In an era when the relationship between Islam and the West seems mainly defined by mistrust and misunderstanding, we often forget that for centuries Muslim civilization was the envy of the world. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the major role played by the early Muslim world in influencing modern society, Lost History fills an important void. Written by an award-winning author and former diplomat with extensive experience in the Muslim world, it provides new insight not only into Islam's historic achievements but also the ancient resentments that fuel today's bitter conflicts.
Michael Hamilton Morgan reveals how early Muslim advancements in science and culture lay the cornerstones of the European Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and modern Western society. As he chronicles the Golden Ages of Islam, beginning in 570 a.d. with the birth of Muhammad, and resonating today, he introduces scholars like Ibn Al-Haytham, Ibn Sina, Al-Tusi, Al-Khwarizmi, and Omar Khayyam, towering figures who revolutionized the mathematics, astronomy, and medicine of their time and paved the way for Newton, Copernicus, and many others. And he reminds us that inspired leaders from Muhammad to Suleiman the Magnificent and beyond championed religious tolerance, encouraged intellectual inquiry, and sponsored artistic, architectural, and literary works that still dazzle us with their brilliance. Lost History finally affords pioneering leaders with the proper credit and respect they so richly deserve.
Award-winning former diplomat Michael Hamilton Morgan is both a novelist and nonfiction author. His previous book was Collision with History: the Search for John F. Kennedy鈥檚 PT 109, a book and tv documentary released by National Geographic and MSNBC in 2002. In 2001 he co-authored Graveyards of the Pacific, also published by National Geographic. On those books he collaborated with undersea explorer and Titanic discover Robert D. Ballard.
Morgan鈥檚 1991 international thriller The Twilight War (Dutton/Signet) was set in Eastern Europe, Central America and Washington. National Book Award winner John Casey called it "profound, canny, intelligent 鈥� a top echelon thriller."
Morgan is also founder and President of New Foundations for Peace (), a nonprofit created to teach leadership skills to young people worldwide.
This wonderful book is full of history long forgotten, illuminating an age of enlightened thinking and discovery for the Muslim empire that once spanned from Spain, North Africa, throughout the Middle East, India and to China. During this time of more than 1000 years, there were centers devoted to learning and reason and in the great city centers, Muslims, Jews, Christians and other religions lived and worked side by side. An age where reason and education were valued, it gave birth to a flowering of Mathematics, science, medicine, astronomy, philosophy as well as civic planners, architects, artists and poets. Much of the European enlightenment can be attributed to the foundation laid by these early scholars and scientists. Universities, teaching hospitals, observatories, centers devoted to the gathering of wisdom from any and all sources. Algebra, trigonometry, algorithms and more all find their roots in Muslim Mathematics...some of which had it's roots from an earlier mathematician in India. The book is rich with lost history and lessons for our current time. Perhaps the golden age had its demise with the devastation from waves of European crusaders that chose to conquer and separate and destroy rather than assimilate the riches of the conquered culture. Even the Mongol hordes knew of the value the intellectual riches of conquered nations, that once conquered, they assimilated the highest and best of the culture.
There are significant problems with the historical reading of Muslim intellectual contributions in this book. The arguments Morgan makes are interesting, but overall Morgan builds his arguments on useful, but muddle headed illusions that allow him to attribute ownership of intellectual ideas like a patent lawyer would assign intellectual property rights. It might be useful and lucrative to hold the patent on the electric light bulb, but only in a very weak sense can it be said that this is a results of American culture without neglecting a great deal of intellectual antecedents that had nothing to do with America. Yet, Morgan frames his arguments in this fashion.
One interesting aspect of this book that sets it apart from other works like Menocal's excellent Ornament of the World is that Morgan attempts to build the argument that Islam as a set of religious values is not antithetical to scientific progress. That's a very timely point and one that has not received a fair hearing.
However, Morgan tries to demonstrate this point, through some references to the Koran and through the weight of so many examples of science flourishing within Islam, that Islam encourages innovation and learning, particularly from other cultures. The latter makes some sense, but makes for a boring overview of famous Muslims (many of which are not Muslim at all, as Morgan admits). As for the argument from Koranic quotes, I think it is a grave mistake to take quotes from holy books as evidence of religious culture and values as they are lived by followers of the religion. So, at best, Morgan can only go as far as to say that there is no explicit exclusion of learning within the text of the Koran.
It's a good point actually. If Islam has a reputation for intellectual conservatism, it only deserves this reputation in regards to religious innovations, not scientific ones. In fact, innovation has a distinctly negative connotation in the theology of Islam, particularly among the Sunnah. This theological conservatism may be a reflection of the Islamic concept that Mohammed put the icing on the cake of prophecy having revealed the final and unalterable word through his "recitation," the Koran. This conservatism is so strong that even translations of the Koran into other languages or dialects (including the updated written Arabic form taught in schools of the Arabic speaking world) is considered to change the meaning too much to reflect the true revelation.
However, the notion of innovation features mainly in the power struggles and in real theological debate and does not cross over into the realm of science. Religious innovation remains a point of inflexibility among sects such as the followers of Wahabism and those who have used these fundamentalists to bolster their power, chief among them, the powerful Saudi royal family. The Saudi connection just illuminates the science/religion dichotomy even more as the two major outreach projects of the Saudi family are (1) its building of extravagant Mosques throughout the Muslim world and (2) its rich investment in its educational and scientific research infrastructure with the latter being a more recent development and so much less developed at the moment. So here you have a single cultural entity that both encourages science and an inflexible reading of the Koran.
Outlining the very complex relationship between science and Islam is a strong point of Morgan's book and I wish he had expounded up on it to a greater extent. Instead what he has done is reworked the same set of myths about science that are so common in culturally centered treatises. And there are really two main fallacies in this approach. First, that a culture can take credit for an innovation like the concept of zero, or algebra which could not have discovered or would have just as soon been forgotten were it not for ideas from other cultures upon which it was founded and because of which the concept itself became valuable. Second, that it was a particular culture or religious tradition that was responsible for the discovery or development of that idea. In fact, there are many examples in this book of Persians and Jews who made their discoveries within Islamic ruled countries. How can these discoveries be attributed to Islam? Jews are not Muslims and Persian culture was quite different and Persian science and math was much more developed than what erupted out of the Persian Gulf around 700 AD.
I admit to a certain romantic view of the Middle East and North Africa during this period, but Morgan's book goes much to far in declaring Islam the spur for scientific innovation, or at least the grease in the axle. A better reading is that Islam was not an impediment to science and math and that the expansion of the Islamic empire happened to draw an artificial boundary that roped in the scientific achievements of an area of the world that, in a fortunate accident for Muslim expansion, happened to be at its intellectual apogee and its military perigee.
This book, published by the National Geographic Society, and distributed by Random House, is very good at de-mystifying Islam for the layman. The prose flows quickly, covering a lot of ground, making this a quick read. I particularly enjoyed the diachronic approach, explaining how present-day Muslims in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, etc., or present-day Europeans in formerly Muslim-controlled Spain, Sicily, etc., may themselves have forgotten the history behind their everyday surroundings, how the texture of their reality was formed by previous history. This approach makes each chapter accessible to the Western reader, placing present-day reality (and conflicts) in the context of the bygone history of Islam. Along the way, the author introduces concepts which occur frequently in the Qur'an, such as: ilm (knowledge) and aql (reason, human intelligence, wisdom) and, ijma: in spiritual matters the voice of the people, making decisions 'by consensus,' which is supposed to matter more than the views of a caliph. Hamiton Morgan also introduces: Mutazilites, or conservatives (at the time of al-Mamun's caliphate) who were instrumental in shaping an Islamic ideal in which the caliph does not inherit or seize power, but is elected by the faithful; this elected caliph is then expected to re-create the kind of society that the Prophet really intended. cp. mutakallimun, theological scholars who turn to ancient philosophy to articulate and strengthen their ideas, attracted by the rigors of Greek logic. I particularly enjoyed Chapter 2 鈥淟ost Cities of Genius.鈥� I'm afraid we have to add Baghdad, post-2003 invasion/looting, to the list of Lost Cities. For the plundering and destruction of contemporary Baghdad, including the wholesale theft of the main museum housing Iraqi cultural heritage, war crimes that occurred during the initial invasion and early days of the American occupation of Iraq, under Bremer's incompetent oversight, I recommend the film "No End in Sight" (2007 documentary). For a preview, go to or Meanwhile, this book shies away from any partisan condemnation that is the mess created by the U.S. in Iraq. The book's author is head of New Foundations for Peace. (For more details, go to: )His book is clearly an attempt at cross-cultural discussion, and is explicitly meant as a refutation of the misbegotten idea that there is no common ground between the Mid-East and Western traditions. There's plenty of common ground, when you consider the genius, innovativeness, and religious tolerance for which the Muslim cultures are known, at least among historians. If you're a neo-con crazy (to use a common euphemism for, in clear English, a fascist), or if you're keen on Armageddon scenarios in the Mid-East, you need to have read this book yesterday, and mend your ways. For one, you need to realize that Jerusalem is just as sacred to Islam as it is to Christianity and Judaism. The last thing any Muslim wants to see is for any harm to come to Jerusalem.
One of the best books I ever read, and I got it by coincidence! Whats so great about this book is that it speaks fairly from multiple points of view, it鈥檚 not defensive or biased. And the fact that I don鈥檛 agree with every single point in it is indicative enough! It illuminates some historical occurrences that鈥檚 almost forgotten or neglected or even deliberately ignored . It has a way of linking the past and present that makes me wish I had a time machine to visit those times! The book has some great Quotes to share, and I probably recommended the book to every single person who asked me to recommend them a good book! You won鈥檛 be wasting your time reading this book.
I didn't find Morgan's thesis particularly insightful; in fact, I found the work hardly academic, although I understand that it is perhaps aimed at a reader particularly biased due to prevailing Islamophobic discourse. There are literally no references to support most of the facts presented in the book and I found the fictitious setting in the start of each chapter totally unnecessary and making the discourse long-winded and unilluminating. In my opinion, comparatively more interesting and well written chapters are on Muslim contributions to mathematics and astronomy.
But than this is my own subjective opinion and I understand how most of the casual readers may end up liking this work.
Pretty good book!! There are a lot of details about many different inventors, scientists, thinkers, and artists in the medieval Muslim world. Information on the Muslim world through many centuries and from al-Andalus in Spain all the way to India. Very readable. I was surprised at first that there weren鈥檛 any footnotes, wondering why he didn鈥檛 provide sources as in a more scholarly book. Perhaps it was because he was dramatizing much of the important characters from history, even creating his own dialogue to illustrate what their lives were like. He does at least give a bibliography in the back. This book fit in very well with my other reading this past year, especially with 鈥淭he Map of Knowledge.鈥� I recommend this book.
A fascinating read of the lost history of Muslim scientists, thinkers and artists had and influenced on the world. A very small minority were over looked in Europe for the longest time, perhaps not coming to light until this book. All the things we take for granted be it time pieces, irrigation, operations, diagnosis, numerals, and so many more things that we believed to have been around for hundreds of years and never asked who was the person behind that invention or observation? What lead that person to come to this conclusion and where would we be without it? Certainly in some schools, somewhere, at a glance will highlight these people, likely by their Latin name only, but here goes into some depth. Not very much as there is much ground to cover, so many people and so much time. Here is a very good look at the lives of these men and women that shaped their world and ours that will last far into the future even if the vast majority don't know their names and their stories.
This book influenced me in so many different ways. I learned so much more about Islamic history that I knew nothing about, and it opened up my mind to just how advanced technology and science was. I read it in Arabic but I still enjoyed it a lot, especially since many of the names and titles that were mentioned were familiar words in Arabic to me. This book made me feel surprised, happy, astonished, proud and a little sad. It's sad to me that such rich history is forgotten, and it angers me when Muslims are thought of as insignificant, when so many of their discoveries and inventions are still being used to this day by individuals all over the globe. It shouldn't be that surprising that international books don't mention the contribution of Muslims in history, but why don't our own books teach us that in school? Who are we if we don't learn our own past? It is indeed "lost history".
Lost History provides that broken link between the ancient Greek civilization and the Renaissance movement in Europe. When Europe was shrouded in the Dark Ages, Muslim scientists and thinkers took up the mantle and produced extraordinary works in the fields of philosophy, medicine, mathematics, music, arts, logic, theology and architecture. The Muslim cities in Spain under the Ummayads were the most advanced in Europe with aquifers bringing water from distance, paved streets and properly planned cities. It provides an alternative viewpoint compared to popular narrative of the clash of civilizations.
Religions have been clashing with each other for years, each claiming that they were the one and only way to god and salvation. Christianity has gone a step further in a drive to be the only source of knowledge through a long history of pitting itself against science and scientists - at times going to the extreme length of burning books and their authors. Today we still see many church groups complaining about Darwin鈥檚 theory of evolution and even extending their push against science to deny the need of a vaccine to fight the current COVID 19 pandemic. Surprisingly, in many of my scientific readings, I find stray references to the Muslin religion actually encouraging and endowing Arabic scientists.
While I have read books about Greek, Roman, European, and American scientists, I have never come across a book focused on Arabic scientists. A recent volume I read made mention of al-Khwarizmi (780 鈥� 850 CE) a Persian polymath who studied mathematics, astronomy, and geography and pretty much invented algebra. Searching for a book on al-Khwarizmi I came upon Michael Hamilton Morgan鈥檚 book Lost History; The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers, and Artists. It was eye opening!
As opposed to many Western religions, Mohammedanism honors scientists. Muhammad urged his followers to "contemplate the wonders of creation" (Qur示膩n 3:191). Taking this literally, for centuries Muslin leaders created libraries, schools, and 鈥渢hink tanks鈥�, including the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, where scientists could strive to learn about the universe.
When Europe was in the 鈥渄ark ages鈥� and burning books the Muslin world was studying and preserving scientific works dating back to Plato and Aristotle. During the Renaissance much of this 鈥渓ost鈥� science was brought back to Europe as books by Greek, Roman, and Arabic scientists were translated from Arabic to Latin. While many Western scientists gave credit to ideas developed by Muslim scientists, over the years these credits have fallen away. For example, we are taught that Nicolaus Copernicus came up with the idea of our heliocentric system even thought he read about it in the works by Muslim astronomers who had advanced this idea centuries before.
In a 2019 survey, more than half of Americans polled felt that 鈥淎rabic numerals鈥� should not be taught in public schools. Of course, Arabic numerals are standard symbols used across most of the world to denote numbers, i.e. 1, 2, 3. In fact, what we call Arabic numerals were invented by Hindus in India in the 6th or 7th century and made their to Europe through the writings of Middle Eastern mathematicians, especially al-Khwarizmi and al-Kindi.
This 鈥淟ost History鈥� is what Morgan writes about in this book. Through extensive research he has unearthed facts long forgotten, censored, or distorted. In two hundred and ninety-one pages he reveals centuries of history, scientific inventions, power struggles, wars and conquests, and the eventual collapse of the Arabic empire. In each section he starts in current day and they winds back to show how the present is firmly built on the past. While his skipping around in history through the different chapters can be a little confusing, he starts the book with a four page Time Line so that you can follow along with the different individuals and events.
I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. Some of what Arabic scientists proposed hundreds of years ago has only recently been verified by modern technology. In an age well before computers they were able to calculate the size of the earth and the length of the year with astonishing accuracy. So much of science that we assume is modern and Western is, in fact, centuries old and comes from lands we now refer to as the Middle East.
In the eighth and ninth centuries, Islam develops with great dynamism and absorbs a large number of cosmological, philosophical and ethnic influences. Thus, Islam allows to be accessed by an infinite number of visions. This wave of cultural shocks leads to the spread of Islamic culture and thought to resemble to a rich mosaic of ideas.
This book was a present from my oldest brother and it has been waiting to be read for quite some time but for some reason I kept postponing it, possibly because I am so used to fiction that non-fiction was a bit daunting. Now I realise that it was good that I read it now because I think when I was younger I wouldn't really have been as engrossed as I was now. This book enlightened me on so many things that I had a vague idea about but not to the extent that I know now, I was reading this book at times knowing what I was reading and then being hit suddenly by a fact that I had no idea about. This book kept fascinating me until the end and the amount of times I exclaimed 'oh really?' is inumerable. As interesting as it was there were instances when there seemed to be a bit of repetition which slowed down the reading for me but other than that a deeply engrossing read that I would recommend to anyone :D