How Sir Isaac Newton Influenced by Muslims Scientists.

When we study history and science in textbooks we have always taught that there were some scientists and philosophers in the Ancient Greece and Ancient Roman Empire, then came Dark Ages also known as Middle Ages. The research on science has again started in Europe from the fifteenth century CE.

What they don’t tell us is that the real scientific research has actually started during The Islamic Golden Age. There is a famous quote from one of the great scientists Sir Isaac Newton:

“If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants”

Newton wrote this quote in a letter to Robert Hooke in 1675. What is the meaning of this quote. Does it mean that if Newton has made more progress and made new discoveries then it was because he was working in the light of fellow scientists, either in his own age or those who live earlier.

So who are those giants which Newton has written in his letter. Are they Kepler, Rene Descartes, Tycho Brahe and Galileo. Or they are the Muslims Scientists of the Islamic Golden Age like Ibn Haytham, Ibn Sina and Jabir ibn Hayyan.

Newton was famous for his work on laws of motion, calculus, law of gravitation and the study of the nature of light. It seems that all of Newton’s work was earlier studied by Muslims Scientists.

Like Ibn Haytham who works on calculus and experiment on the nature of light and optics.

Ibn Sina who had been famous for his contribution in astronomy, mathematics and medicine.

And many other Scientists and Researchers who have worked on almost all fields of science particularly in mathematics and Physics.

It is true that Sir Isaac Newton was one of the great scientists and we should not forget his contribution in the development of Modern sciences. But we should also consider the discoveries and inventions that have been made centuries before him.