Take a moment and think about the things surrounding you. Maybe it’s your morning cup of coffee, or a new tab open of your bank account, or art hanging on the wall across your desk.
Do you ever wonder where these daily necessities came from? These are only a few of the many things Muslims have invented throughout our history.
This month we celebrate Islamic history by recognizing only a few of the significant contributions Muslims have had, not only to society but to humanity at large.
The Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said:
“There are certain people whom Allāh chooses from amongst the masses to give them blessings so that they can be at the assistance of others. Allāh will keep such blessings with them so long as they continue using them to assist others. If they stop doing so, however, it is taken away from them and given to somebody else.” Narrated by At-Tabārani
In this article, we will look at the different ways Muslims have benefited society in hopes to be inspired by our past and provide more to our communities.
Here is a list of what I believe are 10 Muslim Inventions That Helped Shape The World.
1) Surgery
Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi, also known as Albucasis, was a great product of the time and place he was raised.
At the heart of Andalusia was the great city of Córdoba, which in the 10th century was one of the world’s most populous cities and an international center of art, science, culture, and economic growth.
Around the year 1000, Dr. Al-Zahrawi published a 1,500 page illustrated encyclopedia of surgery that was used as a medical reference in Europe for the next 500 years.
2) Coffee
Ever wonder where your Tim Hortons cup of coffee came from?
Historians agree that coffee drinking began in Yemen in the middle of the fifteenth century and by the 16th century, it was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. Back when coffee was called the Arabic name qahwa, it was drunk by Sufi monks who were the first ever to brew the drink.
Today, coffee is the second-most traded commodity in the world, second only to petroleum.
3) Flight
Many are surprised to learn that the first man to ever fly did it six hundred years before Leonardo da Vinci developed his designs for flying machines, and more than a thousand years before the Wright brothers made their famous flight.
It all began in the year 810 when a man by the name of Abbas ibn Firnas was born in Malaga Spain. He was a scientist, inventor, poet, philosopher, alchemist, and astrologer.
Aside from his many contributions to society he was the first to design, build, and successfully test artifacts that remained in a flight lasting between 2-10 minutes.
4) University
The world’s first-ever university wasn’t Oxford or Harvard, it was the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco.
Established in the year 859, by a brilliant woman by the name of Fatima al-Fihri the University of al-Qarawiyyin was the first degree-granting educational institute in the world.
Seeking knowledge is highly valued in Islam. The first word revealed to the Prophet Muhammed PBUH in the Quran was Iqra meaning to “read.”
Fatima, being a strong believer and devout Muslim, was committed to advocating intellectual advancement. This led to the foundation of the oldest university and a source of inspiration for all.
5) Optics
The Muslim scholar named Abu Ali al Hasan ibn al-Haytham was a pioneering scientific thinker who made great contributions to the understanding of optics, vision, and light.
An important observation in his seven-volume series on optics, “Kitab Al Manazer” led him to propose that the eyes receive light reflected from objects, rather than emanating light themselves, contradicting modern-day belief at the time.
Ibn Al-Haytham’s series which he wrote while incarcerated between 1011 to 1021, has been ranked alongside Isaac Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica as one of the most influential books ever written in physics.
6) Algebra
This list would not be complete without the mention of the father of algebra, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, Latinized as Algorithmi.
He was the first to introduce raising a number to the power. His work offered answers for rules on inheritance, land distribution, and salary distribution. He also developed the concept of the algorithm in mathematics, which is why some have called him the “grandfather of computer science.”
Modern science would not be complete without the work this man has provided.
7) Cleanliness
Islam has given so much importance to cleanliness internally and externally as it is considered to be a part of faith.
The Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said: “The taking of a bath on Friday is compulsory for every male Muslim who has attained the age of puberty and (also) the cleaning of his teeth with Miswaak (a type of twig used as a toothbrush), and the using of perfume if it is available.” (Recorded in Sahih Bukhari)
In the 10th century, Islam played a pivotal role in introducing revolutionary concepts of purity and cleanliness. Muslims during the time made soap by mixing olive oil with a salt-like substance. This was then boiled to achieve the right mix, left to become solid, and used in washrooms.
Alkindi, a chemist and the founder of the perfume industry, carried out extensive research and experiments in combining various plants and other sources to produce a variety of scent products. His book named ‘Book of the Chemistry Perfume and Distillations’ contained more than a hundred recipes for fragrant oils, salves, and aromatic waters.
8) Medicine
One of the world’s most influential scientists/philosophers Ibn Sina (also known as Avicenna) was born during the Islamic Golden Age.
He is known for composing the book The Canon of Medicine which is now credited as forming the basis of Western medicine.
Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine presented a clear and organized summary of all the medical knowledge of the time, including a long list of drugs, several hundred substances, and treatments of different illnesses.
9) Astronomy
Astronomy may be the oldest science in the world dating back to nearly 5,000 years ago, however Muslims contributed a vast amount to this branch of knowledge.
While Europe was in an intellectual coma, the Islamic empire which stretched from Moorish Spain to Egypt and even China was entering its “Golden Age.”
Astronomers like Ibn Yunus from Egypt found faults in previous calculations about the movements of the planets. Scientists like Nasir al-Din al-Tusi created the famous mathematical device (the Tusi Couple) that helped explain the apparent linear motion of certain heavenly bodies on the basis of circular motion.
A millennia later, around 200 stars bear the Arabic names of astronomers who made significant contributions to the field. On the surface of the moon, there are twenty-four craters named after the Muslim astronomers who’ve paved the way for modern science and astronomy.
10) Windmills
Most historians believe that it was the Crusaders who introduced windmills to Europe in the 12th century.
The first windmill was brought by a Persian who had come to Umar Ibn al Khattab (RA) around the year 634 and claimed he could build a mill operated by the wind. Umar (RA), who was the caliph of the time, ordered him to have one built.
After this, wind power became widely used to run millstones, grind grain, and to draw up water for crops.
Conclusion
Just as these Muslims strived for the heights without tarnishing their morals and values we must do our best to excel in each of our respective fields without sacrificing our faith and beliefs.
The Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said: “The best of people are those that bring most benefit to the rest of mankind.” (Daraqutni, Hasan)
May Allah grant us all the ability to excel in our careers, seek knowledge, and provide most to our communities.
36 Comments on “10 Muslim Inventions That Helped Shape The World”
Proud to be a Muslim
Surgery was first performed by Sushruta 2800 years ago
World’s oldest University was Taxilla University destroyed by bakhtiyar khilji in 1300s
oldest study of medicines is Ayurveda
why just telling lies ? claiming things which were prevailing long before Islam
Idiot Read The Whole Thing Not The First Word,For Medicine It Says The Muslims Contributed A Lot In Modern Medicine And Your Ayuveda Is Made From Natural Ingredients Lol,For Surgery The Muslims Made New Forms Of Surgery The First OPERATIVE Thyroidectomy Surgery And Also Made New Forms Of Surgery The First Surgical Equipment Was Invented By Muslims And Then They Worked On Improving Surgery techniques,and neither sushruta performed the first surgery the first surgery evidence is 7000 years old.For University The First Modern University Was Made By Muslims,Tell Me One University That Looks Like Taxilla University In Now Time None.And Some Places Say Taxila University Cant Be Classified As A University In Modern Times
Erm surgical tools u dumbass, did u not even read the post
Name one great Islamic invention that has benefitted mankind in the modern era. Just one. Good luck. Now ask why?
Because there are evil people in the world that won’t leave Muslims countries alone. They know the great achievements Muslims made and can still make, but they don’t want that. They cause turmoil in that area of the world and then say stuff like what you said.
Porque precisam de desculpas para roubar petróleo e construi o terceiro templo
Algebra whole technology works on that
Coffee.
University.
Algebra.
Optics.
Music.
Toothbrush.
The list goes on forever.
Name One positive thing that Christian Countries are doing for others now ?
You help people in Africa or you send rockets to the sky ? You help your homeles people or you are building tall buildings for offices for people that can work from home on theyr computers ? Just one thing please.
1. Dr. Özlem Türeci & Dr. Uğur Şahin (Germany/Turkey)
Turkish-origin Muslim scientists.
Co-founders of BioNTech, who developed the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the world’s first effective mRNA vaccine.
Their work saved millions of lives during the pandemic.
—
2. Dr. Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh)
Nobel Peace Prize winner (2006).
Founder of the Grameen Bank and pioneer of microfinance—giving small loans to poor people without collateral.
His model has been adopted in over 100 countries to fight poverty.
—
3. Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud (Saudi Arabia)
In 1985, became the first Muslim and Arab astronaut.
Flew on NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery mission.
Inspired the Arab world to advance in space science.
—
4. Dr. Ali Javan (Iran/USA)
Inventor of the first gas laser (Helium-Neon Laser).
This technology is still used in fiber optics, internet, medical surgery, barcode scanners, and many more fields.
—
⚖️ 5. Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan)
Youngest Nobel Prize laureate.
Global activist for girls’ education and human rights.
Through the Malala Fund, she supports education for students in developing countries.
—
6. Ahmed Zewail (Egypt/USA)
Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1999).
Known as the “Father of Femtochemistry” for using femtosecond lasers to study chemical reactions.
His research advanced medicine, nanotechnology, and chemistry.
In current period muslim inventions are extremely rare due to many reasons eg. muslim rulers are not giving proper preference to education and technology, US frequent sanctions, wars to stop development in muslim countries.
Note: The modern era inventions are possible only due to past era muslim inventions.
Eg…Laptops(logarithms), Missiles(trigonometry), Universities and Medical Surgeries etc
Modern era muslim inventions
islamophobes please check the link below:
https://islam.fandom.com/wiki/Inventions_in_the_modern_Islamic_world
Forgot the greatest achievements like child rape, destructions, terrorism, 72 hoors, violence….a long list.
As a true scientist, I believe even without Muslim contributions, we would still have a high level of achievement.
It is known by many that contributions in math and science are a matter of timing as to who gets the credit.
Even without the Muslim contributions In math, I feel certain that the genius of certain mathematical achievements would still have proceeded.
After all, many discoveries and inventions are discovered simultaneously by different peoples.
Sir Isaac Newton invented Calculus, and who is to say he wouldn’t invented algebra or algorithms.
Every contribution suggested also was long ago.
What have they done lately except created terrorism and havoc.
Let’s not give too much credit.
If we shouldn’t give muslim scientists credit, why should we give Western scientists credit? Your argument is racist and stupid. Newton didn’t invent algebra or algorithms because he just wasn’t smart enough, period. Let’s not take away from the scientists better than yourself to glaze Western ones who relied heavily on them in their own works, racist. You can keep barking about terrorism but Islam wasn’t the one that colonized 178 countries. You’re not a scientist, either. Fucking racist whore
As a true scientist, I believe even without Muslim contributions, we would still have a high level of achievement.
It is known by many that contributions in math and science are a matter of timing as to who gets the credit.
Even without the Muslim contributions In math, I feel certain that the genius of certain mathematical achievements would still have proceeded.
After all, many discoveries and inventions are discovered simultaneously by different peoples.
Sir Isaac Newton invented Calculus, and who is to say he wouldn’t invented algebra or algorithms.
Every contribution suggested also was long ago
when was child rape suggested in this
Ashish, which school did you studied? Your information is unknown to the world, even indians… Don’t make allegations to satisfy your ego, hate etc
Learn to face the reality, love and dignity is the best thing for world peace. Stop hate
ok
#fake
Lies
Nonsense
ur fake tf
Ok Mike keep telling yourself that
zero
Muslims did NOT invent this
lol this isnt true but oh well let them have fun ig
Do you not even know history?
Guys study if your not in the mood to you have AI ask chat GPT
Yeah like seriously nobody even tries to know they just denied it like a dumbass blindly and wort of all WITH CONFIDENCE
The audacity
I like how Most historians believe that it was the Crusaders who introduced windmills
Sacchai jitni bhi jhuthla do sacchai to sacchai rahti hai agar aapko sacchai Nahin Pata To Apne Baap Dada Se Poochho kiski sacchai kya hai vah To Main theek se bataenge tum log to Aaj Ki pidhi Ho andhbhakt हो Gobar ko dawai bolane wale ho gay mutra ko Peene Wale Ho
Abey, tumhare baap dada bhi wahi mutr piye the. Talwar ke nok pe salwar pehen ne wale kaayar ki aulaad, aaj tu apna astha badal diya tho kya sach juth ho jaayegaa. Jaake pado is desh ke baare mein tumhara khuda se pehle bana desh hai bharath.
Shiva. – yes I agree with you. I would respect muslims more if they sorted out their own people who bring terror and destruction to others.
yo all of yall refusing this list, gimmie ur computer, tv, phone, car, toothbrush, and coffee (there is others but I’m lazy)
wtf is this muslimas only give women opression , treat women like animal and if somwhere rape is happening and idol worship then idol worship has to be stopped rape should continue according to islam , before epstine file we has mohmmad files and terrorist , all over the world
Really enjoyed reading this article! The historical contributions, especially the section about coffee and its origins in Yemen, were fascinating and very well explained. As someone who researches and writes about coffee, I found this especially valuable. I’ve also published some coffee-related guides and brewing resources that readers might find useful: https://coffeedrinklab.com/. Thanks for sharing such informative content looking forward to reading more from your blog!