http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/97269.html
Islam's golden age comes to life Students celebrate scholars and poets of a great empire By Stephen Magagnini - Bee Staff Writer Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, December 23, 2006 Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1 Poets and philosophers, merchants and mathematicians, artisans and astronomers re-enacted the Golden Age of Islam at the Al-Arqam Islamic School in south Sacramento on Friday. The artistry, story-telling and role-playing was a creation of 233 students from kindergarten through ninth grade who brought to life the sights, tastes and smells of an Islamic empire that spanned three continents from the eighth to the 13th centuries. From incense to Turkish coffee, dates to oranges, minarets to miniature mosques and castles -- you could find it all at The Islamic Civilization Exhibit and Festival in the school's multipurpose room. Pageantry was accompanied by plenty of food for thought. In the midst of this "village" teeming with children dressed in Saudi, Afghan, Palestinian, Pakistani, Egyptian and Moroccan garments, a large gold and blue tent set the stage for a debate among nine famous Muslim scholars. Ibn Battuta (12-year-old Abdurrahman Husnein)was considered the greatest tourist of the 14th century. He followed the Prophet Muhammad's advice to "seek knowledge even if it takes you to China." Ibn Sina (10-year old Belal Ahmed) insisted that his Canon of Medicine was a more important contribution because "My work saves lives!" Sina lived from 980 to 1037. The father of algebra, Muhammad Ibn Musa Al-Khawarizmi (11-year-old Javed Maroon) responded, "I created the decimal system and the use of zero ... I educate the lives you save." The mathematician lived from 770 to 840. Imam Malik (13-year-old Ossama Kamel), who compiled thousands of sayings from the Prophet Muhammad, warned the others against arrogance. "No one who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart will enter the garden," he quoted the prophet as saying. Kamel said the festival "gives us pride in our religion -- these scholars are Islam, and people who are doing wrong today, that's not really Islam." Dozens of other Muslim scholars were represented, including seventh-grader Nimra A. Syed's favorite, Al-Jazari, the first-known mechanical engineer who invented water clocks, combination locks and double-action water pumps. She said that Al-Jazari, who lived from 1150 to 1220, was born in Iraq and wrote "The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices." "The coolest thing about this guy is some inventors don't look like they have fun in their lives, and he made some practical-joke devices," Nimra said. The inventions included a drinking container that looked full when empty, and a glass that looked empty but spilled water out when it tipped over. And fourth-grader Shareef Sadek was captivated by Abu-Uthman Al-Jahiz, a writer who penned an environmentalist yarn, "The Story of Abu Said, The Recycler." It's a tale of a man who would hoard his garbage and sift through it, saving items he could re-use such as pomegranate skins for red dye and chicken bones for fuel. The exhibit was filled with fascinating lessons, such as the origin of the word "mattress," which comes from matrah, Arabic for "a place where things are thrown." In addition, the youths said Muslim doctors were the first to document patient histories, and carried out the first cataract surgery. Many kids flocked to the market, where Safa Khan and Hameed Ahmadi, two 9-year-olds, hawked oranges, dates, dried apricots and eggplant. "Try some oranges," Khan said with a smile, then confessed, "I'd rather go with some sugar-coated almonds." Vice principal Dalia Wardany, who organized the festival, said her students learned the power of knowledge. "These kids are the torch bearers of our religion," said Wardany. "If they rely on their skills and talents, they can do something positive for future generations." +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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