by Abbas Ibn Firnas (AD810 & AD887)
During the Golden Age of Islamthe Islamic World view from a Flat Earth to a Globe like this.
But this was nothing to dowith the Koran
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Cosmology of Medieval Islam
However, this is animage taken from an11th Century book on
Astronomy byAl-Buruni.It is
discussing the orbitsof spherical Planets.
Why the huge difference between this image & the
Koran?
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Cosmology of Medieval Islam
Islamic Science was not based on the Koran
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Ancient Cosmology in the Middle East
Ancient peoples in the Middle Eastbelieved that the Universe lookedlike this.This view goes back to at
least 3000BC.
Ancient Egyptian &Mesopotamian
Cosmology
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Cosmology of the Bible
This is how the writers of the Bible imagined the Universe.
(Similar to Ancient Egyptian &
Mesopotamian beliefs)
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Legacy of the Ancient Greeks
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Discovery of the Spherical Earth
The Ancient Greek Philosopher, Pythagoras
(570BC - 490 BC) proposedthat the Earth was a sphere
2500 years ago
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Aristotle and the Spherical Earth
The Ancient Greek Philosopher, Aristotle(384 BC – 322 BC)
popularised the idea thatthat the Earth was a sphere
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Eratosthenes and the Spherical Earth
The Philosopher, Eratosthenes (276 BC-194 BC)
worked out a method toaccurately measure the size
of the Earth.
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Crates and the Spherical Earth
Left: Modern interpretationof an Ancient Greek Globe.
The Philosopher, Crates of Mallus
(Second Century BC)is said to have constructed
a Globe to show the whole World.
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Ptolemy and the Spherical Earth
Around AD150, the Greek Philosopher Ptolemy summarised the workof many earlier Greek Scientists.Ptolemy imagined a spherical Earthfixed in the centre of the Universe with the Sun and Planets moving
around it.
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Ptolemy's Map of the Earth
Ptolemy also produced a Map of the known World.
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Library of Alexandria (c300bc – 48BC)
Left: A Modern interpretation of the
Ancient Library ofAlexandria, consideredby some as the Worlds
first University.
The Library continuedfor a couple of centuries
even after most of itwas burned in 48BC
Many ancient discoveries made here
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The Christian Spherical Earth
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Cosmology of the Bible
This is how the writers of the Bible imagined the Universe.
This was a problem for earlyChristianity since it conflicted with
Greek Science
(Similar to Ancient Egyptian &
Mesopotamian beliefs)
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Jesus Christ before Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate, like other educatedRomans almost
certainly knew thatthe Earth was a
sphere.
The problem for theearly Christians wasthat Jesus and otherBiblical Characters,including God, did
not know this.
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Saint Augustine of Hippo (AD354 - 430)
Christian Scholars such as Augustine attempted to reconcile
the Bible with the ideas of Greek Science such as a
Spherical Earth.
They did this by interpreting theBible in a Non-literal way
Although the Greeks and theBible disagreed on the shape of
the Earth, both agreed that it was in the centre of the Universe.
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Views of the Church Fathers
Spherical Earth
Flat Earth
By AD500 most Christian Scholars had accepted that the Earth was a Sphere.
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Medieval Christian Cosmos
The Medieval Synthesis of the Bible and Greek Science imagined a Universe like this.
God looks down upon a static spherical Earth in the centre
of the Universe as shown in Martin Luther's Bible of 1534.
This picture does not fit a literalInterpretation of the Bible.
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Columbus and the Medieval Flat Earth Myth
Contrary to popularbelief Medieval Europeans
in the time of Columbusdid not believe that the
World was flat.
This story s a C19th Mythcreated by Washington
Irving and perpetuated by Andrew Dickson White
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Columbus and the Medieval Flat Earth Myth
Washington Irvine Andrew Dickson White
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No Medieval Flat Earth
This famous picture iscalled the
Flammarion woodcutand it was first
published in1888.
It does not show howMedieval Europeans viewed the Universe.
It does show how theBible and Koran
describe the Universe.
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The real Christian Cosmos AD300 - AD1700
This is the imageof the Universe thatColumbus & other
Medieval Europeanshad.
A Spherical Earthsits fixed in thecentre of the
Universe.crystalline spheres holding the variousHeavenly bodies revolve around it.
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The Islamic Spherical Earth
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Mohammed's successors conquer Middle East
Left: By AD 750the Muslims had
conquered a huge Empire.
This began the 500 years of
the Golden Ageof Islam in which
Science andLearning prospered
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Early Muslims translate Greek Science texts into Arabic.
Beginning around AD750, theCaliphs who succeeded
Mohammed as leader of Islamtranslated and studied Greek
Science before going on to buildupon it.
This is when Muslims found outabout the Earth being a sphere.
This was not discovered in theKoran
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Mohammed teaching his Disciples
The problem for the early Muslims was that God says that the Earth is Flat in the Koran &
Greek Science contradictsthe Koran.
It appears that in order toreconcile Greek Science
with the Koran, theycopied the Christians andinterpreted the Koran in
a non-literal way.
Mohammed, like Jesus, thought thatthe Earth was Flat, but his successors
discovered that this was not true.
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Al-Ma'mun Globe AD800’s
It was Greek Science, rather than theKoran that enabled the construction
of globes like this.
Notice how the Americas and Australiaare not on the globe, reflecting the
limitations of Greek Science.
If this globe were based on information from God, as the Koran is said to be,then the globe would show the whole
of the Earths surface and not just what the Greeks knew about.
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Planetarium by Abbas Ibn Firnas
This is a modern reconstructionof a Medieval Islamic Planetarium
designed by Abbas Ibn Firnas ( AD810 & AD887)
However, this was nothing to dowith the Koran.This wrongly
shows the spherical Earth in aGeocentric Cosmos like that of
Ptolemy and other Greeks.
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Cosmology of Medieval Islam
This book on Astronomy by
Al Buruni is basedOn Greek Science And not the Koran.
It assumes a Spherical Earth but
in a Geocentric Cosmos just like the
Greeks did.
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Sack of Baghdad AD1258
A devastating blow was dealt to IslamicScience in AD1258when Baghdad was totally destroyed by
the Mongols.
After this, IslamicScience continued
but never againreached such heights
as before the citywas destroyed.
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Another Islamic Cosmology
Not all Medieval Islamic Cosmologies were so advanced though.
This picture from the AD1200’sshows a Flat Earth surrounded bymountains and held up by various
giant animals and an Angel.
This is by Zakariya Qazwini (d. 1283 or 1284).
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Conclusion
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Conclusion
1. During the Golden Age of Islam (AD750 – AD1258) Muslims discovered that the Earth was a sphere.
2. This had nothing to do with the Koran.In fact, it meant interpreting the Koran in a non-literal manner.
3. Medieval Islamic Science including knowing that the Earth was a sphere was based upon Greek Science going back to 500BC.
4. Contrary to popular opinion, Medieval Europeans knew that the Earth was a Sphere.In fact, they knew this before Medieval Islam did.
5. Not all Muslims accepted the views of Medieval Islamic Science.6. Medieval Islamic Science does not prove the truth of Islam any
more than Greek Science proves the existence of the Ancient Greek Gods.
7. Modern Islamic Fundamentalists might benefit from interpreting the Koran like their Medieval co-religionists.
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Continued on next Presentation ……