Eminent writer and educationist Prof Dr Nigar Sajjad Zaheer has warned that unless the Muslims follow the legacies of their great ancestors and show devotion to learning science, technology and other modern disciplines of knowledge, they would continue to face humiliations like the collapse of Muslim rule in Spain and the recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital by US President Trump despite worldwide condemnation.
“We would have to follow the footsteps of our great ancestors like Ibne Batuta, Al-Biruni, Al Masoudi and hundreds of others who excelled in the fields of science, medicine, geography, astrophysics, medicines, social sciences and several other fields of knowledge. Great Muslim travellers travelled to several continents in quest of knowledge and wisdom and enlightened the world with their work,” she said while speaking at the launching ceremony of the 2018 thematic calendar of Jahan-e-Maseeha Adbi Forum (JMAF) at a local hotel last week.
The calendar titled ‘Great Muslims Explorers’ is based on the biographies of 12 great Islamic travellers and scholars, including Ibne Batuta, Al-Biruni, Al-Masoudi, Chinese Muslim explorer and traveller Zheng He and Yousuf Khan Kambal Posh, who travelled to several continents of the world in quest of knowledge, introduced several ancient civilisations to the world and promoted the knowledge of geography, science, astrophysics, navigation and social sciences.
Prof Nigar Sajjad Zaheer maintained that Islam asks its followers to travel to far-flung countries and areas in search of knowledge, and that is what was done by great Muslim travellers and explorers like Ibne-Batuta and Al-Biruni and several others who left their homes and loved ones in search of knowledge, learnt new disciplines and promoted these scientific fields among fellow Muslims.
“But when Muslims abandoned the quest for knowledge, they faced the fall of Muslim rule in Spain in 1492 and that was the time when Columbus was discovering new lands, including America, which is now the world superpower,” she maintained.
Felicitating the Jahan-e-Maseeha Adbi Forum for promoting the golden period of Islam and its healthy legacies, art and literature and history in Pakistan, she said their efforts were commendable for the creation of a healthy society.
Eminent neurologist from Abbasi Shaheed Hospital said he was delighted to see a calendar that was full of knowledge about great Muslims scientists and explorers in the Urdu language as, currently, most of the information about great people in the world, including Muslim personalities, is in the English language.
“The creation of an informative calendar containing biographies of great Muslim travellers in Urdu language is a great service for the society,” he maintained.
Eminent writer, JMAF patron and Quaid-e-Azam Academy Director Khawaja Razi Haider said they were producing these thematic, research-based calendars since 2000 and it was the 18th calendar which was being anxiously awaited by the doctors, professors, educationists and people from different walks of life due to knowledge and information it provides to the readers and viewers.
“Jahan-e-Maseeha is striving for a healthy society through promotion of art and culture, love for literature, and highlighting the importance of seeking knowledge of history, science and other modern disciplines”.