Ep 3. The Wonder of Islam

The Dark Ages: An Age of Light is a historical documentary series that explores the innovative achievements and advancements of the age often referred to as the Dark Ages, a period spanning from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance. Season 1 episode 3, titled The Wonder of Islam, delves into the Islamic Golden Age, a time of progress and invention, from the 8th to the 13th century.

The episode opens with the narrator explaining how the Islamic empire, founded by the prophet Muhammad, quickly became a vast and powerful empire that spanned three continents. Under the Abbasid dynasty, Muslim scholars, scientists, philosophers, and artists began to make remarkable contributions in astronomy, mathematics, medicine, architecture, and literature.

The documentary mainly focuses on the life and achievements of Ibn al-Haytham, a prominent Islamic scholar and inventor born in 965 in the city of Basra, in present-day Iraq. The episode explains how Ibn al-Haytham was a polymath who contributed to different fields of knowledge such as optics, mathematics, physics, and astronomy.

The episode shows how Ibn al-Haytham revolutionized the field of optics by challenging the Greek theories of vision and light that had been prevalent in Europe for centuries. Ibn al-Haytham hypothesized that vision was not the result of rays emitted by the eyes, as believed by the Greeks, but rather the reflection of light on objects. He also invented the camera obscura, a device that projected images onto a wall, thus laying the foundation for later developments such as photography.

The episode then moves on to Ibn al-Haytham's contributions to mathematics and physics, specifically his work on the problem of finding the area of irregular shapes. The documentary illustrates how Ibn al-Haytham used his knowledge of geometry to devise a method of splitting irregular shapes into triangles and calculating their areas, a method that is still used today.

The Wonder of Islam also explores Ibn al-Haytham's philosophical beliefs, particularly his skepticism and his rejection of the dogmatic approach to knowledge that was dominant in his time. The episode explains how he believed that knowledge should be based on observation, experiment, and logical deduction.

The episode also looks at the impact of Islamic art and architecture, particularly the stunning decoration of the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, and how it reflects the Islamic concept of the world as a reflection of God's beauty.

The final segment of the episode explores the decline of the Islamic Golden Age and the reasons behind it. The documentary explains how the rise of fundamentalism and dogmatic interpretations of Islam stifled intellectual and artistic progress, leading to a centuries-long decline in scientific and cultural output.

Overall, The Wonder of Islam is a fascinating exploration of the Islamic Golden Age and the remarkable contributions made by Islamic scholars and thinkers. Through the life and work of Ibn al-Haytham, the episode showcases the innovative and profound legacy of Islamic civilization and its impact on the world.