Why Arabs are Regarded as Pioneers of Astronomy

During the 7th Century C.E., Islam expanded west from Arabia across North Africa into Spain and to the East as far as Afghanistan. Scholars in these vast areas drew on the legacy of scientific research from Persia and Greece, which was largely influenced by Babylon and Egypt. During the 9th Century, important scientific texts were translated into Arabic including the works of the Greek astronomer Ptolemy.

The Abbasid, whose dynasty stretched from Afghanistan to the Atlantic Ocean acquired Sankrit texts from India, which had information on Mathematics, astronomy, and the other sciences. The Arabs prized the knowledge of astronomy because Muslims by virtue of their  worship, always believed in facing Mecca when they pray and it was always the responsibility of astronomers to pin-point the direction of Mecca to the faithful from any location in the world.

By the 13 century, some  Mosques employed a professional astronomer  or muwaqqit, who helped worshippers to pray in what was considered the proper manner. With their data, the astronomers would also determine the dates of religious events and practices such as the period of fasting during the month of Ramadan. Additionally, the astronomers also proved very helpful to pilgrims travelling to Mecca to ascertain the length of their journey and plan the most efficient routes.

By the early 9th century, the study of astronomy in Bagdhad was a compulsory part of every scholar’s education. Observatories were established here and another one in Damascus by Caliph Al-Ma’mun, a great astronomer himself. The scholars who worked in these observatories achieved remarkable success. For example, in 1031, it was the Arab scholar, Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni who hinted that some planets revolved in  elliptical orbit rather than circular one.

The expansion of Islam stimulated interest in Map making and navigation, stating more accurately, degrees of latitudes and longitudes for the world map. The contributions of Arabs to the pioneer development of astronomy around the world cannot be underestimated.