What lead to the destruction of the Muslim Empire?

[Erundur]

I'd also like to add Europe's quest to the Americas and how its trade industry switched mainly from the East to the Americas. All that gold that they found started to devalue the Turkish currency.

There are numerous reasons for the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The dominating reason, is that neighbour powers had grown stronger over the centuries. They had built stronger institutions, introduced modern arms, infrastructure and administration.

On the Ottoman side, however, many things had frozen in old structures, development on Ottoman territories was limited.

More than that, Ottoman institutions were often not working as smoothly as they used to.

But there were more things not working as they should have: The sultans since Süleyman had often been less apt to their role; more and more power had moved into the hands of the kapikulli class; the trade routes running through the empire was no longer as important for Europe, and hence yielded less income; the population had grown big and had become less controllable; cities had become weaker. By the time of the 19th century, the European mock name of the empire was correct: The sick man of Europe.

The Ottoman Empire tried to correct all the weaknesses, but it proved to be too late. It was during the times of the reform process, Tanzimat, that the empire lost the most of its territory.

 

[Akil]

Then come tell me how Science and Math are essentially Unislamic........

When Islamic society crested was during a period when they were rejecting many academic and creative pursuits as western or un-Islamic. My point is that aside from politics, I believe it was during this intellectual stifling that Muslim society began to decline.

 

[جوري]

I'd also like to add Europe's quest to the Americas and how its trade industry switched mainly from the East to the Americas. All that gold that they found started to devalue the Turkish currency.

Found? YOu mean stole....... British empire just by itself if nothing else stole the wealth of nations... From Hong Kong to china to India to Africa... they would give people things like Opium... in fact force it on them. They benefited from the Suez Canal In Egypt Where Egyptians were coming at a net loss of 18% and they murdered any one who protested and you can have the last of the Turks to Thank for that.... Basically they have come invaded, divided... STOLE.... and have the audacity to come tell people who backwards they are, in fact till do...... If anything the Muslim empire and the rest of the places where the birth of civilization started; it is being too trusting... too open door for outsiders who bit the hand that let them in!

Yes! Anyone with basic grade school education would know anything scientific or Mathematical had its basis in the Muslims Empire or in Empires that proceeded. How quick are we to forget the (Dark Ages) where Europe dwelled in ignorance and superstition. How quick we forget the roots of words like Algebra, Cipher , Alchemy and the very numbers we write with and pass of as English, when in fact they are Arabic.

http://www.1001inventions.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.viewSection&intSectionID=309

 

[جوري]

When Islamic society crested was during a period when they were rejecting many academic and creative pursuits as western or un-Islamic. My point is that aside from politics, I believe it was during this intellectual stifling that Muslim society began to decline.

You can say they rejected such and such ideas.... societies go into cyclical changes! Happened to the best from the Not so holy Roman Empire to the so-called Empire where the sun never sets!.... but don't pass off Math and Science as against Islam or as Un-Islamic.... that is just simply unacceptable!

 

[Erundur]

Found? YOu mean stole....... British empire just by itself if nothing else stole the wealth of nations... From Hong Kong to china to India to Africa... they would give people things like Opium... in fact force it on them. They benefited from the Suez Canal In Egypt Where Egyptians were coming at a net loss of 18% and they murdered any one who protested and you can have the last of the Turks to Thank for that.... Basically they have come invaded, divided... STOLE..If anything the Muslim empire and the rest of the places where the birth of civilization started; it is being too trusting... too open door for outsiders who bit the hand that let them in!

please Give an Educated opinion Next time!

The Islamic Empire nurtured the past teachings of the Egyptians, Romans,
Greeks and various nations they had conquered and not only expanded its ideas but they too contributed. Where did I specifically stated that it was Britain? both Spain and Portugal had profited with the Muslims of Western Africa this led to the downfall of economic goods of Africa and the fall African nations and the sudden rise of the need of African Slaves to work at the plantations of the Americas.

1798: Napoleon Bonaparte launches an Egyptian expedition and brings Egypt under French rule.

1820: Britain signs treaty with Gulf shaikhs to protect its shipping.

1881:France occupies Tunisia.

1882: British forces occupy Egypt; by 1898, Britain also controls Sudan.

Its not a matter of being to trusting but a matter of making some extra pocket change.

With the advancements of the Europeans towards the latter century its no surprising that they were able to have the affect that they had as you see above. They were quite smart really, and the Muslims took it hook line and sinker. The Islamic Empire was at a decline and the rulers did not care instead interacting on a educational level we wanted to make more and more money.

Each nation had there achievements.

Ijtihad and science

By K H Masud


For three hundred years, the doors of the tavern have been closed — Iqbal

Why is it that for the last three hundred years, the Muslim world has been so deficient in producing scientists and philosophers? Why is it that even now when the Muslim world commands such immense resources, we lag so far behind the West in science and technology?

The answer is clear: for three hundred years, the door of ijtihad (creative thinking) has been closed. Almost one-ninth of the verses of the Qur’an stress upon “tafakkur” and “tadabbur”, yet, by and large, the Muslim world pays no heed to them. They turn their backs on critical and creative thinking.

Instead, we are fond of platitudes. We love clichés. We bask in the glory of the past. We dread the new, the original, the novel. We are good at repeating moth-eaten, time-worn thoughts. We revel in interpretations, but we flinch from creativity. Using Toynbee’s terminology, we are in the stranglehold of the “nemesis of mimesis”. Intellectual stagnation and spiritual degeneration are our dismal lot.

It is ingrained in our psychology that correct already exists. Teachers dispense truth, parents are always right. Leaders are omniscient. They act like philosopher-kings, often uttering banalities which cannot be challenged.

Following the iconoclastic spirit of the Quran, it is time to think in a new way and to tread on untrodden path.

Scholars may differ about problems concerning science, but they are unanimous as regards the need for a particular weltanschauung (world-view) for the birth, growth and blossoming of science.

Science cannot develop in an atmosphere vitiated by obscurantism, dogmatism, fanaticism, irrationalism and intolerance. Science needs an intellectual environment whose keynote is enlightenment with rationalism, pluralism, and humanism as the driving force.

...

The Greek science withered away because it wholly and solely depended on deduction. Though the Greek scaled the sublimest heights of speculative thought, their aversion to experimentation and manual work closed the door for further scientific advancement.

Induction was a great gift of Islam to humanity. “Neither Roger Bacon nor his later namesake has any title to be credited for having introduced the experimental method,” says Briffault in his book “The Making of Humanity.”

According to Iqbal, “For purposes of knowledge, the Muslim culture fixes its gaze on the concrete and the finite.” When Iqbal emphasized the concrete and the finite, he exalted the scientific spirit at the expense of speculative flights into meta-physics.

By giving examples of Ibn-i-Khaldun’s view of history, Ibn-i-Maskwaih’s theory of life as evolutionary movement and Musa al-Khwarizmi’s shift from arithmetic to algebra, Iqbal concludes: “All lines of Muslim thought converge on a dynamic concept of the universe.”

Thus Islam rejects a static view of the universe and regards it as always changing and evolving. According to the Qur’an, change is one of the greatest signs of God, and is explicitly implied in the verse: “Every day has its own glory.”

The Islamic principle to keep pace with the changing world and an evolving universe is ijtihad i.e. exertion to form an independent opinion. Creativity is the essence of ijtihad. The driving spirit of the scientific technological revolution is creativity, devolving new ideas and sailing in uncharted seas.

Science must precede technology, because science is the tree and technology is the fruit. Today, as never before, the political stability of a country depends on its economic prowess, which is determined by the scientific technological revolution, depending on ijtihad ie, creative thinking.

In order to usher in scientific technological revolution, we have to take the following steps:

Firstly, our educational system must be geared to strengthen mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and computer science.

Secondly, our method of teaching and examination must change, emphasising the intelligent grasp of the subjects rather than memorising formulas and theories.

Thirdly, our mass media must be mobilised to popularise science and scientific thinking.

http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_651_700/ijtihad_and_science.htm

now when you have people who like...

Polio Vaccine is a US plot.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/S...013369,00.html
I got one word to say about this:NUTS!
no wonder the Islamic world is so weak,we(in this case Pakstan) got the biggest bunch of illiterates in the world.No reach of government law,nothing.
really strange.

Its not all that surprising now is it?

Saudi expressed so much on Islam (which isn't a bad thing mind you) that they forgot advancements in other fields in mathematics, science, history etc... that they now have to send its students to western institutions.

Our greatest scholars of the time were not only religious scholars but they were philosiphers, Educators, Businessmen and so forth...now its either one or the other.

 

[جوري]

My previous comments weren't directed all toward your post Dear Bro.
I am just a little vexed over how someone can sum or rather erase entire contributions in one dismissive sentence. When even the most basic of history books taught in Middle school would attest to the Muslims Empire's contributions to Math and the sciences. I will not deny that things aren't horrendous now, else I wouldn't have even elected to start this post. It is one thing for people to have a lagging phase where they simply don't advance as much but to pass it off as AGAINST the teachings of Islam to do so is a bit detestable.
I am concluding that it isn't one force that has led to the demise of the Muslims Empire rather several forces from outside and within that left us where we are today!
Peace!

 

[Erundur]

My previous comments weren't directed all toward your post Dear Bro.
I am just a little vexed over how someone can sum or rather erase entire contributions in one dismissive sentence. When even the most basic of history books taught in Middle school would attest to the Muslims Empire's contributions to Math and the sciences. I will not deny that things aren't horrendous now, else I wouldn't have even elected to start this post. It is one thing for people to have a lagging phase where they simply don't advance as much but to pass it off as AGAINST the teachings of Islam to do so is a bit detestable.
I am concluding that it isn't one force that has led to the demise of the Muslims Empire rather several forces from outside and within that left us where we are today!
Peace!

:salamext:

My apologies I thought you were referring to me. The Winners write History its always been like that. Having been taught in such places they're have been some mentions of the advancements. But again education is taught at a secular level.

 

[Akil]

I didn't dismiss anything. This thread is about the end of the Muslim Empire. I was commenting specifically and solely about the end.

 

[Muslim Knight]

The Muslim Empire was at its height during the various discovery in sciences and mathematics by Muslim scientists. The fall of the Ottoman empire resulted from irresponsible Caliph who borrowed money from Europe, later accumulating interest and mowing down the economy. This was further aggravated by siding with the Germans in the World War.

 

[al-fateh]

lack of faith