在过去两个世纪里，世界见证了科学与技术前所未有的飞跃，铁路、飞机、核技术、互联网、试管婴儿和转基因食品相继问世。这些发展与西方的崛起同步进行，其规模达到了历史上无与伦比的水平。科技与科学发明的这种垄断，使人们相信自由主义价值观是发展的必要前提。

For the last two centuries the world has witnessed unprecedented leaps in science and technology, the development of railways, aeroplanes, nuclear technology, the Internet, IVF and genetically modified food. Such developments have taken place in parallel to the development of the West, reaching levels unparalleled in history. This monopolisation of technological and scientific inventions has led to the belief that liberal values are a pre-requisite for development.

大多数思想家、科学家和哲学家都声称，伊斯兰教在当今世界已无立足之地。这一观点建立在一个前提之上：没有任何穆斯林国家在科学研究或技术发明方面有所建树。西方认为，科学与技术的进步发生在西方摆脱教会权威、使宗教与生活分离之后。在他们看来，教会扼杀了科学与理性的发展，因为宗教本质上建立在信仰与迷信之上。只有将宗教从公共领域中移除，西方才得以发动工业革命并走向繁荣。如今，自由派人士认为，是他们发明了我们所知的科学；他们宣称自己奠定了科学的基础，并创建了它的众多分支。

Most thinkers, scientists and philosophers claim Islam has no place in the world today. This view is built upon the premise that none of the Muslim countries have produced anything in terms of scientific research or technological invention. The West claims that progress in science and technology occurred when the West rid itself of the authority of the Church and separated religion from life. For them the church stifled the development of science and reason as religion is inherently built upon faith and superstition. Only with its removal from the public sphere did the West manage to launch an industrial revolution and then flourish. Today for liberals it is they who invented science as we know it. They claim they laid its foundations and have created its numerous branches.

这样的叙述遗漏了许多非西方的历史发展，也表明西方仍将自身的历史视为世界的历史。这种叙述还方便地略去了西方从先前文明，尤其是伊斯兰文明中所汲取的东西。

Such a narrative omits a number of historical developments that are not Western and shows how the West continues to view its history as the history of the world. Such a narrative also conveniently omits what the West took from previous civilisations and especially the Islamic civilisation.

历史上，所有文明都以某种形式的科技与科学发展为特征。西方已经记录了罗马人在这一领域的贡献，而公元8至10世纪的伊斯兰世界则翻译了当时该地区希腊人的著作。

Historically all civilisations have been characterised with some form of technological and scientific development. The West has documented the contributions the Romans made to the discipline whilst the Islamic world in the 8th – 10th century translated the works of the Greeks in the area.

科学的本质是对宇宙可观察部分的研究、探索与实验。

Science in essence is the study, research, and experimentation into the observable parts of the universe.

汽车的发展主要归功于内燃机的发展。

The development of automobiles was due primarily to the development of the combustion engine.

这正是燃料在发动机中燃烧，作用于活塞，使固体部件运动，最终推动汽车前进的地方。这一切之所以可能，要归功于大英帝国：它最初利用蒸汽，后来利用煤炭来驱动活塞，并最终将其转化为旋转（运动）。

This is where the burning of fuel in an engine acts on the pistons causing the movement of the solid parts, eventually moving the automobile. This was possible due to the British Empire who originally used steam and then coal to drive pistons and then eventually to generate rotary (motion)

为了移动机器。此类发展是以12世纪阿尔-贾扎里的工作为基础的，他发明了曲轴，并通过连杆和汽缸实现了旋转运动。

to move machines. Such developments where based upon Al-Jazari’s work in the 12th century where he invented the crankshaft, and created rotary motion through the use of rods and cylinders.

他是第一个将其融入机器的人。

He was the first to incorporate it into a machine.

降落伞是一种通过产生阻力来减缓物体在大气中运动速度的装置。现代降落伞是在过去的设计与实验基础上发展而来的。9世纪时，伊本·菲尔纳斯发明了一种原始形式的降落伞。他借助一件巨大的类似翅膀的斗篷，从科尔多瓦清真寺（Mezquita mosque）的宣礼塔上跳下，以减缓下坠之势，并仅受了轻伤着地。随后的降落伞变得更为紧凑，用绷紧的亚麻布和木框架制成。再后来，折叠的丝绸被开发为降落伞的材料，利用了丝绸强度高、重量轻的特点。诸如此类的例子表明，没有哪一个文明可以宣称科学本就属于自己，而是各个文明都为这一普遍领域做出了贡献。原子和分子受宇宙规律支配、这些规律可以被人们运用和驾驭，这一事实不会因为一个人是穆斯林、基督徒还是自由主义者而有所改变。这是普遍存在的，不受个人信仰影响。因此，真正值得讨论的问题在于：哪一个文明对科学做出了重大贡献，以及究竟是什么促使它们在这一领域取得卓越成就。

A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag. Current day parachutes were developed from the designs and experiments of the past. In the 9th century, Ibn Firnas invented a primitive version of the parachute. He jumped from the minaret of the Mezquita mosque in Córdoba using a huge wing-like cloak to break his fall and landed with minor injuries. Subsequent Parachutes were made more compact and from stretched linen over a wooden frame. Then folded silk, was developed as the material for parachutes taking advantage of silk’s strength and light weight. Such examples amongst others show that no civilisation can lay claim to science belonging inherently to them but rather they made a contribution to this universal area. The fact atoms and molecules are subjected to the rules of the universe which can be manipulated will not change if one is a Muslim, Christian or a liberal. This is something that is universal and not affected by one’s belief. The real debate is therefore which civilisation made significant contributions to science and what exactly drove them to excel in the field.

伊斯兰黄金时代通常被认为是从公元8世纪至13世纪的时期。

The Islamic golden age is considered to be the period from the 8th century to the 13th century.

在这一时期，伊斯兰世界的工程师、学者和商人在艺术、农业、经济、工业、法律、文学、航海、哲学、科学和技术等领域作出了贡献，既保存并发展了早期的传统，也在其基础上有所增益。中世纪历史专家霍华德·特纳（Howard Turner）在其著作《伊斯兰中世纪的科学》（‘Science in Medieval Islam’）中写道：“穆斯林的艺术家和科学家、君主与劳动者共同创造了一种独特的文化，这种文化直接或间接地影响了各大洲的社会。”伊斯兰教内部有若干具体因素，成为推动穆斯林在这一领域精益求精的内在动力。

During this period, engineers, scholars and traders in the Islamic world contributed to the arts, agriculture, economics, industry, law, literature, navigation, philosophy, sciences, and technology, both by preserving and building upon earlier traditions and by adding to them. Howard Turner, an expert on medieval history mentioned in his book ‘Science in Medieval Islam,’: ‘Muslim artists and scientists, princes and labourers together created a unique culture that has directly and indirectly influenced societies on every continent.’ There were a number of specific elements within Islam that were the driving engine which motivated Muslims to excel in this field.

对安拉وتعالى سبحانه的崇拜，是促成许多发明的因素之一。每日五次拜功的时间、朝向克尔白（Qibla）的方向，以及斋月的开始与结束，都需要准确测定星辰与月亮的位置。正因如此，穆斯林开始发明观测和导航仪器。这也是今天大多数导航星都带有阿拉伯语名称的原因，例如：Acamar、Baham、Baten Kaitos、Caph、Dabih、Furud、Izar、Lesath、Mirak、Nashira、Tarf和Vega。

The worship of Allah وتعالى سبحانه was one such factor that led to a number of inventions. The times of the five daily prayers, the direction for Qibla and the beginning and ending of Ramadan required accurate readings of the positions of the stars and the moon. It was due to this that Muslims began to invent observational and navigational instruments. This is why most navigational stars today have Arabic names such as Acamar, Baham, Baten Kaitos, Caph, Dabih, Furud, Izar, Lesath, Mirak, Nashira, Tarf and Vega.

穆斯林对天文学以及天文钟的最终发展做出了多项贡献。10世纪时，阿布·雷汉·比鲁尼发明了一种带齿轮系和齿轮的机械阴阳历。基于此类设计，塔基·丁在15世纪发明了机械钟。确定麦加朝向（Qibla）的需要促使了指南针的发展，而指南针本身又建立在穆斯林天文学家所整理的研究成果之上。穆斯林还发明了罗盘方位图（compass rose），它在地图和航海图上标示出北、南、东、西四个基本方位。

Muslims made a number of contributions to Astronomy and eventually to the development of the astronomical clock. A Mechanical lunisolar calendar with a gear train and gear-wheels was invented by Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī in the 10th century. Based on such designs Taqi al-din invented the mechanical clock in the 15th century. The need to ascertain the Qibla led to the development of the compass, which itself was based upon the findings Muslims astronomers had collated. Muslims developed the compass rose which displayed the orientation of the cardinal directions, north, south, east and west on a map and nautical chart.

安拉（سبحانه وتعالى）在《古兰经》中说：

Allah وتعالى سبحانه says in the Holy Qur’an:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ النُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُواْ بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ “.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ النُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُواْ بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ “.

"而正是祂为你们安排了星辰，使你们在陆地和海洋的黑暗中得以遵循方向。"[TMQ 6:97] 这激励穆斯林去寻求更好的观测与航行仪器。这些仪器被用于探索世界，许多穆斯林地理学家将其成果汇编成手册。他们的动力来自《古兰经》中的一节经文，其中安拉سبحانه وتعالى说：وَجَعَلْنَا فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِهِمْ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجًا سُبُلًا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

And it is He who ordained the stars for you that you may be guided thereby in the darkness of the land and the sea.” [TMQ 6:97] This motivated Muslims to begin to find better observational and navigational instruments. Such instruments were used to explore the world, which many Muslim geographers collated into manuals. They were driven by the ayah in the Qur’an where Allah وتعالى سبحانه says: وَجَعَلْنَا فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِهِمْ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجًا سُبُلًا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ .

“我们在大地上安置了稳固的山岳，以免它与人们一同震动；我们在其中开辟了宽阔的道路，以便他们得以循路前行。”[TMQ 21:31] 早期的穆斯林理解，伊斯兰视一切物质事务为对实相的研究，包括科学、技术和工业，也是对如何驾驭物质以改善人类境况与生活水平的探索。随着许多地区归入伊斯兰文明的版图，城市化带来了诸多发展。阿拉伯沙漠泉水稀少，使该地区大部分不适于居住。穆斯林工程师通过开凿自幼发拉底河和底格里斯河引水的运河，克服了这一难题。巴格达周围的沼泽被排干，使这座城市摆脱了疟疾的威胁。穆斯林工程师完善了水车，并修建了被称为坎儿井（qanats）的复杂地下引水渠。这促进了先进的家庭供水系统的发展，包括下水道、公共浴场、饮水喷泉、管道供水，以及广泛普及的私人和公共厕所与沐浴设施。

“And we have placed in the earth firm hills lest it quake with them and we have placed therein ravines as roads that happily they may find their way.” [TMQ 21:31] Early Muslims understood that Islam views all the material matters which include the sciences, technology and industry, as merely the study of the reality and a study of how matter can be manipulated to improve the condition and living standards of humanity. As many lands came under the fold of the Islamic civilisation, urbanisation led to a number of developments. The Arabian Desert had scant water springs making most of the region uninhabitable. This was overcome by Muslim engineers developing canals from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The swamps around Baghdad were drained, freeing the city of Malaria. Muslim engineers perfected the waterwheel and constructed elaborate underground water channels called qanats. This led to the development of advanced domestic water systems with sewers, public baths, drinking fountains, piped drinking water supplies and widespread private and public toilet and bathing facilities.

穆斯林的思想家、科学家、工程师和专家对科学以及许多其他学科作出了重大贡献。这些贡献中有许多后来被西方所采用,而西方又在此基础上作出了进一步的贡献。科学作为一门普遍性的学科,其本质决定了没有任何一个文明可以宣称自己发明了科学;相反,大多数文明都在历史上记录了自己的贡献,这些记录在后来的文明进行实验时,充当了先前的信息。在伊斯兰教于中东兴起之前,当地居民并未对科学作出任何贡献。当这些同样的人接受伊斯兰教之后,他们作出了贡献,后来的世代利用这些贡献发明了新的事物,其中许多至今仍伴随着我们。

Muslims thinkers, scientists, engineers and experts made significant contributions to science as well as many other disciplines. Many of these contributions were later used by the West who made further contributions to the field. The nature of science as a universal subject means no single civilisation can lay claim to inventing it but rather most civilisations have documented their contributions throughout history which acted as previous information when experimentation was carried out by latter civilisations. Prior to the emergence of Islam in the Middle East the host population made no contribution to science. When the very same people accepted Islam they made contributions which later generations utilised to invent new items which today still remain with us.

伊斯兰教并非阻碍科学的因素，而是推动穆斯林科学贡献的催化剂。

Islam rather than being an obstacle to science, was the catalyst that drove Muslim’s contribution to science.