Science and Islam | A BBC Documentary

By Jim Al-Khalili

In the BBC documentary Science and Islam, physicist Jim Al-Khalili investigates how
scientific knowledge flourished and spread throughout the Islamic world between the 8th and
14th centuries. He takes his audience across Syria, Iran, Tunisia, and Spain to learn about the
Middle Eastern and North African scientific background and cultural provisions. It was
published on January 05, 2012, in Art of Science, History by Islamic-arts.org and
simultaneously featured as a documentary film on the BBC.

In addition, the documentary has endowed us with major and massive provisions of
culture-related aspects of the Arabs as well as the studies that emphasize the primary vital
terms of Arab contribution such as geometry, algebra, algorithm, and Alkali in the modern
scientific discoveries. Conversely, it flaunts the significance of so many historical figures and
scientific events that drastically affect the development of contemporary science and
technology—providing its viewers a sense of authenticity and the logical explanation of
several professors from prestigious universities. For instance, a professor from the University
of Cambridge, Simon Schaffer, emphasized the significance of several pivotal discoveries in
Languages, particularly in translating a specific manuscript. Thus, he argued that most
scholars might still form a debate in just deciphering a particular hieroglyphic.

In the meantime, analyzing the holistic features of the documentary might seem
detailed. Still, as I have noticed, the producers had successfully conveyed what they intend to
address when it comes to delivering the message. They provide a realistic and logical
explanation because of the tangible historical artifacts and manuscripts they have shown.
Also, the appearance of some field experts, as I have stated aside from Professor Schaffer, the
interview with Dr. Amira Bennison of the University of Cambridge, adds up the value of
communicating their historical discoveries. She argued that the ancient contributions have a
massive impact on our modern innovation, e.g., when a courtier speaks to the king or queen,
that courtier must possess an elegant Arabic to be understood. Needless to say, a person in
that historical event must be a good communicator, and that also contributes to the new
knowledge since the egyptologists are fastidious even in the tiniest detail of events.
 Moreover, structuring the film is appropriate for the viewers’ preference since it is
aligned with the adult audience expectation as studied by Kubrak in 2020, which suggests
that good filming is beneficial for the learning of viewers, particularly adults, and that is
shown in the documentary film. The producers provide a wide range of filming consistency
in terms of clarity and conciseness of the message. There is a clear description of the earliest
manuscripts and artifacts and their origins. Additionally, the editings of the film are safe and
sound as it features most of the relevant details to shed light and conjures the thoughts of the
viewers to resonate with the documentary. Likewise, there is a good similarity between this
documentary and the previous modern documentaries I watched. The documentary that I am
referring to is The Story of Science by Jeremy Turner, who also gives me a surge of emotion
in massive discoveries. They are similar in terms of reviving and giving importance to the
study of alchemy. However, these two documentaries also failed to prove the tangibility of
alchemy. They did not present and figure out what true alchemy is or even provide some
reliable facts that alchemy was true. Thus, the start to end was terrific since it tackled and
discussed some confusing topics in a more straightforward and more understandable
explanation.

Overall, this documentary series is good as it emphasizes that science is not merely
Islamic, nor can it be claimed by any culture. But, science has an enterprise that benefits all
cultures and countries. Despite it all, I would like to suggest some points concerning the film;
they can add a caption to make it more understandable for other viewers unfamiliar with the
language. They could also widen the studies while showing more tangible historic crafts
because they will attract viewers to analyze and think of their value in modern times. Hence,
this was a fantastic documentary that I have watched by far because it allows me to see the
other hidden treasures of the world. It is suggestible to view mainly for avid students of
history studies and science discoveries since this is highly concerned with knowledge and
new understanding.

References:

Kubrak T. (2020). Impact of Films: Changes in Young People's Attitudes after Watching a
Movie. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 10(5), 86.
https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10050086
Turner, J., & Law, N. (Directors), & Turner, J., & Law, N. (Producers). (2010). What is Out
There? [Video file]. BBC Worldwide. Retrieved from Alexander Street database

https://resources.aldaad.org/resources/science-and-islam-a-bbc-documentary/