Astronomy muslims have always had a special interest

Astronomy :
Muslims have always had a special interest in astronomy. The moon and the sun are of
vital importance in the daily life of every Muslim. By the moon, Muslims determine the

Islamic Studies by Aamir Mahar
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beginning and the end of the months in their lunar calendar. By the sun the Muslims
calculate the times for prayer and fasting.
It is also by means of astronomy that Muslims can determine the precise direction of the
Kiblah, to face the Ka’bah in Makkah, during prayer. The most precise solar calendar,
superior to the Julian, is the Jilali, devised under the supervision of Umar Khayyam.
The Qur’an contains many references to astronomy.
"The heavens and the earth were ordered rightly, and were made subservient to man,
including the sun, the moon, the stars, and day and night. Every heavenly body moves in
an orbit assigned to it by God and never digresses, making the universe an orderly cosmos
whose life and existence, diminution and expansion, are totally determined by the
Creator." [Qur’an 30:22]
These references, and the injunctions to learn, inspired the early Muslim scholars to
study the heavens. They integrated the earlier works of the Indians, Persians and Greeks
into a new synthesis. Ptolemy’s Almagest (the title as we know it is Arabic) was translated,
studied and criticized. Many new stars were discovered, as we see in their Arabic names -
Algol, Deneb, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Aldebaran.
Astronomical tables were compiled, among them the Toledan tables, which were used by
Copernicus, Tycho Brahe and Kepler. Also compiled were almanacs - another Arabic term.
Other terms from Arabic are zenith, nadir, albedo, azimuth.
Muslim astronomers were the first to establish observatories, like the one built at
Mugharah by Hulagu, the son of Genghis Khan, in Persia, and they invented instruments
such as the quadrant and astrolabe, which led to advances not only in astronomy but in
oceanic navigation, contributing to the European age of exploration.
Geography :
Muslim scholars paid great attention to geography. In fact, the Muslims’ great concern
for geography originated with their religion. The Qur’an encourages people to travel
throughout the earth to see God’s signs and patterns every where. Islam also requires each
Muslim to have at least enough knowledge of geography to know the direction of the Kiblah
(the position of the Ka’bah in Makkah) in order to pray five times a day.
Muslims were also used to taking long journeys to conduct trade as well as to make the
Hajj and spread their religion. The far-flung Islamic empire enabled scholar-explorers to
compile large amounts of geographical and climatic information from the Atlantic to the
Pacific.
Among the most famous names in the field of geography, even in the West, are Ibn
Khaldun and Ibn Batuta, renowned for their written accounts of their extensive
explorations. In 1166, Al-Idrisi, the well-known Muslim scholar who served the Sicilian
court, produced very accurate maps, including a world map with all the continents and their
mountains, rivers and famous cities. Al-Muqdishi was the first geographer to produce
accurate maps in color.