In an age of
explosive productivity in the sciences and literature, one institution stood in
the forefront of this era –the Bayt al-Hikma or the House of Wisdom.
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| Scholars at an Abbasid Library in Baghdad by Yahya al-Wasiti |
Golden Age of Islam
Many
considered the time when Baghdad was the center of the Islamic world as the
Golden Age of Islam. Indeed in contrast to today’s chaotic and dangerous
Baghdad, it once served as the center of the Islamic world and the host of
tremendous intellectual and scientific progress and the Abbasid Caliphs oversaw
this development from this city which they chose as their capital in 762.
The
Abbasid showed great interest in science and the art as previous Islamic rulers
did. The Quran and Mohammed himself promoted intellectual activities by stating
that the deeper the understanding of nature meant deeper understanding of
Allah, thus research became a religious activity. The Umayyads had already
supported scientist, theologians, mathematicians, and artist, but the Abbasids
took a step further by establishing a center where the best minds of the
Islamic world could converge and serve as an incubator for progress.
Foundation
The
Abbasid had a thirst for knowledge and they had the resources to meet it. The
riches of the Silk Road and the central location of Baghdad in this route brought
to enormous wealth flowing to the coffers of the Caliphate. This gave the
Abbasid Caliphs the money to sponsor great academic endeavors. Within the
imperial Caliphate, there had been centers of education, such as the city of Gundeshapur
which led in the studies of medicine. Some doctors and graduates from the
Gundeshapur’s university found service in the Baghdad and in the Abbasid
Caliphs.
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| Chinese were the first to use paper money |
Another
factor to the rise of the House of Wisdom and of scholasticism was the
introduction of paper. Historians suggested that contacts with the Tang China
especially after the Battle of Talas in 751 led to the transfer of the
technology of paper making to the Muslims. This allowed the Muslims to have a
medium for their writing and a record of their discoveries.
During
the reign of Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-809), it was said he had founded the House
of Wisdom. It had initially served as a science academy and a book store within
the Caliphal palace. But the Bayt al-Hikma found its fullest potential under
Harun’s son, Caliph al-Mamun (r. 813-833). Under his patronage, the House of
Wisdom developed into an institute dedicated for learning.
Workings of the House
The
House of Wisdom had a wide range of activities, though initially it focused in
translation. But as institute, it had an administration as well as salaries. It
eventually grew to a full scale research center much to the credit of the
Caliph al-Mamun and his successors.
Al-Mamun
placed an administration for the House of Wisdom. He had a director appointed
to oversee the workings of the House. The House had numerous translators,
scribes, and clerks helping to operate it. It welcomed various ethnicity and
religion to work for the establishment. In fact, al-Mamun appointed Hunayn ibn
Ishaq (809-873), a Nestorian Christian, to serve as the House’s director. But
despite the differences, they were all united by their enthusiasm of learning
and by the language of Arabic.
Arabic
served as the institute’s lingua franca. Muslims knew the language from their
prayer and reading of the Quran regardless of their mother tongues. Other
religion learned the language, at least the basic, for socializing and business
transactions. This helped to create a mood of understanding and allowed
cooperation for the House’s success.
The
House in its infancy only worked in translation of various classical Greek
works. Al-Mamun had fascination of classical learnings of the Greeks and sent
missions and embassies to collect works for the House to translate to Arabic.
He sent envoys to the Byzantine Empire as well as the Kingdom of Sicily to
collect ancient manuscripts. The envoys succeeded and works from the ancient
world, like Plato, Hippocrates, Aristotle, found their way to Baghdad awaiting
to be translated.
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| Al-Mamun Sent an Envoy to Byzantine Emperor Theophilos |
Later
on, the coverage of the works being translated expanded. Persian and Indian
works became an interest to the translators and began to be translated. Their
translations became the foundation of works of many later scholars throughout
the Islamic world.
Translators
received salaries from the Caliph. The Caliph paid them in gold based on the
weight of the work they had translated. This basis of salary led to stories of
Hunayn ibn Ishaq’s greed. Stories suggested that Hunayn ibn Ishaq used heavier
paper and asked translators to write in bigger letter to consume more paper.
As
the House of Wisdom continued its work, it duties expanded from translation to
full scale research. As the House attracted translators and its collection of
works expanded, many intellectuals took interest and entered the House and
began to use its materials for their studies. Soon enough, academics in the
Islamic studies, natural sciences, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and many more
began to produce countless works.
In
astronomy, Caliph al-Mamun also showed interest in the subject and ordered the
construction of an observatory. He had Sanad bin Ali al-Yahudi, who was a Jew,
Yahya bin Abi Mansur, and Khalid bin Abdil Malak manage observatory.
In
mathematics, the House of Wisdom hosted Mohammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, the
celebrated father of algebra and whom the Europeans named from the word
arithmetic.
In
medicine, Hunayn ibn Ishaq and al-Kindi made their names known in the field.
Hunayn ibn Ishaq himself translated works of Hippocrates and Galen. He along
with other graduates of the Gundeshapur made the House of Wisdom a center of
medical studies. On the other hand, al-Kindi worked also in medicine as well as
in other fields such as philosophy and mathematics. He became known as father
of Arab philosophy and his works inspired later Muslim scholars such as Avicenna.
Impact and End
The
House of Wisdom showed the progressiveness and advancement of the Abbasid
Caliphate. Soon, other Islamic state followed the example of Baghdad. House of
Wisdoms were set up in the Tunisia under the Aghlabids and in Spain under the Umayyad. In Spain, it brought the
Golden Age of Islam to the Cordoba Emirate, which later elevated itself to a
Caliphate under Caliph Abdul Rahman III. It continued the learning that Baghdad
started as the Abbasid declined and withered as puppets of their Viziers and
generals.
Finally,
the end of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad and that of the Abbasids ended with
the coming of the Mongols in 1258. Mongolian leader Hulagu ransacked Baghdad
and destroyed the House of Wisdom. The countless works that the House sheltered
were thrown to the river Tigris and changed the color of its water to black
caused by the ink of the manuscripts.
The
destruction of the House of Wisdom signaled the end of the Golden Age of
Islamic Civilization. Only time would tell when the Islamic world or the Middle
East would once again be in the forefront of scientific and academic
development of the world.
See also:
Bibliography:
General Reference:
Cakmak, Cenap. "House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikma)." In Islam: A Worldwide Encyclopedia. Edited by Cenap Cakmak. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2017.
Books:
Alkhateeb, Firas. Lost Islamic History: Reclaiming Muslim Civilisation From the Past. London: C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 2017.
Tucker, Ernest. The Middle East in Modern World History. New York, New York: Routledge, 2013.
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