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Page 16 Page 17 Issue 14
CHICKEN CURRY
by Ayesha Buksh
Ingredients:
- 1 cut-up chicken (3-4 lbs)
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons crushed garlic - 1 tablespoon
crushed ginger - 1/2 tablespoon black
pepper - Crushed chili
- Salt to taste
- 2 medium chopped tomatoes - 3
tablespoons oil
Preparation:
1. Fry onion in oil until light brown.
2. Add ginger & garlic, fry 1 minute.
3. Add chicken and rest of seasoning & tomatoes
4. Cook on medium heat until chicken is done
5. Add 1/2 cup of water.
6. Garnish with cilantro.
Serve over rice. Enjoy
BIOLOGY
The Muslim scientists made considerable progress in biology
especially in botany, and developed horticulture to a high
degree of perfection.
They paid greater attention to botany in comparison to zool-
ogy. Botany reached its zenith in Spain. In zoology the study
of the horse was developed almost to the tank of a science.
Abu Ubaidah (728 - 825 A. D.) who wrote more than 100
books, devoted more than fi ty books to the study of the horse.
Al-Jahiz, who fl urished in Basra is reputed to be one of
the greatest zoologists the Muslim world has produced.
His influence in the subject may be traced to the Persian
‘Al-Qazwini’ and the Egyptian ‘Al-Damiri’. His book ‘Kitab al
Hayawan’ (book of animals) contains germs of later theories
of evolution, adaptation, and animal psychology. He was
the first to note changes in bird life through migrations. He
described the method of obtaining ‘ammonia from animal
fat by dry distilling’.
Al-Damiri, who died in 1405 in Cairo and who was influence
by Al-Jahiz is the greatest Arab zoologist. His book Hayat Al
Hayawan (Life of animal) is the most important Muslim work
in zoology. It is an encyclopedia on animal life containing a
mine of information on the subject. It contains the history of
animals and preceded Buffoon by 700 years.
Al-Masudi has given the rudiments of the theory of evolution
in his well known work Meadows of gold. Another of his works
Kitab al-Tanbih wal Ishraq advances his views on evolution
namely from mineral to plant, from plant to animal and from
animal to man.
In botany Spanish Muslims made the greatest contribution,
and some of them are known as the greatest botanists of
mediaeval times. They were keen observers and discovered
sexual difference between such plants as palms and hemps.
They roamed about on sea shores, on mountains and in
distant lands in quest of rare botanical herbs. They classified
plants into those that grow from seeds, those that grow from
cuttings and those that grow of their own accord, i.e., wild
growth. The Spanish Muslims advanced in botany far be-
yond the state in which it had been left by Dioscorides and
augmented the herbology of the Greeks by the addition of
2,000 plants. Regular botanical gardens existed in Cordoba,
Baghdad, Cairo, and Fez for teaching and experimental pur-
poses. Some of these were the finest in the world
The Cordovan physician, Al-Ghafiq (D. 1165) was a re-
nowned botanist, who collected plants in Spain and Africa,
and described them most accurately. According to G. Sarton
he was the greatest expert of his time on simples. His de-
scription of plants was the most precise ever made in Islam;
he gave the names of each in Arabic, Latin, and Berber. His
outstanding work Al Adwiyah al Mufradah dealing with sim-
ples was later appropriated by Ibn Baytar.
Abu Zakariya Yahya Ibn Muhammad Ibn Al-Awwan, who
flourished at the end of 12 century in Seville (Spain), was the
author of the most important Islamic treatise on agriculture
during the mediaeval times entitled ‘Kitab al Filahah’. The
book treats more than 585 plants and deals with the cultiva-
tion of more than 50 fruit trees. It also discusses numerous
diseases of plants and suggests their remedies. The book
presents new observations on properties of soil and different
types of manures.
Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Ibn al-Baytar, was the greatest botanist
and pharmacist of Spain--in fact the greatest of mediaeval
times. He roamed about in search of plants and collected
herbs on the Mediterranean littoral, from Spain to Syria,
described more than 1,400 medical drugs and compared
them with the records of more than 150 ancient and Arabian
authors. The collection of simple drugs composed by him is
the most outstanding botanical work in Arabic. This book,
in fact is the most important for the whole period extending
from Dioscorides down to the 16th century. It is an encyclo-
pedic work on the subject. He later entered into the service
of the Ayyubid king, al-Malik al-Kamil, as his chief herbalist in
Cairo. From there he traveled through Syria and Asia Minor,
and died in Damascus. One of his works Al-Mughani-fi al
Adwiyah al Mufradah deals with medicine. The other Al Jami
Ji al Adwiyah al Mufradah is a very valuable book containing
simple remedies regarding animal, vegetable and mineral
matters which has been described above. It deals also with
200 novel plants which were not known up to that time. Abul
Abbas Al-Nabati also wandered along the African Coast from
Spain to Arabia in search of herbs and plants. He discovered
some rare plants on the shore of Red Sea.
Another botanist Ibn Sauri, was accompanied by an artist
during his travels in Syria, who made sketches of the plants
which they found. Ibn Wahshiya, wrote his celebrated work
al-Filahah al-Nabatiyah containing valuable information about
animals and plants.
Many Cosmo graphical encyclopedias have been written by
Arabs and Persians, which contain sections on animals, plants
and stones, of which the best known is that of Zakariya al-Ka-
iwini, who died in 1283 A. D. Al-Dinawari wrote an excellent
book of plants and al-Bakri has written a book describing in
detail the ‘Plants of Andalusia’.
Ibn Maskwaih, a contemporary of Al-Beruni, advanced a
definite theory about evolution. According to him plant life
at its lowest stage of evolution does not need any seed for
its birth and growth. Nor does it perpetuate its species by
means of the seed.
The great advancement of botanical science in Spain led to
the development of agriculture and horticulture on a grand
scale. “Horticulture improvements” says G. Sarton, “consti-
tuted the finest legacies of Islam, and the gardens of Spain
proclaim to this clay one of the noblest virtues of her Muslim
conquerors. The development of agriculture was one of the
glories of Muslim Spain.”
TRUST - Trust in God - but tie your camel first.
THE WORLD - Treat this world as I do, like a wayfarer, like a
horseman who stops in the shade of a tree for a time, and then
moves on.
OBJECTS - It is your attachment to objects which make
you blind and deaf.
SLEEP - Sleep is the brother of death.
REFLECTION - The faithful are mirrors, one to the other.
WOMEN - Women are the twin-halves of men.
PRIVACY - Whoever invades people’s privacy corrupts them.
WIVES - A virtuous wife is the best treasure any man can have.
OPPRESSION - When oppression exists, even the bird dies
in its nest.
LOVE - Do you think you love your Creator? Love your
fel-low-creature first.
DISTRIBUTION - God it is who gives: I am only a distributor.
HELPING OTHERS - I order you to assist any oppressed
person, whether he is a Muslim or not.
MONKISHNESS - No Monkery in Islam.
THE PIOUS - My back has been broken by ‘pious’ men.
CURSING - You ask me to curse unbelievers. But I was not
sent to curse.
TEACHING - One hour’s teaching is better than a whole
night of prayer.
DAY AND NIGHT - The night is long: do not shorten it by
sleep. The day is fair: do not darken it with wrongdoing.
HUMILITY - Humility and courtesy are themselves a part of piety.
ENVY - Envy devours good deeds, as a fire devours fuel.
THE LEARNED - Whoever honors the learned, honors me.
POVERTY - My poverty is my pride.
DEATH - Die before your death.
THE TONGUE - A man slips with his tongue more than
with his feet.
DESIRE - Desire not the world, and God will love you.
Desire not what others have, and they will love you.
PRIDE AND GENEROSITY - Pride in ancestry is really a
property -interest. Generosity is a variety of piety.
PRACTICE - Who are the learned? Those who put into
practice what they know.
Sayings of the P rophet (S.A.W.)
COOK'S
CORNER