What are the reasons for Muslims so backwardness in Science and Technology
- Thread starter Faslan
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sister herb
Official TTI Chef
Are muslims backwards in science and technology? 
Or do you now mean muslim majority countries?
Reasons for it with countries might find from their recent history under the colonial rulers, whose prevented their societies to develop in general levels. Many other reasons might be possible too.
Or do you now mean muslim majority countries?Reasons for it with countries might find from their recent history under the colonial rulers, whose prevented their societies to develop in general levels. Many other reasons might be possible too.
Assalamu alaykum
The reason for any backwardness has nothing to do with Islam, even if some of the people might "use" Islam to perpetuate such thoughts .
According to medieval standards the Muslim nations were "wealthy". Although, according to modern standards, there were massive wealth differences between people even in what is now considered the "golden period" of Islam. There was no universal free health care, education for all etc However, compared to Medieval Europe the Muslims were thriving and in a period of growth economically, intellectually, spiritually and militarily.
House of Wisdom, a great library and education centre in Baghdad.
Moving on, it was the several centuries of societal decay in Muslim nations that led to both civil and foreign wars. This is not squarely the fault of Western nations. Muslims had their own problems, the times there was no corruption or decadency was during the early era of Islam. After that, there were political intrigues and power disputes between Muslim leaders, often within families. This led to weaknesses, while Europe began to go through its renaissance which largely was helped to fruition from the knowledge Muslims had unlocked and created.
The subsequent colonisation of the Muslim countries by European nations, and plunder of their resources also contributed to their economic and intellectual decay. From North Africa, West Africa, Middle East through to the furthest reaches of East Asia and Polynesia the lands were taken. Food and other resources were mostly taken for export to benefit the Western nations. At the centre of these actions was a racist notion of superiority, whether spoken openly or infused in their psyche. They believed they were the inheritors of the Romans and Greeks and thus entitled as white people to take whatever they wanted from whomever they wanted. Evidence for this is the bizarre scientific racism the European carried out on the skulls and skeletons of other races. Many physicians and philosophers (Emmanuelle Kant) of those times believed and perpetuated the myth that the different races had different origins, and thus different qualities. The white race was always deemed superior.
Those nations developed new manufacturing booms spurred by the income that the slave trade and colonisation produced. In fact, many Western nations sponsored businesses to loot and plunder. The East India Company was the British's principal business entity operating from India, the Dutch had the Dutch East India Company etc. These businesses monopolised the spice trade, forced indigenous people into labour or paid very low wages.
Soon, those nations were to build schools, libraries, hospitals from these proceeds. This led to a massive gap between the Muslim nations and the Western nations that can still be seen today.
There are many leading Muslim scientists, mathematicians and doctors today, but mostly they work in non-Muslim nations in Europe or the USA.
The reason for any backwardness has nothing to do with Islam, even if some of the people might "use" Islam to perpetuate such thoughts .
According to medieval standards the Muslim nations were "wealthy". Although, according to modern standards, there were massive wealth differences between people even in what is now considered the "golden period" of Islam. There was no universal free health care, education for all etc However, compared to Medieval Europe the Muslims were thriving and in a period of growth economically, intellectually, spiritually and militarily.
House of Wisdom, a great library and education centre in Baghdad.
Moving on, it was the several centuries of societal decay in Muslim nations that led to both civil and foreign wars. This is not squarely the fault of Western nations. Muslims had their own problems, the times there was no corruption or decadency was during the early era of Islam. After that, there were political intrigues and power disputes between Muslim leaders, often within families. This led to weaknesses, while Europe began to go through its renaissance which largely was helped to fruition from the knowledge Muslims had unlocked and created.
The subsequent colonisation of the Muslim countries by European nations, and plunder of their resources also contributed to their economic and intellectual decay. From North Africa, West Africa, Middle East through to the furthest reaches of East Asia and Polynesia the lands were taken. Food and other resources were mostly taken for export to benefit the Western nations. At the centre of these actions was a racist notion of superiority, whether spoken openly or infused in their psyche. They believed they were the inheritors of the Romans and Greeks and thus entitled as white people to take whatever they wanted from whomever they wanted. Evidence for this is the bizarre scientific racism the European carried out on the skulls and skeletons of other races. Many physicians and philosophers (Emmanuelle Kant) of those times believed and perpetuated the myth that the different races had different origins, and thus different qualities. The white race was always deemed superior.
Those nations developed new manufacturing booms spurred by the income that the slave trade and colonisation produced. In fact, many Western nations sponsored businesses to loot and plunder. The East India Company was the British's principal business entity operating from India, the Dutch had the Dutch East India Company etc. These businesses monopolised the spice trade, forced indigenous people into labour or paid very low wages.
Soon, those nations were to build schools, libraries, hospitals from these proceeds. This led to a massive gap between the Muslim nations and the Western nations that can still be seen today.
There are many leading Muslim scientists, mathematicians and doctors today, but mostly they work in non-Muslim nations in Europe or the USA.
karbala
Junior Member
* I think the most important reason of this backwardness is the division occurred among Muslims. Ottoman empire was the golden age of Muslims achievements in all aspects of science. But the evil Britain (the great empire of that time) that wanted to disintegrate this glorious empire, found that the only achilles heel of this empire is the ethnic problems. Finally Britain empire could overthrow the Ottoman government by abuse of this blind spot and the division rose among Muslim nations. As a result, Muslim nations started to fight with each other instead of researching in science fields and the tragedy you cited above was occurred.
* Another reason is the west dependent governments and opinionated governors. for example Saudia Arabia that's quite west dependent and doesn't have any scientific activities.
* Another reason is the west dependent governments and opinionated governors. for example Saudia Arabia that's quite west dependent and doesn't have any scientific activities.
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queenislam
★★★I LOVE ALLAH★★★
Assalamu'alaikum!
it's still our ideas and technologies that they steal and don't forget we are still being recognized
For example Y2k @computer error
...and many many many more.
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim:
So which of the favors of your God would you deny?
~Holy qur'an: Surah Al_Rahmaan 55:13
it's still our ideas and technologies that they steal and don't forget we are still being recognized
For example Y2k @computer error
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim:
So which of the favors of your God would you deny?
~Holy qur'an: Surah Al_Rahmaan 55:13
MehmetHilmi
Junior Member
Unfortunately that narrative is partially true. The Ottoman Era occurred after the scientific golden age and Ottoman scientific achievements, although great at first, came nowhere close to the scientific achievements of the previous Arabs. The Ottomans focused more on building an efficient army and maintaining large swathes of land through a very efficient government. Ottomans were initially nomadic Turkic tribes who converted to Islam and settled in western Anatolia. They borrowed a lot of concepts from existing civilizations in their time. They took architecture and music from the Byzantines, language from the Arabs and Persians, and etc. This was a successful formula as the Ottomans were able to culturally connect with conquered peoples. That was what they were good at, not necessarily science.
But before Britain even came, the Ottomans were failing. The Empire had grown to its max and was losing territory at its edges. Sultan-Caliphs became weary of rule and stayed in their palaces for their entire lives just indulging on food and alcohol (a lot of the stagnation era sultans were fat. Check their paintings). Due to coups rebellions, and fights for power between princes, the capital became increasingly corrupt and unable to rule. The Ottomans lagged behind as an agrarian state while Europe was industrializing. Ulema had rejected the printing press and a number of other inventions due to them being Bidah. There was always a view among Ottoman Ulema that the Ottoman and Muslim world were fine and the Europeans were immoral kaffirs who's inventions and discoveries really didn't matter. They operated on the idea that "If it isn't broken, then don't fix it".
Also the Ottoman army was weak and had inferior equipment compared to European ones. Finally Sultans realized this and started immediate reform. But it was too late. Nationalism had arrived. The Empire experienced a slow death after that point. The British destroyed the Ottomans in a war that the Ottomans voluntarily entered while they were weak and bankrupt.
Maybe if the right choices had been taken, the Muslim world would be better. But that is purely hypothetical and we are in this situation where things aren't so good.
Abu Juwairiya
Junior Member
There may be more reasons other than the ones already cited. In the early centuries, it was an era of Muslims with a zeal for knowledge of their Creator through His Creation. In more recent times, knowledge and understanding of Deen, specialist expertise in a field (academic, technical, scientific, multi skilled or otherwise), has shifted to acquisition for the self and not for the Ummah in general any more.
In the first centuries, it was in part an extension of Muslims with an excellent awareness of their Deen and a willingness to discover everything else as well, not just for the betterment of themselves personally but for society in general, the welfare of the people and an equation of disseminating what we do know with a responsibility of finding solutions to what we don't know.
When there was no danger of a person or a society's accurate knowledge of what constitutes Deen and Shariah and their individual and collective piety, other fields lied open for additional self discovery. Muslims did not envy, feel inferior to or believe in the Non Muslim civilisations. Muslims served in their own countries, lived and studied there and Non Muslims took from them. This is no longer the case.
This was for several centuries, as spoken by others before me, the age of patronisation by Muslim governments, the expansion of Islamic frontiers, a steady increase in the treasuries of Muslim empires and active encouragement for academic, scientific, technological advancement by both important political and financial sponsors.
It was not until the 16th Century when there had been a lack of Non Muslim conquests of Muslim majority lands that could seriously harm the basic structures of government, civil society, economic performance and ideological development that progress began to slow down significantly.
It was true, inventions, scientific and technological advances had started to decline some two or three centuries earlier and rulers had in larger numbers begun to indulge in investing in passions with little enriching industrial progress, but with the advent of foreign invasion by Non Muslim nations, the societies, ideals, abilities and health of the countries was severely weakened, if not partially destroyed.
We can return to that era; not necessarily of discovery itself, but of a sense of pride in our own societies, an advancement of culture and the enrichment of academic, political, industrial and cultural refinement where others can envy Islamic societies; but it is conditional, we have to return to what we were and what Allah wants from us and that is correct knowledge of our Religion, acceptance of His Creed, legislation and the purpose of Creation and that is living life for preparation for the Akhirah itself.
At present, this is little more than a dream as we are ruled by oppressive governments in Muslim countries and collectively there is more disunity and distrust than a willingness to set aside differences, so on a universal level, it is less practical, but individually we can start with ourselves and our families and go from there. If we have complete trust in Allah (and not in ourselves), we will eventually achieve victory. That is a Divine Promise.
In the first centuries, it was in part an extension of Muslims with an excellent awareness of their Deen and a willingness to discover everything else as well, not just for the betterment of themselves personally but for society in general, the welfare of the people and an equation of disseminating what we do know with a responsibility of finding solutions to what we don't know.
When there was no danger of a person or a society's accurate knowledge of what constitutes Deen and Shariah and their individual and collective piety, other fields lied open for additional self discovery. Muslims did not envy, feel inferior to or believe in the Non Muslim civilisations. Muslims served in their own countries, lived and studied there and Non Muslims took from them. This is no longer the case.
This was for several centuries, as spoken by others before me, the age of patronisation by Muslim governments, the expansion of Islamic frontiers, a steady increase in the treasuries of Muslim empires and active encouragement for academic, scientific, technological advancement by both important political and financial sponsors.
It was not until the 16th Century when there had been a lack of Non Muslim conquests of Muslim majority lands that could seriously harm the basic structures of government, civil society, economic performance and ideological development that progress began to slow down significantly.
It was true, inventions, scientific and technological advances had started to decline some two or three centuries earlier and rulers had in larger numbers begun to indulge in investing in passions with little enriching industrial progress, but with the advent of foreign invasion by Non Muslim nations, the societies, ideals, abilities and health of the countries was severely weakened, if not partially destroyed.
We can return to that era; not necessarily of discovery itself, but of a sense of pride in our own societies, an advancement of culture and the enrichment of academic, political, industrial and cultural refinement where others can envy Islamic societies; but it is conditional, we have to return to what we were and what Allah wants from us and that is correct knowledge of our Religion, acceptance of His Creed, legislation and the purpose of Creation and that is living life for preparation for the Akhirah itself.
At present, this is little more than a dream as we are ruled by oppressive governments in Muslim countries and collectively there is more disunity and distrust than a willingness to set aside differences, so on a universal level, it is less practical, but individually we can start with ourselves and our families and go from there. If we have complete trust in Allah (and not in ourselves), we will eventually achieve victory. That is a Divine Promise.
monirsider
Member
I THINK MUSLIM ARE DAY BY DAY FORGETTING THE ACTUAL RULES OF ISLAM.THEY FORGET THE LIFE AFTER DEATH.ONLY BUSY WITH THIS LIFE.OUR LIFE STARTS ACTUALLY AFTER DEATH.WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO ALLAH AT THE END. ALL THE SOLUTION IS ALREADY GIVEN IN THE HOLY QURAN.SO WHY WE HAVE TO GO BACKWARD FOR?WE HAVE TO KEEP FAITH IN ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY.MAY ALLAH BLESS US WITH THE GOOD.