The Genius of Arab Civilization: Source of Renaissance (Second edition)

Edited by John R. Hayes. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press, 1983. 260 pp. $10.00 (paperback)

Reviewed by George N. Atiyeh

Understanding other cultures is not only desirable in a shrinking world, it is a necessity, especially if lines of communications between peoples are to be kept open. Cultural bridges, unlike political bridges, have a tendency to become permanent edifices. Politics are such a variable ingredient in human and international relations, that they can not and should not be made the sole basis upon which our appreciation of other peoples and other civilizations rests.

The purpose of The Genius of Arab Civilization: Source of Renaissance, is to keep the lines of communications open between the Arabs and the West. It introduces the general reader to the highlights of Arab civilization in an objective, scholarly, and artistic fashion.

Arab civilization, on the whole, is not well-known in the United States. One famous American historian, William E. Leuchtenburg, remarked that "the most striking aspect of the relationship between Arab and American cultures is that to the Americans, the Arabs are a people who have lived outside history." The need to change this perception becomes greater and greater every day as the relationship grows in the economic and political fields. In spite of the growth of Arab studies in many academic centers, the general public is either unaware or ignorant of the contributions made by the Arabs to the mainstream of Western civilization.

The Universal Empire

The Genius of Arab Civilization deals with the accomplishments of the Arabs during the Middle Ages. In fact, during that period, Arab civilization was unique, greater and more sophisticated than any other. It was unique in that the Arabs, who came from the desert with only rudimentary knowledge of the sciences, and had nothing to offer but their religion and language, were able to build a universal empire. Professor John S. Badeau, who wrote the introduction, points out that a new, intellectually ecumenical culture, was produced within the empire. With their remarkable capacity for both selective and prudent assimilation of the cultures in conquered areas, as well as their display of an innovative spirit, the Arabs created a post-Islamic civilization with a unique character and personality. It served as an historical link among the Greek, Syriac, Indian, and Persian civilizations, and the Renaissance in the West. Space does not allow enumeration of the Arab's many contributions to the West, but a few examples can be mentioned, such as: logarithms and algebra in mathematics, the pendulum in technology (650 years before Galileo "discovered" it), the mariner's compass, the astrolabe, the introduction of paper, and many new techniques in agriculture and medicine.

The substantive input of the book is eight chapters; these deal. with literature, philosophy, architecture and art, music, the exact sciences, the life sciences, mechanical technology, and, finally, trade and commerce. The chapter on music is a new and welcome addition to the volume. Dr. Ali Jihad Racy's essay on Arab music goes a long way to broaden the picture of Arab culture. A similar chapter on agriculture would have made the picture more complete.

Skill and Illumination

The authors are specialists in their fields. Many are of Arab background. The chapter on literature, by Professor Mounah A. Khouri of the University of California at Berkeley, surveys the characteristics and growth of Arabic literature up to modern times, including the Arab-American literature which has had a great influence on the development of modern Arabic literature. Dr. Majid Fakhri's presentation on philosophy is a well-rounded and clear recapitulation of the sources, problems, trends, achievements, and influence of Arab philosophy. Dr. Abelhamid I. Sabra's handling of the exact sciences is both skillful and illuminating. The chapter on the life sciences, by Dr. Sami K. Hamarneh, provides a perceptive survey of the many contributions in internal and clinical medicine, hospital and medical education, opthalmology, surgery, pharmacy and pharmacology. The mechanical technology chapter, by Donald R. Hill, provides striking illustrations of the variety of mechanical devices that were designed either for everyday use or for aesthetic pleasure. Oleg Grabar's chapter on architecture and art, and Ragaei and Dorothea el-Mallakh's chapter on trade and commerce are no less impressive than the rest. Professor Ibrahim Makdour, President of the Egyptian Academy, and one of the leading scholars of the Arab world, concludes the book by taking a look at the past, present and future of Arab civilization. He sees Arab civilization as based on Islam (which should be observed with respect, but not fanaticism), and on the Arabic language (which is capable of divorcing itself from pedantry and becoming a medium for precise, clear, and direct expression).

Because the second edition of The Genius of Arab Civilization is reduced in size and opulence, the many illustrations which brightened the first edition do not have the same visual impact. They nevertheless enrich the volume and lend insight into the depth of Arab civilization.

George N. Atiyeh is head of the Near East Section of the Library of Congress.