Flat Earth Koran 09 of 13 - Medieval Islam

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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 ……