Astrology in medieval Islam

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Astrology in medieval Islam

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The medieval Arabs took a keen interest in the study of heavens partly because they considered the celestial bodies to be divine, partly because the d!ellers of desert"regions often travelled at night,

and relied upon kno!ledge of the constellations for guidance in their #ourneys$%&' After the advent of Islam, the (uslims needed to determine the time of the prayers, the direction of the )a*bah, and the correct orientation of the mos+ue, all of !hich helped give a religious impetus to the study of astronomy and contributed to!ards the belief that the heavenly bodies !ere influential upon terrestrial affairs as !ell as the human condition$%&' The science dealing !ith such influences !as termed astrology (Arabic, Ilm an-Nujm), a discipline contained !ithin the field of astronomy (more broadly kno!n as Ilm al-Falak -the science of formation %of the heavens'-)$%&' The principles of these studies !ere rooted in Arabian, .ersian, /abylonian, 0ellenistic and Indian traditions and both !ere developed by the Arabs follo!ing their establishment of a magnificent observatory and library of astronomical and astrological te1ts at /aghdad in the 2th century$ Throughout the medieval period the practical application of astrology !as sub#ect to deep philosophical debate by (uslim religious scholars and scientists$ Astrological prognostications nevertheless re+uired a fair amount of e1act scientific e1pertise and the +uest for such kno!ledge !ithin this era helped to provide the incentive for the study and development of astronomy$
Contents
(hide)

* History + Medie,al refutations

- .pinions of contemporary Muslim scholars / ee also 0 1eferences 2 3xternal lin4s

[edit]History
(edieval Islamic astronomy and astronomy continued 0ellenistic and Roman era traditions based on .tolemy-s Almagest$ 3entres of learning in medicine and astronomy4astrology !ere set up in /aghdad and 5amascus, and the 3aliph Al"(ansur of /aghdad established a ma#or observatory and library in the city, making it the !orld-s astronomical centre$ 5uring this time kno!ledge of astronomy !as greatly increased, and the astrolabe !as invented by Al Fa6ari$ (any modern star names are derived from their Arabic names$ Albumasur or Abu (a-shar (278 " 228) !as the greatest of the .ersian astrologers$ 0is treatise -Introductoriam in Astronomium- spoke of ho! -only by observing the great diversity of planetary motions can !e comprehend the unnumbered varieties of change in this !orld-$ The -Introductoriam!as one of the first books to find its !ay in translation through 9pain and into :urope in the (iddle Ages, and !as highly influential in the revival of astrology and astronomy there$

(uslims also combined the disciplines of medicine and astrology by linking the curative properties of herbs !ith specific 6odiac signs and planets$%;' (ars, for instance, !as considered hot and dry and so ruled plants !ith a hot or pungent taste, like hellebore, tobacco ormustard$ These beliefs !ere adopted by :uropean herbalists like 3ulpeper right up until the development of modern medicine$ The (uslims also developed a system called Arabic parts, by !hich the difference bet!een the ascendant and each planet of the 6odiac !as calculated$ This ne! position then became a -part- of some kind$%<' For e1ample, the -part of fortune- is found by taking the difference bet!een the sun and the ascendant and adding it to the moon$ If the -part- thus calculated !as in the &7th 0ouse in =ibra, for instance, it suggested that money could be made from some kind of partnership$ The calendar introduced by >mar )hayy?m @eyshabouri, based on the classical 6odiac, remains in effect in Afghanistan and Iran as the official .ersian calendar$ The Almagest, together !ith the original contributions of Ath to &7th century Islamic astronomy such as the astrolabe, !as introduced to 3hristian :urope beginning in the &&th century, by contact !ith Islamic 9pain$ Another notable astrologer and astronomer !as Butb al"5in al 9hira6i (&;<CD&<&&)$ 0e !rote criti+ues of .tolemy-s Almagest and produced t!o prominent !orks on astronomy, -The =imit of Accomplishment 3oncerning )no!ledge of the 0eavens- in &;2& and -The Royal .resent- in &;2E, both of !hich commented upon and improved on .tolemy-s !ork, particularly in the field of planetary motion$ Al"9hira6i !as also the first person to give the correct scientific e1planation for the formation of a rainbo!$ Flugh /eyg !as a fifteenth"century .ersian 9ultan and also a mathematician and astronomer$ 0e built an observatory in &E;2 and produced the first original star map since .tolemy, !hich corrected the position of many stars and included many ne! ones$ %citation needed'

[edit]Medieval

refutations

9ome of the principles of astrology !ere refuted by several medieval (uslim astronomers such as Al"Farabi (Alpharabius), Ibn al"0aytham (Alha6en), Avicenna, Abu Rayhan al"/iruni and Averroes$ Their reasons for refuting astrology !ere often due to both scientific (the methods used by astrologers being con#ectural rather than empirical) and religious (conflicts !ith orthodo1 Islamic scholars) reasons$%E' 0o!ever these refutations mainly concerned the #udicial branches of astrology rather than the natural principles of it$ For e1ample, Avicenna*s refutation of astrology (in the treatise titled Resla f ebl akm al-nojm) revealed support for its overarching principles$ 0e stated that it !as true that each planet had some influence on the earth, but his argument !as the difficulty of astrologers being able to determine the e1act effect of it$ In essence, Avicenna did not refute astrology, but denied man*s limited capacity to be able to kno! the precise effects of the stars on the sublunar matter$ With that, he did not refute the essential dogma of astrology, but only refuted our ability to fully understand it$%8'

Ibn Bayyim Al"Ga!6iyya (&;A;D&<87), in his Miftah Dar al- a!adah, used empirical arguments in astronomy in order to refute the #udicial practice of astrology !hich is most closely aligned to divination$%C' 0e recogni6ed that the stars are much larger than the planets, and thus argued,%H' IAnd if you astrologers ans!er that it is precisely because of this distance and smallness that their influences are negligible, then !hy is it that you claim a great influence for the smallest heavenly body, (ercuryJ Why is it that you have given an influence to al"Ra-s and al"5hanab, !hich are t!o imaginary points %ascending and descending nodes'JI Al"Ga!6iyya also recogni6ed the (ilky Way gala1y as Ia myriad of tiny stars packed together in the sphere of the fi1ed starsI and thus argued that Iit is certainly impossible to have kno!ledge of their influences$I%H'

[edit]Opinions

of contemporary Muslim scholars

According to #urists, the study of astronomy ( ilm al-ha"#ah) is la!ful, as it is useful in predicting the beginning of months and seasons, determining the direction of salat (prayer), and navigation$ They agree that this branch of science is used in determining the beginning and end of the lunar months, e$g$, that of Ramadan$ As for astrology, this is considered by many Islamic scholars as haram (unla!ful), as kno!ledge of the Fnseen is kno!n only by Allah(Kod)$ 5r$ 0usam al"5in Ibn (usa LAfana, a .rofessor of the .rinciples of Fi+h at Al"Buds Fniversity, .alestine, states the follo!ing, IFirst of all, it is !orth noting that the Arabs kne! astronomy a long time ago$ They !ould predict time through observing the movements of stars$ According to the scholars of 9harLiah, there are t!o terms confused in many people-s minds !hen it comes to dealing !ith the +uestion in hand$ These terms are astronomy and astrology$ Astronomy is the science that deals !ith studying the movements of the celestial bodies and reducing observations to mathematical order$ That science is useful in determining time, seasons, the direction of .rayer, etc$ Astrology, on the other hand, is concerned !ith studying the positions and aspects of celestial bodies in the belief that they have an influence on the course of natural earthly occurrences and human affairs$ Astrologists believe that the movements of stars have an influence on people-s lives$ /oth (uslim astronomers and %religious' scholars refuse the prophecies of astrologists$I %2' The Turkish government"sponsored Di"anet $akf%, !hich represents the official 9unni vie!, like!ise dra!s a distinction bet!een astronomy and astrology, identifying the latter !ith non" Islamic influences on Arab culture, specifically 9abean and 0indu astrology$ Astrology is seen as unscientific and conducive of a vie! of humans as helpless in the face of natural forces$
%A'

Amongst the general population, ho!ever, astrology is popular, !ith most ma#or ne!spapers running astrology columns$%&7'

9ome scholars believe that astrology is a prohibited field of study$ Imam Ibn Taymiyah said, MAstrology that is concerned !ith studying the positions and aspects of celestial bodies in the belief that they have an influence on the course of natural earthly occurrences and human affairs is prohibited by the Buran, the 9unnah, and the unanimous agreement of the (uslim scholars$ Furthermore, astrology !as considered forbidden by all (essengers of Almighty Allah(Kod)$N The 9audi scholar, (uhammad ibn al Fthaymeen, said, MAstrology is a kind of sorcery and fortune"telling$ It is forbidden because it is based on illusions, not on concrete facts$ There is no relation bet!een the movements of celestial bodies and !hat takes place on the :arth$N %&&'

[edit]See
Astrology portal

also

3hristianity and astrology

:soteric 3hristianity 0ellenistic astrology Islamic astronomy

Astrology !ithin the /ible Ge!ish vie!s of astrology =ist of (uslim astronomers

[edit]References

*5

O a b c Wasim Aktar, !ontributions of Ancient Arabian and &g"'tian cientists on Astronom" .ublic 9cience P Reference, retrieved &A August ;7&&$ ;$ <$ ^ .arker P .arker, ibid, &AA7 ^ 9asha Fenton, ibid

E$

^ 9aliba, Keorge (&AAEb), A (istor" of Arabic Astronom") *lanetar" +heories During the ,olden Age of Islam, @e! Qork Fniversity .ress, pp$ C7 P CHDCA, I9/@ 7"2&EH"27;<"H

8$

^ Keorge 9aliba, A-icenna, -viii$ (athematics and .hysical 9ciences-$ :ncyclopaedia Iranica, >nline :dition, ;7&&, available at http,44!!!$iranicaonline$org4articles4avicenna"viii

C$

^ =ivingston, Gohn W$ (&AH&), IIbn Bayyim al"Ga!6iyyah, A Fourteenth 3entury 5efense against Astrological 5ivination and Alchemical TransmutationI, .ournal of the American /riental ociet" 91 (&), ACD&7<, doi,&7$;<7H4C77EE8, G9T>R C77EE8

65

a b

=ivingston, Gohn W$ (&AH&), IIbn Bayyim al"Ga!6iyyah, A Fourteenth 3entury

5efense against Astrological 5ivination and Alchemical TransmutationI, .ournal of the American /riental ociet" 91 (&), ACD&7< %AA', doi,&7$;<7H4C77EE8, G9T>R C77EE8 2$ ^ e1cerpted from a lecture given by 5r$ Qusuf (ar!ah under the title Astronom" and the 0eginning of the 1unar Months

A$ &7$ &&$

^ diyanet$gov$tr ^ (illiyet,0Rrriyet,.osta$ ^ Islamonline$com

9aliba, Keorge (&AAE), A (istor" of Arabic Astronom") *lanetar" +heories During the ,olden Age of Islam, @e! Qork Fniversity .ress, I9/@ 7"2&EH"27;<"H

:$9$ )ennedy (&AC;)$ IRamifications of the World Qear 3oncept in Islamic AstrologyI$ Ithaca 2 SIII"; IT$

:d!ard 9$ )ennedy (&AA2), Astronom" and Astrolog" in the Medie-al Islamic 2orld$ /rookfield, ST, Ashgate$