By: Muhammad Mahmood Mustafa
Modern Muslims have succumbed to such intellectual subjugation that Western ideologies are accepted without question.
In educational institutions, textbooks present Europe as the sole cradle of knowledge.
From academia to culture, Western influence dominates, and in blindly imitating their progress, we have absorbed not only their beneficial elements but also their harmful ideologies.
Textbooks teach us that:
However, these scientific truths were already established by Muslim scholars centuries before.
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah’s writings clearly reference the Earth’s round shape, its surrounding seas, and its gravitational center.
He articulated these complex scientific realities in clear, accessible language — centuries before Western thinkers echoed similar ideas.
He stated:
Similarly, the principle of latitude and longitude, often claimed as a Western innovation, was explored by Ibn Taymiyyah long ago.
He detailed the rising and setting of the sun, the hemispheric division of Earth, and offered calculations that prefigured modern astronomy.
Western historians have consistently:
This intellectual theft is not accidental; it is a deliberate attempt to suppress Islamic civilization’s influence on the development of global knowledge.
In reality, Muslim scholars pioneered many disciplines — mathematics, astronomy, physics, and geography — offering both discovery and explanation.
Muslims today must:
By doing so, we can reclaim our rightful place in intellectual history and break free from Western epistemic dominance.
❶ Islamic scientific contributions preceded and shaped many "Western discoveries."
❷ Scholars like Imam Ibn Taymiyyah discussed scientific facts long before Newton or Mercator.
❸ Western historians distort the truth to claim Muslim knowledge as their own.
❹ Muslims must reclaim their legacy, educate their youth, and resist intellectual colonization.
❖ Summary
- Muslim education systems today give undue importance to Western sciences, neglecting the vast Islamic intellectual legacy.
- Scholars like Imam Ibn Taymiyyah discussed scientific facts like the spherical shape of the earth and concepts akin to the law of gravity centuries before the West.
- Western historians suppress Muslim contributions and falsely attribute these discoveries to Western scientists.
- Muslims must reclaim and revitalize their heritage to resist intellectual colonization.
❖ Blind Imitation of Western Thought
Modern Muslims have succumbed to such intellectual subjugation that Western ideologies are accepted without question.
In educational institutions, textbooks present Europe as the sole cradle of knowledge.
From academia to culture, Western influence dominates, and in blindly imitating their progress, we have absorbed not only their beneficial elements but also their harmful ideologies.
❖ Scientific Principles and Muslim Contributions
Textbooks teach us that:
- Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Earth’s spherical shape.
- Mercator introduced latitude and longitude.
- Newton discovered the law of gravity.
However, these scientific truths were already established by Muslim scholars centuries before.
❖ Imam Ibn Taymiyyah and Islamic Scientific Legacy
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah’s writings clearly reference the Earth’s round shape, its surrounding seas, and its gravitational center.
He articulated these complex scientific realities in clear, accessible language — centuries before Western thinkers echoed similar ideas.
He stated:
- Water covers most of Earth, while land makes up only one-sixth.
- The Earth’s gravitational center is responsible for attracting objects, a concept central to modern physics.
- These insights form the core of the gravitational laws later associated with Newton.
❖ Latitude and Longitude: Islamic Origins
Similarly, the principle of latitude and longitude, often claimed as a Western innovation, was explored by Ibn Taymiyyah long ago.
He detailed the rising and setting of the sun, the hemispheric division of Earth, and offered calculations that prefigured modern astronomy.
❖ Western Historical Bias
Western historians have consistently:
- Overlooked Muslim contributions,
- Attributed Islamic discoveries to European scientists, and
- Deliberately erased Muslim names from the scientific narrative.
This intellectual theft is not accidental; it is a deliberate attempt to suppress Islamic civilization’s influence on the development of global knowledge.
In reality, Muslim scholars pioneered many disciplines — mathematics, astronomy, physics, and geography — offering both discovery and explanation.
❖ Muslim Responsibility
Muslims today must:
- Recognize the true value of their intellectual history,
- Expose historical distortions, and
- Educate future generations about the scientific and scholarly brilliance of their ancestors.
By doing so, we can reclaim our rightful place in intellectual history and break free from Western epistemic dominance.
✿ Summary
❶ Islamic scientific contributions preceded and shaped many "Western discoveries."
❷ Scholars like Imam Ibn Taymiyyah discussed scientific facts long before Newton or Mercator.
❸ Western historians distort the truth to claim Muslim knowledge as their own.
❹ Muslims must reclaim their legacy, educate their youth, and resist intellectual colonization.
