Italy : Arabic Edition

Wasn’t Islamic medicine the most advanced in the world!?

Wasn’t Al-Quanun dominating medical education and practice in Europe and Asia for centuries.

Believe me, even after ten centuries, the achievements of Islamic medicine look amazingly modern.

Al-Quanun (Canon), containing over a million words, described complete studies of physiology, pathology and hygiene. He specifically discourseed on breast cancer, poisons, diseases of the skin, rabies, insomnia, childbirth and the use of obstetrical forceps, meningitis, amnesia, stomach ulcers, tuberculosis as a contagious disease, facial tics, phlebotomy, tumors, kidney diseases and geriatric care.

The author Avicenna was the first physician to observe the communicability of diseases such as tuberculosis and dysentery, the spread of diseases through water, the properties and preparation of alcohol and sulfuric acid, the genetic nature of certain conditions, and the sweet taste of urine in those with diabetes.

Ibn Sina recognized ‘physiological psychology’ in treating illnesses involving emotions. From the clinical perspective, Ibn Sina developed a system for associating changes in the pulse rate with inner feelings, which has been viewed as anticipating the word association test of Jung. He is said to have treated a terribly ill patient by feeling the patient’s pulse and reciting aloud to him the names of provinces, districts, towns, streets and people. By noticing how the patient’s pulse quickened when names were mentioned, Ibn Sina deduced that the patient was in love with a girl whose home Ibn Sina was able to locate by the digital examination. The man took Ibn Sina’s advice, married the girl, and recovered from his illness.

To enlighten Avicenna was Ibn Sina he is among the Muslim scholars and philosophers who diverted their legacy to the West and awakened Europe to the dawn of Renaissance.


Ibn Sina (973-1037) was a sort of universal genius, known first as a physician. To his works on medicine he afterward added religious tracts, poems, works on philosophy, on logic, as physics, on mathematics, and on astronomy. He was also a statesman and a soldier

This image is an early-15th-century Persian copy of the opening page of Book Four of Ibn Sina's (Avicenna) Canon of Medicine, written in the 11th century, parts of which were used in European medical schools as late as the 19th century.




The Reynolds collection has a copy of the first Arabic edition of Al-Qanun to appear in the West, published in Rome in 1593 (Sarton 711). Also, the Reynolds Library holds a Latin translation from 1556, Liber canonis, de medicines cordialibus, et cantica. This is an edition of the original Latin translation of the Canon by Gerard of Cremona (1147-1187).

The 99 beautiful names of Allah

The 99 Names of Allah has inspired veteran British composer John Tavener to create his new classical soundtrack "The Beautiful Names," to be played in Westminster Cathedral.

"All I can say is, it’s a wonderful text — basically a list of names, some of majesty, some of mercy — that I’ve set as theophanies: as soundings-forth on the nature of the divine, with music that reflects their meaning. The Beneficent, the Opener, the Subtle," Tavener told The New York Times on Sunday, June 17.



Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful


La ilaha illallah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Al-Malik, Al-Quddus, As-Salam, Al-Mu'min, Al-Muhaymin, Al-'Aziz,

Al-Jabbar, Al-Mutakabbir, Al-Khaliq, Al-Bari', Al-Musawwir, Al-Ghaffar, Al-Qahhar, Al-Wahhab, Ar-Razzaq, Al-Fattah, Al-'Alim,

Al-Qabid, Al-Basit, Al-Khafid, Ar-Rafi', Al-Mu'izz, Al-Muzill, As-Sami', Al-Basir, Al-Hakam, Al-'Adl, Al-Latif, Al-Khabir, Al-Halim, Al-'Azim, Al-Ghafur, Ash-Shakur, Al-'Ali, Al-Kabir, Al-Hafiz, Al-Muqit,

Al-Hasib, Aj-Jalil, Al-Karim, Ar-Raqib, Al-Mujib, Al-Wasi', Al-Hakim, Al-Wadud, Al-Majid, Al-Ba'ith, Ash-Shahid,

Al-Haqq, Al-Wakil, Al-Qawi, Al-Matin, Al-Wali, Al-Hamid, Al-Muhsi, Al-Mubdi', Al-Mu'id, Al-Muhyi, Al-Mumit, Al-Hayy, Al-Qayyum,

Al-Wajid, Al-Majid, Al-Wahid, Al-Ahad, As-Samad, Al-Qadir, Al-Muqtadir, Al-Muqaddim, Al-Mu'akhkhir, Al-Awwal, Al-Akhir,

Az-Zahir, Al-Batin, Al-Wali, Al-Muta'ali, Al-Barr, At-Tawwab, Al-Muntaqim, Al-'Afuw, Ar-Ra'uf, Malik-ul-Mulk, Dhul-Jalali-wal-Ikram,

Al-Muqsit, Aj-Jami', Al-Ghani, Al-Mughni, Al-Mani', Ad-Daarr,

An-Nafi', An-Nur, Al-Hadi, Al-Badi', Al-Baqi,

Al-Warith, Ar-Rashid, As-Sabur.

Italy : From Pisa

Impariamo a conoscere il mondo musulmano
Let's start learning about the Muslim world ...



'He who has not seen the Duomo of Pisa has not seen one of the finest things in the world," wrote the medieval chronicler Bernardo Marangone.

The Duomo Pisa (Cathedral Pisa) is the largest Romanesque church in Tuscany. This buildings have great unity in spite of using various architectual elements such as mozaic of Byzantine, pointed Islamic arch, small arcade of Lombardy and colonnade of Old Roma.

When student and even after I aspired, yearned, and dreamed to go to the west universities to learn, work( not sure! ) and live ( not sure! ) …

But wasn’t the opposite in the past!?

Wasn’t Arabic the International Language of learning and diplomacy!?

Was there a unique way to write the Roman numbers!?

There is a Roman tombstone in York, England, of Lucius Duccius Rufinius, who was the standard bearer of the VIIII legion ( 9th), and was XXIIX years old (28).

VIIII witch is [5+1+1+1+1] instead of IX witch is [ 10-1]and XXIIX [ 10+10+(10-1-1)] instead of XXVIII witch is [10+10+5+1+1+1]

Today, on some clock face, the hours are marked as I to XII. However, If you look at four, it is IIII instead of IV witch is ( 5-1).

Remember this type of clock was invented centuries later.

With Roman numbers, they have to be good at adding and subtracting!

Also, You can't tell from the length of the number, how big it is!
MMVII is 2007 and MDCCCLXXXVIII is 1888.

Europe used to send their people to study to the Islamic countries such as Andalusia (Spain), Baghdad, Algeria … etc.

Leonardo of Pisa known as Fibonacci [pronounced fib-on-arch-ee] short for filius Bonacci was one; He grew up with a North African education and later travelled extensively around the Mediterranean coast there he realised the many advantages of the "Hindu-Arabic" system over all the others.- the positional system WE USE TODAY - based on ten digits with its decimal point and a symbol for zero: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

His father , Guglielmo Bonacci, was a kind of customs officer in the North African town of Bugia (Bougie , Algeria ), now called Bejaia where candles were exported to France. They are still called "bougies" in French

Don't confuse Leonardo da Vinci! was born about 200 years after the death of Leonardo of Pisa.

Italy & The Qur'an

The World Wide Web is a great place to find information. Understanding could take a lifetime...

May 14, 1999 - John Paul II kisses the Qur'an at the Vatican.






It would be unthinkable also for you that this mosque could exist in Rome :

The Grand Mosque of Rome, Its the Largest mosque in Europe


San Cataldo, Palermo


The Cathedral of Palermo ( Sicily, Italy ) is an architectural complex ...

The first column on the left belonged to the original basilica and the subsequent mosque, as testified by the Qur'an verse carved on it.

My Wish

As I work on that project ...I wish I could speak of Allah like this!



Next Destination Italy!

Croatia : The First Destination

It goes without saying that it is impossible to write a post that would satisfy and please every reader. Its only when we were searching on net we realized how difficult it is to compile and write about our First Destination: Croatia

We do not speak the language and had no definite plans as to where we would go...but we have worked hard during the past three days. I personally feel satisfied with our efforts so far:

"Otac jedan, jedan mati
prvo bî nam valja znati
jer(=zašto)ćemo se pasji klati?
Hodte nami vi na viru."

[Children of one father, and one mother,
That’s of what we should be aware,
Why should we engage in warfare?
Come and embrace our faith.]

This was beautifully and clearly expressed by Muhamed Hevaji Uskjufi of the village Soline near Tuzla, in his poem Ja kauri vama velju (I’m telling you Christians).

In one of the stanzas he calls on the Christians to also convert to the Prophet Muhammed”s religion, as they were of the same origin and it would prove nonsense to fight because of religious differences.

The Islam in Croatia was introduced by the Muslim Ottoman Empire. This civilization was present on Croatian soil from the 15th to the 19th century (in eastern parts of former Yugoslavia until the beginning of the 20th century). Many Croats converted to Islam.

The Muslim Slavs are in great majority of Croatian descent, and constitute now a nation, recognized according to their own wish in 1968 (Muslimani has been the usual name since the beginning of the 20th century). Except in Croatia they live today mostly in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sandzak (a province in the south of Serbia, between Montenegro, Kosovo and Bosnia). The Muslims constitute over 1.3% of the population of Croatia 4,437,460 (2001).

The aljamiado literature ( The term aljamia: Arabic Ai adjamiyya was used to designate the writing of non-Arabic languages in the Arabic script) was an eviden example of how the establishment of Turkish rule over Bosniw and Herzegovine resulted in a sizeable part of the Croatian population accepting Islam, although this conversion to Islam did not make one Turkish, as was unjustly considered by the Christians. These Islamized Croats continued to be aware of their origin and their belonging to the Croatian ethnic community.

Islam left valuable written and architectural monuments, like in Spain for instance.

One of the oldest texts written in Arabica (which is in fact Arabic script for the Croatian language) is a love song called "Chirvat-türkisi" (= Croatian song) from 1588, written by a certain Mehmed in Bosnia. This manuscript is held in the National Library in Vienna. Except for literature Arabica was also used in religious schools and administration. Of course, it was in much lesser use than other scripts. The last book in Arabica was printed in 1941.

CHIRVAT-TÜRKISI (hrvatska pjesma)

Zagreb

In Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, there had been several hundred mosques from the Turkish time, out of which only one survived.

Why can’t we worship in peace or go about our daily business without so much disaster ...There is a good faith in the unity of people.

Let us mention that Croatia's capital Zagreb has one of the biggest and most beautiful newly built mosques in Europe, although in Turkish time it had none (Zagreb was never occupied by the Turks).



Dubrovnik

That proud coastal city known as Ragusa in the Middle Ages, and famous for its successful resistance to the Turks, there are remnants of Islamic influence. Paying annual tribute to maintain their independence as a seafaring and trading power, Ragusans prided themselves on their freedom. Yet in the Gothic chapel of the Franciscan monastery, a superb triumph of medieval Christian architecture, the rug beneath the altar is unmistakably an Islamic prayer rug.

When asked about it, a resident will say, "That is an old Bosnian rug."

"But it looks so Turkish in its bright colors and geometric patterns and the type of weaving."

The local resident shrugs, "You are mistaken. Rug weaving is a very old Bosnian craft."

Neither is wrong. It is a Bosnian craft, but one learned from the Turks in the years following the Turkish conquest of Bosnia in the 15th century...

It was George Bernard Shaw who said, "Those who seek paradise on earth should come to Dubrovnik"...

Mekkah slide (tune from bosnian traditinl. religiously song


Croatian islamic girlband "Arabeske"