Muslims’ Contribution
to Human Welfare
Al-Idrisi was the first cartographer to propose the idea that the earth was not flat, rather, it was round, like a pear, with land masses on both ends.
Muslims often take pride in their history but deriving such satisfaction from the past can never bring us back to that era. Unless we strive in the manner that Muslims of the earlier period did, we will never be able to perform the exemplary role in the advancement of civilization that our forebears were able to. I will illustrate this point with an example. It is related to the Italian explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus (d. 1506 AD), who is credited with the discovery of the new world, now called America. Historians acknowledge that the Muslim geographer Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi (d. 1165 AD) made a vital contribution in this discovery. During al-Idrisi’s time, the general perception was that the earth is flat. Nobody ever imagined that people could journey from one end of the earth to the other end. Al-Idrisi was the first cartographer to propose the idea that the earth was not flat, rather, it was round, like a pear, with land masses on both ends. His book included one of the most advanced medieval descriptions of the world map, called Tabula Rogeriana. For drawing the map, al-Idrisi incorporated knowledge from his extensive travels and information gathered from various merchants, explorers and voyagers. Al-Idrisi’s book has been translated into several European languages and published in many countries. Columbus also read a translation of al-Idrisi’s book and based on it hypothesized that a long journey across the sea would lead him to new land. Taking inspiration from this idea, he undertook his famous sea voyage which led him to the then undiscovered country, America.
The spirit that inspired Muslims in this age came from the desire to make positive contribution to people’s lives and bestow beneficence on them. The developments in this period were bolstered by the participation of and services offered by Muslims. This led to the making of a new history which transformed the ancient world. How can Muslims command the same respect and prestige in the present age, when they have ceased to make any significant contributions for the betterment of humanity? If we wish to regain our lost position, we must again become givers members of society.
In this regard, I would like to make another point. A fundamental reason for the backwardness of present Muslims is that they lagged behind in acquiring modern education. This is the primary factor responsible for their inability to make contributions to society. It is indeed a fact that Muslims are educationally the most backward community in India, according to the statistics and surveys published by the government of India. In some places, even the Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes fair better than Muslims.
