Customer Reviews

1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage in Our World

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A brilliantly compiled and gripping encyclopedia of knowledge, which will have the reader wanting to know more. This book is essential reading for students and for those seeking to understand Islam and the Muslim peoples. A must read in my humble opinion for anyone who is interested in history, science and culture. I just could not put it down! Informative would be an understatement.. It's got quality written all over it. Made from quality glossy paper, it's definitely worth the price I paid for it, and I intend to buy more copies for my family and friends. It's beautifully illustrated, full of wonderful photographs, maps and diagrams. It's main theme and core is highlighting Muslim Scientists, Thinkers and Artists, and their contributions in our world. Its simple layout makes it a most enjoyable read. What really intrigued me was that `The Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC)' has authenticated, and published this book.

It contains an ocean of facts, especially things we take for granted in our daily lives:

Who would have thought that it was through early Muslim advancements in science and culture that went on to lay the foundations/cornerstones of the European Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and modern Western society.

Who would have thought it was in translation from Arabic, not the original Greek, that knowledge of Greek philosophy became prominent in Christian thought.

Who would have thought that Western mathematics are based on Arabic numerals and calculations. Never!! I hear you all shout? Sadly I thought the same.. Truth can be stranger than fiction, and very hard to stomach.

Who would have thought that `Coffee' is actually a Muslim discovery, and the word is derived from the Arabic word Al-Qawah (Café).

Who would have thought that the word `Checkmate' is actually Persian in origin and a corruption of Shah Mat (The king is dead).

Who would have thought that paper and gun powder was brought to Europe by Muslims via the Muslim lands.

Who would have thought that the first Libraries, Hospitals and Universities were created by the Muslims.

Who would have thought that it was the Muslims who first brought and cultivated in Europe many crops and fruits from far lands as China and India, ranging from oranges, bananas, rice, cotton, sugar cane, silk and spices.

Unbelievably, the list goes on!

This book I am not ashamed to admit has managed to remove many prejudices that I held previously against Islam and its contribution to human life and the world. It has given me a whole new outlook to Islam, and has brought about a sense of respect, admiration and gratitude to all those great Muslim contributions that have brought about the quality of life that most of us take for granted. After reading this book, I'm sure most people like me will be convinced that Western civilization owes a huge dept to the Islamic culture. Without their contribution, sacrifices and efforts, we in the West would probably still be living in the dark ages.

This book is not the first one I have read about the contribution of Muslims to civilisation. It is definitely one that attempts to be a complete book, but sadly it just isn't! There are too many photographs and illustrations, which for me, take up too much space and don't tell you anything more about Muslim scientists. There is nothing about Muslim scientists' approach and no originality as researchers seem to have been happy enough to just regurgitate books and articles. Having said that however, it does have a space on my bookshelf as it is a very good introduction to the subject matter for any visitors to my bookshelf who need a first book, you see if the title was "introduction to the Muslim contribution..." then it would get 4 stars. For me though I wanted a more in depth book. I give it three stars as: it is only an introduction, it does not go deeply into the Muslim scientists themselves and there are too many pictures and photographs. But if you are after just a starting point, this is worth buying, although it looks expensive, it is a big volume and justifies the price tag. Even I have to admit that for teachers and the like this book will go down very well.

This book is amazing. It is clear that big effort was put in to develop such a book. It is an encyclopedia to what you want to know about the dark ages (which was the golden ages in the other part of the world). It is an encyclopedia to what you want to know about the European renaissance and which civilizations it was built on, like all other previous civilizations. It has amazing facts about where did words like Algebra, Arabic numbers and camera came from. I surely recommend this book to everybody and all ages starting from 7-9 years. It is full of historical documentaries and amazing pictures. It is reference to what you what to know about hidden facts regarding muslims.

This is one of the best books I have ever read about the Islamic civilization, The topics are illustrated in a wonderful way, It has a lot of interesting topics.
The writing style is amazing, I hope I had read this book earlier!
Shipping was quick

A really great read and beautifully illustrated with lots of diagrams and full colour photos. Get this one I loved it and so did my son (11).

A very well compiled book, which opened up my eyes to the amazing development of certain products which we use today. It is also, nice to see the contributions made by Muslim inventers and scholars highlighted as their positive contribution to the progression of humans. I have had the priviledge to attend the exhibition which is related to this book; and altogether brings the book to live. Highly recommended, especially for those intrigued with science and the history behind it.

This book is a must have for all muslims and even non-muslims. We really need to be aware of the knowledge and advances made by muslims which have been credited to others and learn more about this important stage in muslim history

Beautiful Book, bought it as a gift for my dad as he loves history books, he loves the detail in it. Liked the book so much bought it as a gift for brother in law too!

This book will blow you away with the amount of innovations and inventions the Muslims presented to the world. Very well laid out book, and excellent quality.

This book is one of the enjoyable book I ever had. It teach you how the Muslim scientists influenced the world that we live in now. The book is very professional and deliver the information in easy way to help the reader to understand the mechanism of the inventions very easily. I like it and I hope you like it too.