--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The medieval Islamic world . . . offered…" description: "\"“The medieval Islamic world . . . offered vastly more freedom than any of its predecessors, its contemporaries and most of its successors. —Bernard Lew..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/mustafa-akyol-15064_freedom_the-medieval-islamic-world-offered-vastl_366835.png" --- # The medieval Islamic world . . . offered vastly more… ![“The medieval Islamic world . . . offered vastly more freedom than any of its predecessors, its contemporaries and most of its successors. —Bernard Lewis, historian of the Middle East1” quote by Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/mustafa-akyol-15064_freedom_the-medieval-islamic-world-offered-vastl_366835.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/mustafa-akyol-15064_freedom_the-medieval-islamic-world-offered-vastl_366835.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/mustafa-akyol-15064_freedom_the-medieval-islamic-world-offered-vastl_366835.png) > ““The medieval Islamic world . . . offered vastly more freedom than any of its predecessors, its contemporaries and most of its successors. —Bernard Lewis, historian of the Middle East1”” [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The medieval Islamic world provided greater freedom than many earlier and later societies. **In simple terms:** Islamic societies were relatively free for their time. Key Takeaway Recognize historical periods of liberty and their impact. Themes freedom history civilization Mood reflective analytical Type historical comparative When to use this quote - education - policy analysis - cultural studies - public discourse Key Concepts political liberty cultural flourishing comparative history Questions to Reflect On - How did freedom manifest in daily life then? - What lessons can modern societies draw? A Different Perspective Freedom varied across regions and classes, not uniformly experienced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Middle east](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east/) ## Related quotes > [“The medieval islamic world offered vastly more freedom than any of its predecessors, its contemporaries and most of its successors”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/the-medieval-islamic-world-offered-vastly-more-freedom-than-any-of-2/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) > [The medieval Islamic world, from Central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic, was a world where scholars and men of learning flourished. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-charles/the-medieval-islamic-world-from-central-asia-to-the-shores-of-the/) [Prince Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-charles/) > [Anyone who follows the Middle East and Islamic world in general can't deny it is often a very violent place, that a band of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/anyone-who-follows-the-middle-east-and-islamic-world-in-general-can-t/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [ \[Roots of terrorism\] come out of a long dialectic of U.S. involvement in the affairs of the Islamic world, the oil-producing world, the Arab… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/roots-of-terrorism-come-out-of-a-long-dialectic-of-u-s-involvement-in/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [“In the Islamic world itself also there is a great crisis in he modern established universities precisely because the systems from the West have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/in-the-islamic-world-itself-also-there-is-a-great-crisis-in-he-modern/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [“Khomeini espoused a militant religious doctrine rejecting not only the Middle Eastern political order, but also the contemporary international system since both perpetuated an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/efraim-karsh/khomeini-espoused-a-militant-religious-doctrine-rejecting-not-only/) [Efraim Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/efraim-karsh/) > [I think for most Americans, knowledge of the Islamic world was pretty slight before 9/11, and then it was thrust upon us in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-campbell/i-think-for-most-americans-knowledge-of-the-islamic-world-was-pretty/) [Thomas P. Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-campbell/) > [In the 19th century, when Muslims were looking at Europe as an example, they were independent; they were more self-confident. In the early 20th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/in-the-19th-century-when-muslims-were-looking-at-europe-as-an-example/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [We now have some years of very reliable polling by Western firms in the Islamic world, in multiple Islamic countries. And invariably, the question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/we-now-have-some-years-of-very-reliable-polling-by-western-firms-in/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [Al-Hallaj has a special destiny. He came at a time when worldliness, the luxury, were inundating the Islamic world. His function was to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/al-hallaj-has-a-special-destiny-he-came-at-a-time-when-worldliness/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [Without Sufism, Islam would not have spread into two thirds of what we call the Islamic world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spread-into-two-thirds-of-what-we/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [The Islamic world is suffering not only because of external oppression but also because of the loss of its own dignity, of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/the-islamic-world-is-suffering-not-only-because-of-external/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [In America, we have so many movies and so much media about the Islamic world, the sub-continental world, but it's not a conversation, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-nair/in-america-we-have-so-many-movies-and-so-much-media-about-the-islamic/) [Mira Nair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-nair/) > [ If you look at the curricula of most universities and schools in this country \[USA\], considering our long encounter with the Islamic world, there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/if-you-look-at-the-curricula-of-most-universities-and-schools-in-this/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [We reject President Donald Trump's view. It was a mistake to say that 'the Islamic world divided into "good" and "evil"', a major wrongdoing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-mashal/we-reject-president-donald-trump-s-view-it-was-a-mistake-to-say-that/) [Khaled Mashal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-mashal/) ## More by Mustafa Akyol > [“Gerber, who studied seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ottoman court decisions, points to examples of Ottoman muftis (official jurists) who, despite being paid by the government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/gerber-who-studied-seventeenth-and-eighteenth-century-ottoman-court/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“As Islamic liberalism waned, and resistance arose against the West and its influence, that very resistance started to replace genuine religiosity as the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/as-islamic-liberalism-waned-and-resistance-arose-against-the-west-and/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [I think forcing people to uncover their head is as tyrannical as forcing them to cover it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/i-think-forcing-people-to-uncover-their-head-is-as-tyrannical-as/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“According to Gerber, the Shariah principle here was unmistakably individualist: “The rights of the state are depicted as opposed to the rights of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/according-to-gerber-the-shariah-principle-here-was-unmistakably/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“Moreover, unlike the classical period, in which the Shariah was a check on the powers of the executive, it now became an instrument of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/moreover-unlike-the-classical-period-in-which-the-shariah-was-a-check/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [Turkey has never been colonized, so it remained as an independent nation after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/turkey-has-never-been-colonized-so-it-remained-as-an-independent/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [The Qur'an not only lacks any earthly punishment for someone who abandons Islam, it even includes verses that imply that such a change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-qur-an-not-only-lacks-any-earthly-punishment-for-someone-who/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“The Qur’an promoted work and trade and defined commercial profit as “God’s bounty.”38 The Prophet, himself a merchant, is on the record with such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-qur-an-promoted-work-and-trade-and-defined-commercial-profit-as/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [In the 19th century, when Muslims were looking at Europe as an example, they were independent; they were more self-confident. In the early 20th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/in-the-19th-century-when-muslims-were-looking-at-europe-as-an-example/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“The Prophet brought a message relevant for all ages, in other words, but he lived a life of his own age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-prophet-brought-a-message-relevant-for-all-ages-in-other-words/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“Other problems in the Shariah, such as misogyny, come from the fact that Islamic law incorporated a great many medieval attitudes, customs, and traditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/other-problems-in-the-shariah-such-as-misogyny-come-from-the-fact/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“The Christians’ “exaggerated fear of sex” continued until modern times, whereas Islamdom remained more sex-friendly until, again, modern times. Even the more conservative scholars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-christians-exaggerated-fear-of-sex-continued-until-modern-times/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“Some liberal theorists have seen a parallelism between this function of Islamic law and the “natural law” tradition of Europe, on which the liberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/some-liberal-theorists-have-seen-a-parallelism-between-this-function/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [The Arab Spring has heightened the ideological tension between Ankara and Tehran, and Turkey's model seems to be winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-arab-spring-has-heightened-the-ideological-tension-between-ankara/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [Foreign journalists writing about Turkey like to focus on the most fundamental divide in Turkish society: the rift between religious conservatives and secularists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/foreign-journalists-writing-about-turkey-like-to-focus-on-the-most/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) [Explore all 44 Mustafa Akyol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. 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