History

The first Muslim capital after Madinatun Nabi (Madinah – City of the Prophet), was Kufa, in present-day Iraq.  The Prophet Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali, fourth of the rightly-guided caliphs (Al Khulafa’ Al Rashidun الخلفاء الراشدون) moved the capital of his caliphate to Kufa.  After his death, the mighty Umayyad Empire arose, and the leader Mu’awiya Ibn Sufyan moved the capital to Damascus.  After an era of rapid expansion yet unrest, the Umayyad Caliphate too fell to its demise in the year 750.

The year 750 saw the emergence of the Great Abbasid Caliphate, named after the uncle Abbas of the Prophet Muhammad, and the establishment of Abbasid Baghdad as the capital in the year 762 of the Gregorian Calendar.  The legacy of the Abbasid Caliphate rings to this day, and it is suffice to say that the present world would not be as we know it had it not been for the splendid works and marvels of the Muslims during this time.

At the heart of the Abbasid Caliphate, which spread from Tunisia to the Indus, lay the city of Baghdad.  The capital of the greatest Muslim empire, Baghdad came to be known as the “bride amongst cities”, a wonder to be seen which the world flocked to.  Iraq became the center of the world.

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The following is a letter that was received by Nasir Shihab al-Din from a distant cousin in Baghdad, whose name has been lost through time.  The cousin worked in the National Library of Baghdad, known then as Bayt al-Hikmah, or the House of Wisdom, and he described the library vividly and passionately.

Assalaamo ‘Alaykom [Peace be Upon You] Oh Brother Nasir.  May you and your family be well with the grace of Allah the most exalted and his beloved messenger.

Ya Abu Bassam! [Oh Father of Bassam] I write to you presently as jubilation and fervor has hit my city of Baghdad, and your humble brother is a part of the reason why.  I write to you presently so that you may share in the pride and happiness that we are rejoicing for our beloved city.

Ya Ibn ‘Ammi! [Oh Son of my Uncle!] As you well know, my employment with the Bayt al-Hikmah [House of Wisdom], as founded by the revered Great Caliph Ma’mun, started only a few years ago.  And since then I have been honoured to walk shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest men of Baghdad who have come from each corner of the world to make this city a beacon of light!  I have spent day after day amongst Yunus [Jonas] with his whale, Nuh [Noah] with his arc, and Ibrahim [Abraham] as he toils with himself whether to sacrifice his son, may the blessings of the mighty Lord be upon them all.  All this is to say that your brother has been surrounded with the accounts of our history for the past few years as housed in the Bayt al-Hikmah.  I am proud as I write to you that this academy and library has stood as a symbol for our progress in front of this world in terms of philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, geography, and medecine, and I pray that it continues to do so!

And thus, Ya Akhi al Aziz! [Oh Beloved Brother!] I am beyond words as to describe how much it means to me to tell you that the Great Bayt al Hikma has been opened this morning for all the people of Baghdad, after a whole year of closure.  Day in and day out, every man and child, has made his way to the Grand House to read full Arabic translations of the philosophical and scientific works from Greece, Persia, and India.  I even saw a Byzantine Christian earlier who looked genuinely amazed at the piles of translated books of the Greek Aristotle, Galen, and the astronomer Ptolemy.  Our system of numbering is spreading so rapidly amongst the Believers and in the non-muslim lands.

Ya Akhi! [Oh Brother] I even took out a book myself of Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi whose work, The Book of Integration and Equation has been sought by all Muslims, Christians, and Jews.  I have seen children interested in his thoughts on al-Jabr [Algebra], and algorithm [derived from the name al-Khwarizmi] much to my amazement because it seems almost beyond possible to comprehend!  May our people continue to be this adamant in progressing our nation!

It swells my heart Ya Akhi Nasir [Oh Brother Nasir!] to quote a phrase of our historian Ibn Khaldun who said regarding his favourite study of geometry that the study “enlightens the intelligence of the man who cultivates it and gives him a habit of thinking exactly”.  After this morning, I can only hope that more men will rise up with the same caliber as al-Khwarizmi and Ibn Khaldun!

I could go on and on about our Grand Bayt al-Hikmah, but it seems that time does not permit me to do so.  I pray that you are well, and Umm Bassam [Mother of Bassam] and your child are living in peace and harmony with you.  I wish to hear from you soon Oh Brother!  Let me know about the state of Alamut!

I write to you in the Year 1235 of our Christian Brothers, and in the 632^nd year of the Hijrah of our Prophet, all salutations and praise be unto him.  I wish to hear from you soon.

The modern House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikmah) in Baghdad. It received severe damages during the attacks on Baghdad in 2003.

Science & Technology

The Abbasid Empire is known mostly for the rapid expansion of science and technology that was funded by the Caliphs themselves, especially during the time of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid.  In the year 830 A.D., the Caliph Mamun opened the Bayt al-Hikmah, which allowed students from all over the Muslim world to study the various philosophical, scientific, and mathematic works of intellectuals all over the world.  It is mostly through these arabic translations that the modern world knows of the great works of Aristotle, Plato, Galen, and Ptelomy.  It is also during this time that Khalil and his student Sibawaih authored the first Arabic dictionary.  Another note-worthy figure was the engineer Ibrahim Fazari who helped plan the founding of Baghdad.  He was the first in the Arab world to make astrolabes.  The Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris contains one from the year 905, most likely manufactured in Baghdad.

The Muslims of Abbasid Baghdad were crucial and unrivaled in the historical development of science and technology.

Bayt al-Hikmah

Baghdad quickly became the greatest center of wisdom in the medieval world.  This is why such an event as the opening of the House of Wisdom for all to experience the intellectual marvels of the world in one location would have meant so much to the cousin of Nasir Shihab al-Din.

The Bayt al-Hikmah housed a lot of persian manuscripts and books.  This is primarily due to the influence of Persians in Baghdad.  The Abbasid Empire followed many of the Sassanian customs after its establishment due to the proximity of the Perisan empire.  The courts were replicas of Persian courts, and many Persian customs were Islamisized and incorporated into the Arab Muslim spectrum.

It is to be noted that throughout the years, various nations have established their own Dar al-Hikmah or Bayt al-Hikmah, both synonymous of House of Wisdom.  Many have confused the establishment of the Dar al-Hikmah by the Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in Cairo in 1004 with the original Bayt al-Hikmah in Baghdad.  In reality, the various Houses of Wisdom around the world attempt to replicate the original in Baghdad.

The Egyptian Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi described the opening of the Dar al-Hikmah in Cairo, Egypt in the year 1004 as:

“In 1004 A.D. ‘The House of Wisdom’ was opened. The students took up their residence. The books were brought from [many other] libraries … and the public was admitted. Whosoever wanted was at liberty to copy any book he wished to copy, or whoever required to read a certain book found in the library could do so. Scholars studied the Qur’an, astronomy, grammar, lexicography and medicine. The building was, moreover, adorned by carpets, and all doors and corridors had curtains, and managers, servants and porters were appointed to maintain the establishment. Out of the library of Caliph al-Hakim those books were brought which he had gathered– books in all sciences and literatures and of exquisite calligraphy such as no king had ever been able to bring together. Al-Hakim permitted admittance to everyone, without distinction of rank, who wished to read or consult any of the books.”

Currently, the largest library in Karachi, Pakistan is in Hamdard University, also known as the “Bait al-Hikmah”.  In present-day Baghdad, there is a research institute modeled after its predecessor but it was severely damaged in the U.S. led attacks in 2003.

As the early Abbasid Caliphs slowly lost power, they were succeeded by the Buyids and the Seljuks, but they are not involved in our present discussion.  Overall, the early period of the Abbasid Caliphate was immensely successful.  Gaston Wiet sums it up by stating:

Great admiration should be expressed for this civilization born in Baghdad.  In this center of universal culture were found polite manners, refinement, general education, and the confrontation of religious and philosophical thought which made the Mesopotamian city the queen of the world during that period.