Contribution of Arabian Empire to the World Civilization
Islam emanated from Arabia during the seventh century. The founder of this religion was Prophet Mohammed. Prior to the coming of the religion in the Arabian Peninsula, the people of Arabia worshipped many Gods such as stones and other artistic objects. Besides, they were living in various groups of warring tribes. However, the new religion paved the way to unite the people in the Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, the Arabian empire developed and promoted important cultural and artistic work of the
region to reflect the ideals of Islam on one hand and to enrich world civilizations on the other. These contributions include: the arts, literature, medicine, the Arabic language, trade, philoshophy, and science. Islamic civilization, as most people believe, is one of the richest and most prolific historical cultures in the world.
As the Islam empire continued to grow and expand, the Arabs were exposed to Greco-Romans, Byzantine, Coptic, Sassanian, Buddhist, and Chinese civilization (Bernard, 47). The Arabians also encountered the indigenous artistic traditions of the Berbers, Slavs, Turk, Goths, and various African peoples, among others. These local practices determined the beliefs and aesthetics suiting the Muslims. Therefore, Islamic fine art followed trends and styles from many of these civilization including the Byzantine, Hellenistic, Coptic, Sassanian, and Nabatean artistic traditions (Fahd, 112). This is much like inventing a new dish by using old ingredients in a unique and original fashion. Thereafter, the Islamic artist had the benefit of mounting most of the qualities they had borrowed in advancing their own styles, motifs, and trends that conformed to the teachings of their own religion, and so helped shaped their own aesthetics. Moreover, once Islam art matured and got its own style, the intercultural exchange continued without having any serious effect on Islamic aesthetics. For example, forms and styles in Chinese paintings undoubtedly influenced Ilkhanid miniatures; this style eventually found its way into Iranian, Arab, Mughal, and Turkish miniature painting as well. (Alī, Wiǧdān, 74).
In addition, the arts of the Islamic culture of the Arabs served as a link between ancient culture and modern civilization. One could say that the mark of Islam and Arab civilization might be compared to the legacy of ancient Greece and Rome in the medieval world. Like the Greeks, they excelled in pottery, metalwork, woodwork, glassware jewelers, carpet, and papermaking, which other civilizations adopted. Calligraphy, a decorative style of writing, was one of the gifts of Arab culture to world civilizations (Garraty & Mark, 35).
The Arabian empire has contributed in various ways in the field of agriculture, industry, and commerce besides various art, science, and philosophy. This contribution in the field of art and architecture was creative at the time of the Arabian empire. As the empire continued to grow at the time, they built gracious and orderly cities. Most of their cities were being adorned with mosques, palaces,gardens, fountains, libraries, bridges, and public baths.
The Arabian contribution to the world civilization was also prominent in the field of literature. The Quran is by all sense seen as one of the world’s classics (Arbuthnot, 23). The Quran, as a literature, is used by nations in the Arabian Peninsula today and by few other parts of the world. The document is the sacred text of Islam, which is mainly writing, in the Arabic language for their use and edification of the Islamic religion. Its followers serve as the only authoritative way in communing with Allah and obeying his instructions.
Another important literature after the Quran is the Hahith. The Haddith, which means narrative in Islam, is a collection of the sayings and deeds of the Muhammad, compiled after his death. The Haddith contains the Sunna, or tradition, of Muhammed’s teachings, speeches, and actions and is an important reference for how good Muslims should think and act.
Consequently, the Arab empire, through its various initiatives, developed the mental capacity of its people in the area of artistic inventions. The Arabs were experts in the art of dyeing which was popularly called the Arabian Nights. Through this, they were able to teach the Europeans to manufacture steel from iron.
In the development of medicine, the Arabs left many legacies. One included the first the construction of hospitals. Al Razi, who was a famous physicist as at the time, contributed immensely to the health sector. He founded the true nature of smallpox and was among the scientists who found out that tuberculosis was a contagious disease and many other ailments of the eyes as discovered. In addition to all these achievements, the Arabs also boast of having invented chemicals such as sodium carbonate, silver nitrate, sulphuric acid, and nitric acid (Serjeant, 121).
The Arabic language is another contribution to world civilizations. The language originally belongs to the conqueror, and it was used to systematically assimilate the people of the empire. The language eventually became the language of the government and learning. The conquered people who wanted to succeed under the empire had to learn the Arabic language. The resulting premise derived Arabic as a potent civilizing tool of unity in the peninsula.
The next important point of the Arab empire’s contribution to world civilizations is trade. This era was probably part of a prosperous time in the account of the Middle East. Trade flourished, not only in the Islamic world but also with the Chinese during the Tang and Song dynasties, the Byzantine Empire, and the trading societies in the Southeast Asia. The means of transportation at that time were ship and by the camel caravans that transverse the areas of West and Central Africa to the far parts of Caspian Sea. From West Africa, they dealt basically with gold and slaves, from China, silk and porcelain, from the East Africa, gold and ivory, and from the lands of South Asia, sandalwood, cotton, wheat, sugar ,and spices. All these trading activities took the form of banking and the use of currency but sometimes letters of credit to facilitate the smooth shift of products from one area to the other. Therefore, the Arabs were part of vast trade network that supported many civilizations.
Finally, the philosophy and science during the time of the Arabian empire was remarkable. The Islamic world was responsible for preserving and spreading the scientific and philosophical achievement of the ancient civilizations. This became a reality through the translation of the works of eminent Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato. Their works formed a basis of Arabic and modern education.
Essentially, the Arabian culture has contributed immensely towards the global mainstream civilization. The numerous elements of modern day civilization borrow greatly from this rich culture. The language symbol is also vital in many countries especially, in the Middle East and Africa. Trade has also emerged to form a cornerstone of many countries today thanks to the Arabic influence. The trading moguls of the Arab world influenced a great deal of people in the world to relate a variety of capitalistic nuances to the global economy. Ideally, Arabic influence permeates many current world allures.
Reference
Alī, Wiǧdān. The Arab Contribution to Islamic Art: From the Seventh to the Fifteenth Centuries. Cairo: American Univ. in Cairo Press, 1999. Print.
Arbuthnot, Forster F. Arabic Authors: A Manual of Arabian History and Literature. London: W. Heinemann, 1890. Print.
Garraty, John A., and Mark C. Carnes. A short history of the American nation. New York: Longman 2000. Print.
Lewis, Bernard. The Arabs in History. London: Hutchinson, 1966. Print.
Samārī, Fahd A. A. A History of the Arabian Peninsula. London: I.B. Tauris Publishers, 2010. Internet resource.
Serjeant, R B. Studies in Arabian History and Civilisation. London: Variorum Reprints, 1981. Print.
