The Unacknowledged Debt of Europe
The myth about cultural purity of any region or race is based on ludicrous claims which must come under intense historical research and rational assessment. One such myth surrounds over Occidental superiority over the Orient. There are many European historians, scholars and missionaries who make false a claim and assert that colonization of Asia was a divine dispensation coming under the heady influence of renaissance in Europe. Their account and history of Asia in their skewed analysis is a continent engulfed in complete darkness and inhabited by sub-humans! Even some arrogantly claimed that Europe had the moral and historical mandate to free the people of this continent. They need to be disabused of this historically untrue and factually baseless notion. Rather an honest study would reveal Europe's unwillingness to acknowledge its debt to Asia when many rich ideas did originate and flow from the lands of this so-called ignorant continent which helped it overcome fighting its own darkness. It is,indeed, a supreme irony that the countries which were in the forefront in this regard are also in the same position to be battered and destroyed by Western countries. Iraq - the ancient Persia - was the cradle of a very rich civilization. Lo and behold! Where it stands today. Ergo, it would be a monumental folly to make any irrational claim as to cultural or civilizational superiority.
Rationalist movement in Europe which emphasized reason and logic as the principal elements for validation of our thoughts and actions is not the result of the evolutionary process of European civilization. Rather it transformed itself after coming into the contact with Oriental superior thoughts and ideas. One has to take note of the situation and the prevalent realities in pre-renaissance period of Europe. Countries in the Europe were in the grip of dark ignorance and obscurantism. And historical evidences do exist to bear that out. It is incontrovertibly and historically established that during this particular phase of history the superior intellectual brilliance which existed in and around the Mediterranean and West Asian countries was the catalyst to not only drive away the darkness of European minds but also helped it to prepare itself for renaissance to take place. European thinkers,scientists,philosopher all directly benefited from the glorious progress made by the East in the field of mathematics,astronomy,medicine,physics,chemistry and architecture and imbibed them to enrich their own. It is highly deplorable that they never acknowledged their debt to the East! The renaissance movement in Europe which centred around ideas of rationalism,humanism - placing human beings at the centre of things, breaking the monopoly of Pope and clerics on their sole claim on truth. All these ideas were, in fact, from the thoughts of such great men like Al-Kindi,Al-Razi,Al-Farabi,Iban Sina and Iban Rushd.
Al Kindi's name figures very prominently when it comes to recognizing Oriental contribution to Occidental intellectual development. He was born in 801 A.D and made orginal contribution in the various spheres of human interests which were amazingly varied such as philosophy,psychology, metaphysics,ethics,logic mathematics,physics, music and even pharmacology! He was famous for introducing Indian numerals to the Islamic and Christian world. The credit of inventing a scale to determine appropriate dosage of medicine also goes to him.
Al-Razi who was also known as Fakhruddin Razi was another great mind whose profound and seminal thoughts as a theologian and philosopher greatly influenced the European minds in the pre-renaissance eras. He also contributed in the field of medicines,physics,astrology,literature,history and law.
It is important to note that at a time when the entire Islamic world was intellectual afire with novel and bold ideas and thoughts sweeping Bagdad, Cairo, Damascus and Alexandria, Europe was at the mercy of barbarians. In the 8th Century "Dastan Kalila" which was produced in Arabic borrowing extensively from "Panchatantra","Betal Panchabinghshati" and " Kathasaritsagar". Givoanni Boccaccio's Decameron tales and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales which were published much later were all based on stories of Arabian Nights. The story of Wrishysshringa sage of the great epic Ramayana was grafted in the motif of folktale " The Virgin and the Unicorn". The Arabic scholars were busy translating from Sanskrit,Hebrew,Greek into Arabic or from Arabic to these languages preparing the ground for renaissance in Europe.
When Dante started writing his celebrated work "Divine Comedy" in 1308, the concept of journey into the paradise was recorded in al-M'raz - the prophet's ascent to heaven some 500 years before. And in Mahabharata Yudistir's ascent to the Heaven via inferno predated some thousand years back! It has to be kept in mind that Florence in Italy was centre which was under the strong influence of Arabic literature, philosophy and culture. The motif of Dante' s Divine comedy Could not have come Christian mythology, literature or folklore. If Jibrail farishta was instrumental in Prophet Mohammad's journey to heaven, Virgil was so in Dante's entire odyssey to paradise via inferno! But there is little evidence of any acknowledgement from any European scholastic community in this regard.
It is perfectly clear that the evolutionary progress of any civilization is characterized by mutual exchange of ideas and developments in other civilizations. European renaissance too was nothing but the product of assimilation of such rich ideas in all branches of human existence which especially originated in the Orient. It would be totally wrong and ridiculous to claim that it grew on it own and the ultimate outcome of its own evolutionary process. It is the excessive pride and gross denial of the role of other civilizations which has led to the current conflict and confrontation amongst civilizations. If Islamic revolutionary ideas left tremendous impact on the the thinkers of the West, the same was deeply influenced by Buddihism and Hinduism. If Judaism and Christian theological ideas and mythology had traces of elements from Zend-Avesta of Zoroasthura and Persian civilization, Hindu civilization is the confluence of many civilizations.
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