|
In the early days of Islam, Muslims loved books and libraries.
It might be a result of their allegiance to the teachings of the Qur'an and the Prophet.
There are a lot of sayings in the Qur'an and the Hadiths praising the power of knowledge
and books.
Thus, a number of huge libraries were established in the Muslim world
from the early 8th to the 12th century. For example,
the Abbassid Caliph al-Mamun ordered the construction of Bayt al-Hikma in Baghdad, and
the Fatimid Caliph in Cairo built the Maktabah-e-Khulafa-e-Fatmiyin. Both of them were famous
for their size and rich collections. One estimate had put the number of books of
Maktabah-e-Khulafa-e-Fatmiyin at 1,600,000 volumes, among which were the finest copies of
the Qur'an. Another royal library in Cordoba constructed by the Umayyad caliphs in Spain was reported to have a collection of 400,000 volumes of books and a catalogue of 44 volumes.
All these Islamic libraries were well organized and had a variety of collections.
The caliphs would send scholars or emissaries to collect rare and precious books in areas
outside their empires.
It is worth noticing that private libraries were also a phenomenon in the Muslim world.
Intellectuals and bibliophiles were eager to set up their own private libraries.
A story was told of a doctor in Baghdad who planned to work in the court at Bokhara.
However, he had to use 400 camels to transport his books.
Finally, he decided to give up his new job in order to keep his old books.
The books in the Islamic libraries covered a wide variety of knowledge, including astronomy,
mathematics, medicine, and philosophy, etc.
Together with the rise of libraries
was the great Abbasid translation movement lasting from 9th century to 10th century.
Many historians agreed that the movement had great impact on the Renaissance in Europe
in the 15th century.
Then there were the libraries in the mosques. These libraries had grown with the emergency
of madrassahs. It was said that each mosque had its library and some of which were huge and
prestigious. They were well-managed by eminent scholars and their collections were enriched
with donations from bibliophiles and collectors. These libraries might be small, but they
had always played a significant role in Muslim education.
Big or small, a library is indeed a treasury of knowledge, where a great cultural
revolution may emerge. The only problem is will you treasure it?
|