From: RBNXHS@ROHVM1.bitnet
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: The burning of Library in Alexandria/Knowledge in Islam
Date: 16 Dec 1992 00:43:19 GMT
Organization: MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab
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Who burned the books of the Alexandrian Library? Christians propagate
that Muslim Arabs, during the Egyptian conquest under the leadership
of Amr ibn-al-Aas (R) burned the library along with its books, on
the order of Khalifah Umar ibn-al-Khattab (R). How true is this allegation?

Abdal-Latif Baghdadi, a Christian, in the 7th century A.H, accused Muslims
of this crime in his personal travel accounts known as "Perceptible
Matters and Incidents in Egypt" (Al-ifadatu-wal-i'tbar fil-Umour-i-
Mushahdati wal-Hawadithi-Mu'aya-nati bi-Ardhi Misr). He was the first
person to blame it on Muslim Arabs. No historian prior to his time,
whether Muslim, Jewish, Christian, pagan, heathen, agnostic, or others,
had blamed the incident on Muslim Arabs. In regard to a pillar
located where the Alexandrian library used to be (known as Amood al-Sawary)
he wrote:"... and it is *said* that this column had been one of the
columns on which a platform had been built. Here *Aristotle* used to
teach and there was an academy and a library that Amr ibn al-Aas had
burned down upon the instruction given by the Caliph."
How reliable or believable is this account, which was to be later propa-
gated by every other pseudo-historian, western and eastern? In his
entire book he failed to provide a single source or reference substantiating
that allegation which took place some 600 years before he wrote the
book. Where did he get the information? Was he fabricating a story
which might have been propagated by his co-religionists? We know for
sure that the library was built after the Alexandrian conquest of Egypt
of 332/331 B.C. Aristotle never set his foot in Egypt nor in Alexandria,
let alone having taught at a stoic in the Alexandrian library. Alexandria
was founded after Aristotle's time.  Abdal-Latif's account is, therefore,
historically totally unreliable, untrue, malicious, and worthless.

History cannot be based on unsubstantiated claims or allegations. It
needs to be supported by facts, documents. The prevailing consensus in
the transmission of traditions and the relation of narrations demand
that documents always go with it just like what historians and tradi-
tionists would do. The best way to transmit or relate narrations is to
provide discretionary documents for the readers to be able to discri-
minate which tradition is authentic and which is not, and in case of an
authentic document accept that tradition. Simply stating that "it is
said" does not merit consideration as a historical record. Most tradi-
tionists and historians consider such statements like "qila" ("it is
said or it has been said") only demonstrate a narrator's uncertainty
and also points out to the tradition's unreliablity. Abdal-Latif gave a
typical example of a tradition which he himself was not sure.

Will Durant, the noted historian, said: "The weakness of Abdul-Latif's
narration lies in the fact that: (1)- The most significant section of
the Alexandrian library was BURNED BY THE CHRISTIANS during the reign of
Archbishop Tufinis in the year 392 C.E. (about 250 years before the Muslim
conquest of Alexandria).
       No historian had written nor mentioned any incident of burning
occuring in Alexandria for a period of 5 centuries (possibly 6) in spite of
the fact that Otakius was the Archbishop of Alexandria in the year 322 A.H
(933 C.E.) and had recorded the conquest of Alexandria by the Arabs in full
details. This is one of the main reasons why historians question the
veracity of the incident and look at it as a mere LEGEND of the olden
times." (Ref: History of Civilization, vol. 11, p.219)
(emphasis mine)

Gustav Lubon writes in "The Islamic and Arab Civilization": ".. The burning
of books in Alexandria which had been attributed to the Muslim conquerors is
quite surprising. It is quite amazing that the accounts of such an imaginary
event could live on for such a long time and be met with approval. But now
this assertion has been clarified and proved WRONG and researchers agree that
burning was done by the CHRISTIANS in pre-Islamic time just as the temples
and idols of Alexandria were demolished by them; and that at the time of
Islamic conquest there were NOT ANY books left as to be burned by Muslims."
(emphasis mine)

There is no denying the fact that Alexandria grew up as the most important
learning center in the Greek world since the Alexandrian conquest. However,
history testifies that Alexandria had been the victim of pillaging,
plundering and conflagration on several occasions prior to the Arab
conquest of the city and by the time the Muslims conquered it, the great
Library was gone.  In 48 B.C., Romans invaded Alexandria under
Ceaser, and inflicted irreparable  blows upon city's scientific life.
Though Alexandria flourished again at the time of the Roman domination,
it was short lived. A controversial wave of religious upheavals swept
the populace in spite of the atrocity and the harsh measures the Roman
emperors took against them. This madness continued until christianity became
the official religion. At this time Theodor ruled to obliterate all traces of
paganism and destroyed temples, idols, and burned their libraries.

Subsequent to the conversion of Roman Empire into christianity, the
influential clergy prevailed the idea that teaching sciences and philo-
sophy was sacriligeous and persecuted scholars and philosophers whom
they considered atheists and misled. Thus after Ceaser's invasion (48
C.E.), the library of Alexandria was ransacked and subject to inter-
mittent burning. This also explains how more than 240 gospels/epistles
written about Jesus were destroyed by the Trinitarian clergy for a
variety of reasons, including the fact that some of these did not consider
Jesus to be a God incarnate, much to the dismay of Trinitarian cultists.
Since then Trinitarian clergy have burned/destroyed books and closed
down libraries, academies. This practice went on even unto this century
when English translated copies of the Gospel of Barnabas were pulled out of
the market, subsequent to its printing in 1907. Not a single copy was to
be found except one copy in the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and
the other in the British Museum. You should not be surprised knowing that
Justinian himself set the standard several hundred years ago, when he closed
down the Academy of Athens in the 6th century C.E. The Athenian Academy
came to an end in 529 c.e, 41 years before the birth of our Prophet Muhammad
sallal-lahu-alaihe was-salam, 81 years before the first revelation, 94 years
before his emigration to Madinah, 105 years before his death  and 120 years
before the conquest of Alexandria by his followers. This practice of
suppressing knowledge by whatever means necessary, consequently, kept
the entire Europe into total darkness, until the Muslims lit the candle
of knowledge in Andalusia and passed it on to savage nations of Europe.
Christian historians themselves testifies to the savage past of their
European ancestors. It was, therefore, not surprising to find how the
barbaric Crusaders burned 3 million books when they invaded Syria and Palestine
(Ref: Juryz Zidon's (George Gordon) "History of Islamic Civilization";
see also Anthony Nutting's (a Christian) "The Arabs" for further details
on christian acts of violence during the Crusades.)

Judging from the unsubstantiated, fabricated story of burning of the library
in Alexandria in the hands of Muslim Arabs during the Egyptian conquest,
while it is the christians who themselves burned the books, we venture to
question why do christians play this psychological warfare against Muslims?
Is it their Crusadic mentality? Or what? Why blame others of a crime that they
did not do, while it is you yourself who did it?

Christians indulged in adverse publicities against Islam, the Qur'an,
the Prophet Muhammad sallal-lahu alaihe was salam (SAWS) and the Muslims
since the days of their defeat in the Crusades in the hands of Muslims.
This defeat created such a psychological trauma among christians that
since then they have equated Islam with anything but a noble religion,
and its people as an accursed race (Blacks, Turks, etc.).(In their hatred
of the dark race, they forget that they worship a man, Jesus, who was
not a Caucasian White, but a DARK man (Ref: Al-Muwatta). I wonder how
many White Christians would have worshipped Jesus, had they known that
he was not a white man.) This animosity against the House of Islam went
to the degree that it has become a disgrace among civilized Christians
of modern times. To make excuses for their ancestors' mistakes, Christians
have written books to express their regret such as "An Apology to
Muhammad and the Qur'an" (by John Davenport). But still the psychological
Crusade goes on against Muslims, its religion and its Book. As a result
of this, we get accused for burning the Library of Alexandria, and many
such unsubstantiated legends (including the so-called destruction of a
temple where the Babri Mosque stood) by the hate-mongering christians
(it seems these lesser human beings were not blessed by the Holy Ghost),
and later picked up by their cronies. Shibli No'mani gave a reason
for their psychological warfare: "The main reason is that burning was
done by the christians themselves in pre-Islamic Alexandria. In order
to acquit themselves of the crime, they publicize this false notion
that the Muslims had burned the Library." (Ref: Alexandrian Library)
European historians like Gibbon, Carlyle, Godfrey, Hector, Renan, Sidlew
and others have published books testifying that the Alexandrian library
was burned by christians, and not by Muslims. Still the propaganda persists
that Muslims burned the Library. It is a shameful propaganda against
Muslims. Those christians, who spread this lie, should be ashamed of
themselves.

Unlike most religions in the world today, it is Islam which gave a
tremendous value to acquiring knowledge. The first word of revelation
to Muhammad (SAWS) was "Iqra" (Read). He said, "It is obligatory for
every Muslim to acquire knowledge. Acquire it from its proper place
and impart it to one who deserves it, because to teach for the sake of
Allah is good; to seek knowledge is worship, to discuss it is praise
of Allah, to utilize it is jihad in the cause of Allah, to teach it
to an ignorant person is alms, and to pass it on to knowledgeable
persons is the source of proximity to Allah." (Hadith)

When Muhammad (SAWS) started preaching Islam among the Arabs, there were
hardly twenty literates among them. He (SAWS) initiated an extensive
and amazing literacy campaign in Madinah. Those illiterate Arabs became
so devoted to Islam, whose Prophet (SAWS) ordered that any war captive
who knew reading and writing could buy off his freedom by teaching
Muslim children and men. The Prophet (SAWS) would encourage his
companions to learn foreign languages like Syriac (Aramaic), Hebrew
and Persian, and he would encourage them to seek knowledge wherever
it be. He (SAWS) had a special group of about 20 secretaries each one
of whom was assigned  administrative tasks. Those illiterate Arabs became
so attached to a religion whose God has "sworn by the Pen and writing"
(Surah al-Qalam) and the Divine revelation which descended to the
Prophet (SAWS) started with "read" and "teach" (Surah al-Alaq). Was
it therefore surprising that within a period of few decades
Muslims would create an Islamic civilization which remained unparallel
in its commitment to propagation of knowledge? It is this Islamic
civilization which was the foundation for the European Renaissance.

Ali (R), the fourth Caliph, who was brought up Muhammad (SAWS) and was
known as the "Gate of knowledge", said about the superiority of knowledge
in the following manner:
(1) Knowledge is the legacy of the Prophets. Wealth is the inheritance
    of the Pharaohs. Therefore, knowledge is better than wealth;
(2) You are to guard your wealth but knowledge guards you. So knowledge
    is better;
(3) A man of wealth has many enemies while a man of knowledge has many
    friends. Hence, knowledge is better;
(4) Knowledge is better because it increases with distribution, while
    wealth decreases by that act;
(5) Knowledge is better because a learned man is apt to be generous
    while the wealthy person is apt to be miserly;
(6) Knowledge is better because it cannot be stolen, while
    wealth can be stolen;
(7) Knowledge is better because time cannot harm knowledge, but wealth
    rusts in course of time and wears away;
(8) Knowledge is better because it is boundless while wealth is limited
    and you can keep account of it;
(9) Knowledge is better because it illuminates the mind while wealth
    is apt to darken it;
(10) Knowledge is better because the knowledge induced the humanity
    in our Prophet (SAWS) to say to Allah, "We worship Thee as we are
    Your servant," while wealth engendered in Pharaoh and Nimrod the
    vanity which made them claim godhead."

The mere suggestion that those disciples of Muhammad (SAWS) disobeyed
his command and burned the Library of Alexandria within a span of only
15 years (after his death) is outrageous and ill-motivated. This is an
attempt to taint the characters of noble men in Islam. We find this
accusation insulting to Islam and entirely disgusting.

We, Muslims, must be aware of the kind of psychological warfare that the
Muslim-haters preach. Because they know very well that cultural slavery
is more dangerous than mere political slavery. If they control our
mind, they don't have anything to fear about us; we become their
victims. These christian exploiters have known very well from their
experience that Muslims are backed up by a culture and an ideology
which is Islam, which is truly the manifesto for Kingdom of God on
earth. It is not based on mumbo-jumbo fallacies like christianity,
baha'ism, marxism, and all other man-made ideologies. In conspiring
to transform the religious superiority of our people into pessimism
and skepticism, the Muslim-bashers try to infuse cultural alienation
among our people, esp. the youth. It is with their burning desire to
totally dehumanize our people, they do all these misinformation
campaigns against Islam. It was therefore not surprising that during
the British rule, why the British Board of Examiners in Calcutta
University considered the fictitious tale of burning books as the
ONLY question that had to be asked on sophistry in logic. There are
numerous such examples that I can cite in unmasking the face of these
people, who hate Islam and its people.

They scheme and Allah schemes. Surely, Allah is the best of the schemers.
       May Allah protect us from Satan and its troops.

--------
 H. Siddiqui.