How did Islam help preserve and add to classical thought?
819530
i think it means, how did islam help preserve old thoughts , and kept many of the old traditions in the muslim's houses?? i think... i had a similiar question like that in 8th grade..
332391
For much of the Middle Ages, Islamic culture was the only culture that promoted learning, science etc. They preserved a lot of older European texts which otherwise we would not have today.
633888
FYI\n\n.   Opinion of historian De Lacy O’Leary.\n\n\nThe best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book "Islam at the cross road" (Page 8):\n\n"History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated."\n\n\n.   Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years.\n\n\nMuslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the adhan, that is the call for prayers.\n\n\n.   14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians.\n\n\nMuslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British ruled, and for a few years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.\n\n\n.   More than 80% non-Muslims in India.\n\n\nThe Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. If they wanted, they had the power of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today more than 80% of the population of India are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Indians are bearing witness today that Islam was not spread by the sword.\n\n\n.   Indonesia and Malaysia.\n\n\nIndonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, "Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?"\n\n\n.   East Coast of Africa.\n\n\nSimilarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, "Which Muslim army went to the East Coast of Africa?"\n\n \n.   Thomas Carlyle.\n\n\nThe famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book "Heroes and Hero worship", refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: "The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and try to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can."\n\n\n.   No compulsion in religion.\n\n\nWith which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use it to spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse: \n\n"Let there be no compulsion in religion: \nTruth stands out clear from error"\n                                [Al-Qur’an 2:256]\n\n\n.   Sword of the Intellect.\n\n\nIt is the sword of intellect. The sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125:\n\n"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord\nwith wisdom and beautiful preaching;\nand argue with them in ways that are\nbest and most gracious."\n                              [Al-Qur’an 16:125]\n\n\n.   Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984.\n\n\nAn article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, year book 1986, gave the statistics of the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in ‘The Plain Truth’ magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by 47%. May one ask, which war took place in this century which converted millions of people to Islam?\n\n\n.   Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe.\n\n\nToday the fastest growing religion in
1134502
Your observation is correct and you have a point of logic there. However, the Ottoman Empire was, as you point out correctly, on the rise and not yet as powerful as it was two centuries later.\nSo it lacked the necessary logistics structure to support another Islamic state at the opposite end of the Mediterranean (which was controlled by the fllets of Christian countries). \nIt is also questionable if the Ottoman Turks had much sympathy for the Moros in Spain. Islam might look today like a unified and strong religion, but it is split into numerous groups and factions who don't like each other and see each other as rivals. (Much the same as it is within Judaism and Christianity.)
281752
STANDING OVATION !!!! \n\nWhen the cave men learn to work and play well with others, the civilised world may change their point of view about islam.\n\nWhen there is a mass public outcry from the majority of islam condemning the terroristic acts of their minority islam terrorist brother and sisters, the civilised world may change their point of view about islam.\n\n\nWhen muslims can refrain from going insane and killing innocent people and destroying private property when someone draws a picture of their prophet,the civilised world may change their point of view about islam.\n\n\nWhen islam can PROVE they can live in peace with other cultures and religions WORLDWIDE(without the other cultures and religions having to pay the jizyah tax),the civilised world may change their point of view about islam.\n\nThe jisyah tax is something the infidel must pay to keep peaceful and loving muslims from killing them. You would be given the chance to convert to islam, if you dont, you are either killed or forced to pay the tax, paying them a bribe every so often to keep them from killing you. This is sharia law.
788345
One American:  Islam was invented by Muhammed (who had very little, if any, knowledge of math, science, anatomy, physiology, astronomy, or history...especially religious history).  His writings are filled with violence, hatred and general ignorance.
334041
Your namesake, Aristotle.  He laid the foundation for Western thought and philosophy that freed the mind of mankind.  All of us in the West today still enjoy the benefits of his discourses.
454962
The Koran considers the Old Testament, and some of the New to be holy texts. It considers itself a religion that builds off of Judaism into something new. Jesus and Muhammad were not the same person. There are a few centuries between the establishment of Christianity and Islam.\n\nSo while both are Holy Texts based on the Abrahamic tradition, they aren't mirror images of each other.
538668
Muslims accept the Bible as their early history.
96328
Traditional Islamic schools of thought and Sufism\nIslam traditionally consists of a number of madhhabs (i.e of Sunni, Shi'a and of their subdivisions). Sufis do not define Sufism as a madhhab. What distinguishes a person as a Sufi is practicing Sufism, usually through association with a Sufi order. Belief in Sufism is not sufficient for being recognized as a Sufi. These facts lead to some ambiguity because Sufism has characteristics of a tradition and, for example, use of the term "Sufi Islam" is generally accepted.\n\nW. Chittick explains the position of Sufism and Sufis this way:\n\nIn short, Muslim scholars who focused their energies on understanding the normative guidelines for the body came to be known as jurists, and those who held that the most important task was to train the mind in achieving correct understanding came to be divided into three main schools of thought: theology, philosophy, and Sufism. This leaves us with the third domain of human existence, the spirit. Most Muslims who devoted their major efforts to developing the spiritual dimensions of the human person came to be known as Sufis \nThe relationship between traditional Islamic scholars and Sufism is complicated due to the variety of Sufi orders and their history.\n\nIn the history of Sufism, the founders and early scholars of the schools (madhhabs) had positive attitudes towards Sufism, for example Imam Hambal used to visit the Sufi master Bishr al Hafi frequently[10]. Later, there were some scholars who considered some aspects of Sufism rank heresy as well as those like Al-Ghazali who defended Sufis as true Muslims. In time, even the controversal words of Al-Hallaj came to be accepted by some scholars.\n\nToday, most Muslims hold Tasawwuf, in the sense of Sufi doctrines and philosophies, to be the science of the heart or gnosis (as distinct from other branches of Islamic knowledge which are exoteric in nature) and appreciate Sufis for their extensive contributions to Islamic arts and philosophy. Many Muslims who are not themselves Sufis are influenced by Sufi teachings.\n\nModern criticism of Sufism by Muslims has different aspects, the most important being criticizing the lifestyle of some Sufis like the wandering dervishes, and holding rigid beliefs in Sufi Shaykhs.\n\nSome Muslim movements (such as Salafism, alternatively called Wahabism, a fundamentalist Islamic movement) hold Sufism to be a form of reprehensible innovation influenced by unislamic sources [11], [12]. Although some Islamic scholars hold their view on the issue to be baseless and assert the position that Sufi spirituality is essentially Islamic, adherents of Sufism argue the necessity of mysticism in Islamic practice and a figurative interpretation of their religion. [13]\n\nAlthough Sufism as a whole is approved in Islamic thought, there is a tendency to distinguish between different Sufi thoughts and practices in terms of their conformity with Shari'a and hence the introduction of an Islamic or authentic form of Sufism by religious authorities.[14]\n\nFor example in Shi'a Islam, a form of Sufism held to be in conformity with Shari'a is called Irfan (lit. gnosis\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufi#Traditional_Islamic_schools_of_thought_and_Sufism
370996
Islam ...it means a way of life...when you read and understand the Quran and the Hadith (the Prophet's teachings) you will come to realize that whatever was taught in Islam was preceeded by an event that needed resolving and Allah sent the message to the people through Prophet Muhammad so that they may lead a better life.  Islamic teachings go way beyond just prayers to Allah but also to his angels, messengers, and mankind.  He also taught us to deal with things in regular life such as finances, and will writing.  It teaches you to be kind to your friends, neighbours, and family, and give charity regularly.  There are so many aspects of the religion that just make sense at least to me and some others in the world.  If you really want a true feel for the religion, I suggest you read up on it yourself and if you have any questions than ask them so you can understand it better.  That goes with any religion.    Take care
351589
correcting the first poster, Islam means submission (to God).\nIsalm, like other Judeo-Christian religious sects has the precept'thou shalt not kill', read up on th efive pillars of Islam, proper muslims give a tenth of all the own to charity, more than most ppl. However, Muslim from the beginning had an agressive edge to it as it mixed with the local religions (why theres genies and stuff there, traditional Persian stuff got mixed in) and its this desire to convert that made it spread so far in the first place (from middle east all across north africa and to India in a remarkably short time). \nPeaceful? perhaps, expansionist? definitely, but then what religion doesnt want to expand?
351243
I believe it gave Islam the concepts of God, Satan, and Purgatory/Hell.
1074350
Because early Muslim thought included the belief in the superiority of the Arab race. This is why it was stressed that the Arabs were descendants of Ishmael. As Islam spread to non Arab lands or people became Arabized(the Egyptians/North Africans/Syrians etc. originally spoke other languages, not Arabic) the theory of Arab superiority became a theological liability- especially since a majority of Muslims were no longer Arab.\n\nThe language thing is the only thing left in the original Arab master race theory of Islam, other than isolated hadiths.
624176
There is a serious chasm between traditional Islam and Western liberal democartic values. Islam is a dominating religion, and by that I mean that it has a very linear world view. It cannot accept that other religions might have any validity and their adherents certainly should not be treated as equals with Muslims.\n\nIslam also seeks to impose its requirements on the wider community - calling for separate bathing days in public swimming pools, recognition of sharia courts instead of civil courts, demanding preferred treatment rather than equal treatment.\n\nSince the view of Dar al Islam (the world of Islam) is ever expanding and never contracting - witness Osama bin Laden's demand for restoration of the Muslim Caliphate from the sixteenth century - it will inevitably lead to conflict with the West. That woudl certainly mean the end of the Western 'fabric of life'.\n\nHowever, there is the chance for a modern reformed Islam, as the other major monotheistic religions have 'reformed' so address this problem. If Islam could be wrenched from the literal and warlike readings of the writings of Mohammed, then there is a chance of reconciliation. I think this is slim, but possible over time. Until then, it is, as the questioner says, the head loppers who currently represent Islam and those Muslims who disagree aren't standing up to be counted.
714408
Having read Poki Poki's answer about him "Spreading" Islam, I have to comment on this.  The reason you have to try and spread Islam, is because it is like a disease.  A violent, sick disease, who follows a murderer.  Mohammed was absolutely, categorically, NOTHING to do with the one true, Living God.  He was a fraud, a violent fraud, which is where it all comes from today
928711
Give us examples of your claims if you can particularly for the Hinduism and Zoroastrianism. The Quran is a Book without a match in human history as its accuracy is down to the level of letters. After 1400 hundred years its challenge to all humans to bring a chapter similar to it is unmet and every day a new evidences of its miraculous nature is discovered.\nSee the following site for more info:\nhttp://www.islamreligion.com