By: Mohammed Sirajuddin, Hon. Fellow, Furqania Academy
Trans. by: Atya Tabassum, Fellow, FAW

Abu al-Hassan Ali Ibn Hussein al-Masudi was born in Baghdad in the late nineteenth century. He was from the family of famous companion of the Prophet (PBUH) Abdullah bin Masood. Al-Masudi is one of the most respected scholars and writers of the tenth century. He was Tabarani’s greatest successor, Baghdadi. Al-Masudi was a Baghdadi Arab who traveled to Syria, Palestine, Arabia, Zambia, Persia (Iran), Central Asia, India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He also claimed to have travelled to the China Sea. Author of Influences of Islam on World Civilization writes quoting Carl Brockelmann:(1)

“While still quite young, he travelled through Persia, where he spent part of 915 AD in Istakhar. Next year, he went to India and visited Multan and Al-Mansura.”(2)

He then reached Ceylon via Kambaya and Saimur. He went to China Sea with some traders and reached Oman via Zanzibar. Later we see that he reached Palestine in the 926 AD via southern coast of Caspian. In 943 AD he set foot in the border town of Antioch and Syria and after a short break in his hometown Damascus he reached Fustat (Egypt) and died there in 956 AD.

The author of “Technology in the Islamic Era” was of the opinion that the well-known explorer and historian Al-Masudi had inspected these wells (oil wells) in about 302 AD. Al-Masudi writes, “Commercial boats travel to Baku. Baku has white and other types of petroleum wells. There is no white oil in the world other than this place. Allah knows best.(3)

Al-Masudi has collected the information and experiences gained in his travels in a 30 volume encyclopedia which is considered to be a magnum opus book. So he published a summary of it which was no less than an elaborated encyclopedia. He named this immortal book as “Murawwaj Al-Dhahab wa Ma’dan Al-Jawahir” (Meadows of Gold and Mines of Precious Stones).(4)

Al-Masudi, like a never-to-be-exhausted person, had surveyed the geography, history, biology, religion, customs, science, philosophy, and literature of all countries from China to France, and is said to be the Pliny and Herodotus of the Islamic world.(5) Will Durant writes in his book Age of Faith that in the last years of his life, Masudi expressed his views on the subject of science, history and philosophy in his “book of information”, in which he has proposed the idea of evolution.

“In a book of Information (Al-Tanbeeh wal-Ishraf), in which he suggested an evolution from mineral to plant, from plant to animal and from animal to man.”(6)

As the word evolution emerges, our thinking moves toward the theory of evolution, introduced by the biologist Charles Darwin in the nineteenth century. But Muslim scientists have come up with the theory of evolution one thousand years before Darwin. It is important to distinguish between the earlier concept of evolution and Darwin’s theory of evolution.

In a footnote to the book “Scientific Achievements of Medieval Muslims” written by Dr. Qadir Lone, Dr. Mohammad Rifat writes that there is no scientific fact in support of Darwin’s theory, so it is a mere theory. It cannot be given the status of scientific fact. Muslim thinkers of the past have generally described evolution as an event, and have justified it on the basis of God’s plan. He has created different species in different periods of the universe according to His wisdom. Contrary to this explanation, Darwin’s theory of evolution, which has become popular in the Western world, allows a simple species to evolve into a relatively complex species. And the reason for this change and evolution is mere coincidence. No plan works in this process. Thus, this Western reasoning indirectly denies the Creator of the universe and His wisdom. Therefore, this reasoning cannot be acceptable to the theologians.(7)

Al-Masudi, while on a tour, entered Fustat (ancient Cairo) from Basra, where he wrote a great book, “Kitab-e-Akhbar-ul-Zaman” or “Mir’at-ul-Zaman” (Mirror of Time), which consists of thirty volumes.(8) He also wrote an additional book, Kitab al-Awsat. This book was completed in 956 AD. A copy of this book is available in Vienna. His last book was “Kitab al-Tanbeeh wal-Ishraf”, in which summaries of the earlier books are given and this book was published by M.J. Goeje from Leeds in 1897 AD.

The author of Hundred Great Muslims is of the opinion that Al-Masudi in his history and geography books has written details about the earthquake that took place in 955 AD and also included the details about the Dead Sea. He also wrote about windmills Sajistan for the first time, which is the invention of Muslims.(9)

Appreciating the excellent achievements of Muslim historians such as Ibn Hisham, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari and al-Masudi, Will Durant writes in The Age of Faith:

“… and they are far superior to the contemporary historians in Christendom.”

This is how George Sarton expresses his views about the great Muslim scientists, mathematicians, geographers, lexicographers and great historians:

“The main task of mankind was accomplished by Muslims. The greatest philosopher, Al-Farabi was a Muslim; the greatest mathematician Abu Kamil and Ibrahim Ibn Sinan were Muslims; the greatest geographer and encyclopedist, al-Masudi was a Muslim; the greatest Historian, al Tabari was also a Muslim.”(10)

Footnotes:
1 – The Age of Faith, by Will Durant, P. 238.
2 – Influence of Islam on World Civilization, by Prof. Ziauddin Ahmed, Adam Publishers, New Delhi.
3- Technology in Islamic Age, Israr Ahmad and Mohammad Zaki Kirmani, Center for Studies on Science, Aligarh, p. 137.
4- The Age of Faith, P. 238.
5- Ibid, P. 239.
6- Ibid, P. 239.
7- Scientific Achievements of Medieval Muslims, Dr. Ghulam Qadir Lone, P. 109.
8 – 100 Great Muslims, Jamil Ahmed, P. 494, Ferozsons Pvt. Ltd. Karach.
9 – Ibid, P. 495
10 – Ibid. P. 495.
11 – The Scientific Achievements of the Medieval Muslims, P. 21.