OCCASIONATPAPERS53

The RiseandFallof Cultureof Learning

in EarlyIslam
YedullahKazmi
''7

The RiseandFall of Cultureof

Learningin Early Islam
 ISLAMIC RESEARCHINSTITUTE,ISLAMABAD

OccasiondPaPerNo' 63

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Caaloguing-in'PublicationData

Kazmi, Yedullah
The Rise and Fall of Culture of Learning in Eariy
Islam.
(istamicResearch Institute,Islamabad'
OccasionalPaPers no. 63).
Includesbibliographicalreferences'
Originally publishedin IslamicStudies,44:1'
(Spring,2005),PP.15-51.

1. Islam-Sudy and teaching' 2' Islamic religions

education. 3. Muslimsintellectuallife'

ISBN 969408'266-8 in 2006)

(Published 297.77dc27

Publisbetand Pinter
IslamicResearchlnstitute, P.O. Box No' 1035'
Islamabad,Pakistan.
*-! '1

Introduction
Muslims' contributions to scholarshipin the early years
of Islam are by now well documented by Muslim and
non-Muslim scholars alike. The number of Muslim
scholarswho make the iist of those who contributedto
just about every intellectualenterprisethen known is
impressive.But that is the story that has been told many
times before; there is very little new to add to what has
alreadybeenwritten about that period of Islamic history.
The historical period under review here is the first three
hundred years of Islam that predatesthe flourishing of
scholarshipin Islam. To singleout the first three hundred
years of Islamic history is not to draw attention av/ay
from the subsequenteventsthat have alreadybeen much
worked over, but rather to try to understandwhat caused
those eventsto happen.One needsto ask the question:
what made the Muslims to almost suddenly break out
onto the intellectual scenewith such dash, pomp and
brilliance and then with equalsuddenness disappearin the