Hello people. I haven't posted here in a while, but i think enough people here recognize me, it hasn't been that long since i've been around. So, yeah, hello again, long time no see and all that.

But anyway, i have a request of anyone willing to help. I'm taking a class on the scientific revolution, and it came up, through a tangent, that there was a sect of Islam in, i think the middle ages, who believed in atomism (that is, that the world is made up of tiny indivisible particles), and the reason for them even knowing about atomism is rather unclear, since the foremost proponent of atomism, Epicurus, was never translated into Islam. Anyway, i mentioned that fact that at one point in the Quran, it mentions the structure of the atom. I remember see it, actually in a thread on Massassi, but i don't remember where or what the verse was, and my teacher hadn't heard of it either.

So, here's my request. I've searched the site, but i think the thread is far to old to be caught, and i've used google extensively, and found no mention of it. So, if anyone here knows about what i'm talking about, or manages to find anything specific (actually specific about the structure, the Quran mentions atoms a few times but that's easily translated as "particle of dust" or the like), could you please let me know? I'd be very appreciative, and i've known massassi to be about the best at pulling random information, so don't fail me now.

Thanks in advance for the help!

(oh, and it's probably a lost cause, but could we try to keep this thread away for theological arguments? this is purely for the study of history that I'm asking this)

They probably got it from the Greeks. The eastern world preserved a lot of Greek thought that Europe lost in the dark ages.

While they did get a lot from the greeks, the atomism part was rejected for about 2000 years until the scientific revolution, because until then it was a bit of an atheistic philosophy (mostly because of its association with Epicurus), and also Aristotle gave a very convincing series of arguments against atomism that were pretty much accepted until atomism was brought back in the scientific revolution.

I don't think anyone was translated into Islam.

Arabic however, I do believe that the only reason we have most of our Greek philosophy types is because of the Arabs, who were doing really great while the Europeans were still chopping people's nuts off.

Er, sorry, Arabic. still, Epicurus was not translated into Arabic. I'm sure about this. A lot was translated and kept by the Islamic scholars, yes, but not Epicurus. And this is a bit of a side track.