Astrology in the medieval Islamic world
Astrology |
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Background |
Traditions |
Branches |
Astrological signs |
Symbols |
Some medieval Muslims took a keen interest in the study of astrology, partly because they considered the celestial bodies to be essential, partly because the dwellers of desert-regions often travelled at night, and relied upon knowledge of the constellations for guidance in their journeys.[1][2]
After the advent of
Throughout the medieval period the practical application of astrology was subject to deep philosophical debate by Muslim
Early history
Medieval Islamic astrology and astronomy continued Hellenistic and Roman era traditions based on
Persians also combined the disciplines of medicine and astrology by linking the curative properties of herbs with specific zodiac signs and planets.
The Persians also developed a system, by which the difference between the ascendant and each planet of the zodiac was calculated. This new position then became a 'part' of some kind.[4] For example, the 'part of fortune' is found by taking the difference between the Sun and the ascendant and adding it to the Moon. If the 'part' thus calculated was in the 10th House in Libra, for instance, it suggested that money could be made from some kind of partnership.
The calendar introduced by Omar Khayyam, based on the classical zodiac, remains in effect in Afghanistan and Iran as the official Solar Hijri calendar.
Another notable Persian astrologer and astronomer was
Medieval understanding
Some of the principles of astrology were refuted by several medieval Islamic astronomers such as
Another Damascene scientist
And if you astrologers answer that it is precisely because of this distance and smallness that their influences are negligible, then why is it that you claim a great influence for the smallest heavenly body, Mercury? Why is it that you have given an influence to al-Ra's and al-Dhanab, which are two imaginary points [ascending and descending nodes]?
Al-Jawziyya also recognized the Milky Way galaxy as "a myriad of tiny stars packed together in the sphere of the fixed stars" and thus argued that "it is certainly impossible to have knowledge of their influences."[8]
See also
References
Citations
- ^ a b c Wasim Aktar, Contributions of Ancient Arabian and Egyptian Scientists on Astronomy; Public Science & Reference Archived 2012-05-17 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ISBN 9780199812578.
- ^ "Introduction to Astronomy, Containing the Eight Divided Books of Abu Ma'shar Abalachus". World Digital Library. 1506. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ^ a b Parker, Derek; Parker, Julia (1990). The New Compleat Astrologer. New York: Crescent Books.
- ISBN 978-0-8147-8023-7
- ^ Saliba, George (2011). "Avicenna: viii. Mathematics and Physical Sciences". Mathematics and Physical Sciences Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition.
- JSTOR 600445
- ^ JSTOR 600445
Further reading
- Freudenthal, Gad (2009). "The Astrologization of the Aristotelian Cosmos: Celestial Influences on the Sublunar World in Aristotle, Alexander of Aphrodisias, and Averroes". In Bowen, Alan; Wildberg, Christian (eds.). New Perspectives on Aristotle’s De caelo. Leiden: Brill. pp. 239–281.
- Holden, James (1996). "Arabian Astrology". A History of Horoscopic Astrology. Tempe, Az.: American Federation of Astrologers. pp. 99–129. ISBN 978-8669046386– via cura.free.fr.
- Janos, Damien (2012). Method, Structure, and Development in al-Fārābī's Cosmology. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-21732-4.
- ISBN 978-0860786825.
- Saif, Liana (2016). "The Universe and the Womb: Generation, Conception, and the Stars in Islamic Medieval Astrological and Medical Texts". Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies. 16: 181–198.