The Five Pillars Of Islam

Many things Americans “can’t live without” are derived from an unexpected source. Glasses, coffee, forms of music, hospital, surgery, math (even though some may wish it didn’t exist), and more come from, believe it or not, Muslims! The Islamic empire and Muslim religion inside of it achieved great things and expanded to new heights during the post-classical era. Stretching from Spain to India, it especially spread during the Umayyad dynasty (661-750 AD) and the Abbasid dynasty (750-1258 AD), which were the civilizations main golden ages. The most important Islamic achievements were in economics and trade, arts and architecture, and numerous intellectual advancements. The reason Muslims were able to institute so many great contributions was
Of course, the economy and trade were so successful because of the religion. One of the Five Pillars of Islam, or the required religious duties for Muslims, is the Zakat, or a required tithe primarily used for the poor. This greatly helped the economy and promoted social cohesion, and it is also seen in many other religions as well. The religion also greatly encouraged tolerance to other cultures and religions, which helped the empire and trade expand like never before. The traded products included both man-made and natural resources, such as textiles and fabrics, fruits, vegetables, spices, and much more. Even much of modern trade vocabulary, such as the word traffic, derives from Post-Classical Islam (D10). Trade between Islam and Europe impacted Europe much more than it impacted Islam, because it transferred the knowledge of Islam to the dark ages, paving the way for the Renaissance. Europe wasn’t the only trade source, though, or even the primary one. Document 14, a trade map, shows Islam’s vast trade network expanded many places by both land and sea, particularly in East Africa, including but not limited to Egypt and India, as well as Spain and other places in Europe. It is important to note that this map may not be totally accurate due to the fact that the cartographer is likely modern and the map is about Islam in A.D.
It preserved and improved upon past achievements, which further influenced other cultures including our own. For example, Ibn Al-Haytham’s knowledge in optics and Al-Khwarizmi’s discoveries in math and algebra both strongly influenced Sir Isaac Newton’s studies in optics and mathematics. The Islamic findings on anatomy and medicine, which were previously impressed upon by Hippocrates, further guided Leonardo Da Vinci’s various studies in science and the human body. Studies in zoology, based on discoveries by Aristotle, went on to affect Darwin’s ideas. And the literature of Islam, such as 1,000 and one Arabian Nights, was influenced by works that came before it, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh or the Iliad and Odyssey, and they went on to impact numerous works, even many of Shakespeare’s tales. As more modern, educated and open minded people of importance, it makes sense that all these scientists, inventors, geniuses, and more, would use Islamic achievements for the basis of their own work. Islam was so open to both new innovations and old ideas because it greatly supported focus on practicality, particularly in science. They understood the importance of science to health, intelligence, and religion, using it to treat ills, gain understanding, and to get calculations to know when and where to pray to Mecca.(D1) One of the main places where knowledge was preserved