মধ্যযুগে বিজ্ঞান চর্চায় মুসলমানদের বিস্ময়কর অবদান

Sun, 31/07/2011 - 10:12am | by ড. আ ফ ম খালিদ হোসেন

 

রসায়ন শাস্ত্রের জনক জাবির ইবন হাইয়ান

ইবন সীনা লিখিত ‘কানুন ফিত তিব’ ৩শ বছর ধরে ইউরোপীয় মেডিক্যাল কলেজে পাঠ্যভূক্ত ছিল

‘মধ্যযূগের দু/এক জন ছাড়া মুসলমানদের মাঝে উল্লেখযোগ্য তেমন কোন বিজ্ঞানী নেই।' এমন ধারনা অনেকে পোষণ করে থাকেন। অথচ এ তথ্য যেমন সঠিক নয়, তেমনি ইতিহাস নির্ভরও নয়। মধ্যযুগ (৭ম হতে ১৩ শতাব্দী)পুরোটা মুসলমান বিজ্ঞানীদের যুগ। এ কারণে মধ্যযুগকে বলা হয় ‘স্বর্ণালীযুগ’। জ্ঞান বিজ্ঞানের এমন কোন শাখা নেই যেখানে মধ্য যুগের মুসলমানরা কৃতিত্বের সাক্ষর রাখেনি। বহু ইহুদী-খ্রিষ্টান শিক্ষার্থী জ্ঞান গবেষণার জন্য স্পেনের কর্ডোভা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে ভিড় করত । হ্যাঁ এ কথা সত্য আধুনিককালে বিজ্ঞানের অগ্রযাত্রায় মুসলমানদের কোন অবদান নেই। কেন নেই তার উপর রীতিমত গবেষণা প্রয়োজন। আমার মনে হয় বিলাসিতা, বিজ্ঞান চর্চায় অনীহা ও পারস্পরিক কোন্দল মুসলমানদের পিছিয়ে রেখেছে। মধ্যযুগে মুসলমানরা জ্ঞান-বিজ্ঞানের নিয়ামক হলেও ইহুদী ও খ্রিষ্টান ধর্মাবলম্বীদের মধ্যেও অনেকে বিজ্ঞান চর্চা করে খ্যাতি লাভ করেন । যার যা প্রাপ্য তাকে তা দিতে কার্পণ্য করা উচিৎ নয়। বিশিষ্ট ইউরোপীয় গবেষক Paul J. Balles বলেন, মধ্যযুগে মুসলমানরা যখন অবিশ্বাস্যভাবে সভ্যতা বিনির্মাণে বিপুল অবদান রাখে তখন ইউরোপ ছিল অন্ধকারাচ্ছন্ন। জ্ঞান-বিজ্ঞান চর্চার প্রতিযোগিতায় গ্রিক ও রোমান সভ্যতার ধারকগণ আরব মুসলমানদের অতিক্রম করতে পারেনি। বরং গ্রিক বিজ্ঞানকে আরবীতে অনুবাদের মাধ্যমে মুসলমানরা যে বিশাল অবদান রেখেছে তার জন্য আধুনিক বিজ্ঞানীরা তাদের কাছে কৃতজ্ঞ । Paul J. Balles বলেন : “Between the 7th and 13th centuries Arab civilization made incredibly large contributions to the future of humankind - no less than any other great civilizations before or after. While the West suffered the Dark Ages, Arab culture and learning flourished in a way previously unprecedented. Neither Greek civilization with its great philosophers nor Roman civilization with its spectacular conquests and temples exceeded the achievements of the Arabs. Had it not been for the Arab libraries, the centuries of Greek, Roman and Byzantine cultures and learning would have been lost to the Dark Ages. One of the Arabs' most valuable contributions was the preservation of Greek learning through the Middle Ages, and it is through their translations that much of what we know today about the Greeks became available.”
(http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?61918-Arab-And-Muslim-Contributions-To-All-Sciences-And-Progress-Of-Humanity-very-Important.)
বিজ্ঞান চর্চা ও অনুশীলনে মুসলমানদের বিস্ময়কর অবদান সম্পর্কে উইকিপেডিয়ার মন্তব্য প্রণিধানযোগ্য : Science in medieval Islam, also known as Islamic science or Arabic science, is the science developed in the Islamic world during the Islamic Golden Age between the 7th and 15th centuries. During this time, Indian, Iranian and especially Greek knowledge was translated into Arabic. These translations became a wellspring for scientific advances, by scientists from the Islamic civilization, during the Middle Ages.[1]Scientists within the Islamic civilization were of diverse ethnicities. A great portion were Persians[2][3] and Arabs,[3] in addition to Berbers, Moors and Turks. They were also from diverse religious backgrounds. Most were Muslims,[4][5][6] but there were also many Christians and Jews,[7][8] as well as Sabians, Zoroastrians and the irreligious.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_in_medieval_Islam)
গতকাল (৩০ জুলাই’১১) দৈনিক আমার দেশ-এ মো. বেলায়েত হোসেন লিখিত একটি প্রাসঙ্গিক নিবন্ধের চুম্বক অংশ উদ্ধৃত করা গেল । “বিজ্ঞানের জয়যাত্রার বহু আগেই ইসলাম বিজ্ঞানের মৌলিক নীতিগুলো জগতের সম্মুখে উপস্থাপন করেছে। শুধু তা-ই নয়, ইসলামের আবির্ভাবের পর বিজ্ঞানের উন্নতি ইসলাম ও বিজ্ঞানের মধ্যে একটি কার্যকারণ ও যোগসূত্র সূচিত করে। মুসলমানরা বৈজ্ঞানিক সভ্যতার রূপকার ও রসায়নশাস্ত্রের জন্মদাতা ছিলেন—একথা বললে মোটেও অত্যুক্তি হবে না। জাবির ইবনে হাইয়ান ও আল রাজী ছিলেন রসায়নশাস্ত্রে সে যুগের ’নিউটন’। এক হাজার শতাব্দীতে বিখ্যাত বৈজ্ঞানিক আল হাজের পদার্থবিজ্ঞানে যা দান করে গেছেন তা আধুনিক বিজ্ঞানেরও পরম সম্পদ। তিনি আলোক বিজ্ঞানের ওপর সাত খণ্ড গ্রন্থ রচনা করেছিলেন। এই সময়ে মুসলিম বিজ্ঞানীদের গবেষণা দ্বারাই সর্বপ্রথম টেলিস্কোপের কার্যধারা আবিষ্কৃত হয়েছিল। অঙ্কশাস্ত্রে বাইনোমিয়েল তত্ত্ব, নানাবিধ মেরুকরণ ও সমীকরণ এবং আরও বহু বিষয় মুসলিম বিজ্ঞানীদের অসাধারণ সব কীর্তি। চিকিত্সাশাস্ত্রে মুসলমানরা এত উন্নতি সাধন করেছিলেন যে, একসময় গোটা ইউরোপে এই শাস্ত্রের জন্য মুসলিমদের লেখা বইগুলোই একমাত্র পাঠ্য বলে বিবেচিত হতো। সবচেয়ে বড় কথা হলো বিজ্ঞানের ব্যবহারিক দিক অর্থাত্ পরীক্ষা-নিরীক্ষার পদ্ধতি সর্বপ্রথম মুসলিম বিজ্ঞানীরাই প্রবর্তন করেছিলেন, গ্রিক যুগে এটা কারও জানা ছিল না। মুসলমানদের আর একটি প্রধান কীর্তি হলো অবলুপ্তপ্রায় গ্রিক ও ভারতীয় জ্ঞান-বিজ্ঞানের আহরণ, অনুবাদ ও সংরক্ষণ। তা না হলে অনেক আগেই এ দুই মহাসভ্যতার বহু দানের চিহ্ন পর্যন্ত অবশিষ্ট থাকত না ”(আমার দেশ, ৩০.০৭.২০১১)

আমি নিচে উল্লেখযোগ্য ১৯জন মুসলিম বিজ্ঞানীর নাম ও তাদের আবিস্কারের বিবরণী উপস্থাপন করছি উইকিপেডিয়ার সৌজন্যে :
In medieval Islam, the sciences, which included philosophy, were viewed holistically. The individual scientific disciplines were approached in terms of their relationships to each other and the whole, as if they were branches of a tree. In this regard, the most important scientists of Islamic civilization have been the polymaths, known as hakim or sages. Their role in the transmission of the sciences was central.[20]
The hakim was most often a poet and a writer, skilled in the practice of medicine as well as astronomy and mathematics. These multi-talented sages, the central figures in Islamic science, elaborated and personified the unity of the sciences. They orchestrated scientific development through their insights, and excelled in their explorations as well.[21]
Jabir ibn Hayyan (ca. 8th - 9th century) was an alchemist who used extensive experimentation and produced many works on science and alchemy which have survived to the present day. Jabir described the laboratory techniques and experimental methods of chemistry. He identified many substances including sulfuric and nitric acid. He described processes including sublimation, reduction and distillation. He utilized equipment such as the alembic and the retort. There is considerable uncertainty as to the actual provenance of many works that are ascribed to him.[22][23]
The Banu Musa brothers, Jafar-Muhammad, Ahmad and al-Hasan (ca. early 9th century) were three sons of a colorful astronomer and astrologer. They were scholars close to the court of caliph al-Mamun, and contributed greatly to the translation of ancient works into Arabic. They elaborated the mathematics of cones and ellipses, and performed astronomic calculations. Most notably, they contributed to the field of automation with the creations of automated devices such as the ones described in their Book of Ingenious Devices.[24][25][26]
Ibn Ishaq al-Kindi (801-873) was a philosopher and polymath scientist heavily involved in the translation of Greek classics into Arabic. He worked to reconcile the conflicts between his Islamic faith and his affinity for reason; a conflict that would eventually lead to problems with his rulers. He criticized the basis of alchemy and astrology, and contributed to a wide range of scientific subjects in his writings. He worked on cryptography for the caliphate, and even wrote a piece on the subject of time, space and relative movement.[27]
Hunayn ibn Ishaq (809-873) was one of the most important translators of the ancient Greek works into Arabic. He was also a physician and a writer on medical subjects. His translations interpreted, corrected and extended the ancient works. Some of his translations of medical works were used in Europe for centuries. He also wrote on medical subjects, particularly on the human eye. His book Ten Treatises on the Eye was influential in the West until the 17th century.[28]
Abbas ibn Firnas (810-887) was an Andalusian scientist, musician and inventor. He developed a clear glass used in drinking vessels, and lenses used for magnification and the improvement of vision. He had a room in his house where the sky was simulated, including the motion of planets, stars and weather complete with clouds, thunder and lightning. He is most well know for reportedly surviving an attempt at controlled flight.[29]
Thabit ibn Qurra (835-901) was a Sabian translator and mathematician from Harran, in what is now Turkey. He is known for his translations of Greek mathematics and astronomy, but as was common, he also added his own work to the translations. He is known for having calculated the solution to a chessboard problem involving an exponential series.[30]
al-Khwarizmi (ca. 8th - 9th century) was a Persian mathematician[31], geographer and astronomer. He is regarded as the greatest mathematician of Islamic civilization. He was instrumental in the adoption of the Indian numbering system, later known as Arabic numerals. His developed algebra, which also had Indian antecedents, by introducing methods of simplifying the equations. He used Euclidian geometry in his proofs.[32]
al-Battani (850-922) was an astronomer who accurately determined the length of the solar year. He contributed to numeric tables, such as the Tables of Toledo, used by astronomers to predict the movements of the sun, moon and planets across the sky. Some of Battani's astronomic tables were later used by Copernicus. Battani also developed numeric tables which could be used to find the direction of Mecca from different locations. Knowing the direction of Mecca is important for Muslims, as this is the direction faced during prayer.[33]
Abu Bakr Zakariya al-Razi (ca. 854-925/935) was born in Rayy, Iran. He was a polymath who wrote on a variety of topics, but his most important works were in the field of medicine. He identified smallpox and measles, and recognized fever was part of the body's defenses. He wrote a 23-volume compendium of Chinese, Indian, Persian, Syriac and Greek medicine. al-Razi questioned some aspects of the classical Greek medical theory of how the 4 humors regulate life processes. He challenged Galen's work on several fronts, including the treatment of bloodletting. His trial of bloodletting showed it was effective; a result we now know to be erroneous.[34]
al-Farabi (ca. 870-950) was a rationalist philosopher and mathematician who attempted to describe, geometrically, the repeating patterns popular in Islamic decorative motifs. His book on the subject is titled Spiritual Crafts and Natural Secrets in the Details of Geometrical Figures.[35]
Ibrahim ibn Sina (Avicenna) (908-946) was a physician, astronomer, physicist and mathematician from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. In addition to his master work, The Canon of Medicine, he also made important astronomical observations, and discussed a variety of topics including the different forms energy can take, and the properties of light. He contributed to the development of mathematical techniques such as Casting out nines.[36]
al-Zahrawi (936-1013) was an Andalusian surgeon who is known as the greatest surgeon of medieval Islam. His most important surviving work is referred to as al-Tasrif (Medical Knowledge). It is a 30 volume set discussing medical symptoms, treatments, and mostly pharmacology, but it is the last volume of the set which has attracted the most attention over time. This last volume is a surgical manual describing surgical instruments, supplies and procedures. Scholars studying this manual are discovering references to procedures previously believed to belong to more modern times.[37]
ibn al-Haytham (965-1040) was an Egyptian scientist who worked in several fields, but is now known primarily for his achievements in astronomy and optics. He was an experimentalist who questioned the ancient Greek works of Ptolemy and Galen. At times, al-Haytham suggested Ptolomey's celestial model, and Galen's explanation of vision, had problems. The prevailing opinion of the time, Galen's opinion, was that vision involved transmission of light from the eye, an explanation al-Haytham cast doubt upon. He also studied the effects of light refraction, and suggested the mathematics of reflection and refraction needed to be consistent with the anatomy of the eye.[38]
al-Zarqali (1028-1087) was an Andalusian artisan, skilled in working sheet metal, who became a famous maker of astronomical equipment, an astronomer, and a mathematician. He developed a new design for a highly accurate astrolabe which was used for centuries afterwards. He constructed a famous water clock that attracted much attention in Toledo for centuries. He discovered that the Sun's apogee moves slowly relative to the fixed stars, and obtained a very good estimate[39] for its rate of change.[40]
Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) was a poet and mathematician who calculated the length of the year to within 5 decimal places. He found geometric solutions to all 13 forms of cubic equations. He developed some quadratic equations still in use. He is well known in the West for his poetry (rubaiyat).[41]
al-Idrisi (1100-1166) was an Andalusian traveler, cartographer and geographer famous for a map of the world he created for Roger, the Norman King of Sicily. al-Idrisi also wrote the Book of Roger, a geographic study of the peoples, climates, resources and industries of all the world known at that time. In it, he incidentally relates the tale of a Moroccan ship blown west in the Atlantic, and returning with tales of faraway lands.[42]
ibn al-Nafis (1213-1288) was a physician who was born in Damascus and practiced medicine as head physician at the al-Mansuri hospital in Cairo. He wrote an influential book on medicine, believed to have replaced ibn-Sina's Canon in the Islamic world - if not Europe. He wrote important commentaries on Galen and ibn-Sina's works. One of these commentaries was discovered in 1924, and yielded a description of pulmonary transit, the circulation of blood from the right to left ventricles of the heart through the lungs.[43]
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201-1274) was a Persian astronomer and mathematician whose life was overshadowed by the Mongol invasions of Genghis Khan and his grandson Helagu. al-Tusi wrote an important revision to Ptolemy's celestial model, among other works. When he became Helagu's astrologer, he was furnished with an impressive observatory and gained access to Chinese techniques and observations. He developed trigonometry to the point it became a separate field, and compiled the most accurate astronomical tables available up to that time.[44]

Partner site : online news / celebrities /  celebrity image

website design by Web School.