The Truth of the Burning of the Library of Alexandria
The incident of the burning of the Library of Alexandria is often cited with fervour by various orientalists. But what really occurred? An allegation is raised regarding the victory of Alexandria by the opponents of Islam, in particular by Christians, that Hazrat Umar (ra) allegedly ordered for the great library in Alexandria to be burnt down. This allegation is an attempt to create the perception that the Muslims, God forbid, were opposed to literacy, education and knowledge. It is alleged that the Library of Alexandria burned for six months continuously. In truth, from a logical standpoint and on the basis of the narrations, this allegation is entirely false and fictional. Indeed, this is a religion whose founder taught:
طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ
That is, “It is obligatory for every Muslim to seek knowledge.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Iftitah al-Kitab fi al-Iman wa Fada‘il al-Sahabah wa al-‘Ilm, Bab Fadl al-Ulama wa al-Hath ala Talab al-Ilm, Hadith 224)
And he also stated:
أُطْلُبُوْا الْعِلْمَ وَلَوْ بِالصِّيْنِ
That is, “Seek knowledge even if you have to travel to China.”
(Kanz al-Ummal, Part 10, p. 138, Kitab al-Bab al-Awwal fi al-Targhib fih, Hadith 28697, Mu‘assisat al-Risalah, Beirut, 1985) Further, the Holy Quran in numerous verses teaches Muslims to ponder, reflect and study. To allege against a religion with the aforementioned teachings that it advocates the burning of libraries and books, is clearly contrary to logic and reason. Aside from this, many academics and researchers, including European and Christian researchers, disprove this allegation and provide evidence that supports the notion that the allegation of Muslims burning the Library of Alexandria is nothing more than a fabricated and false account. Thus, an Egyptian academic, Muhammad Raza, has written in his biography of Hazrat Umar Farooq (ra) that the Library of Alexandria being burned is an allegation cited by Abul Farj Malati, in a book, Mukhtasir Al-Duwal. The author was born in 1226 CE and passed away in 1286 CE.
He writes:
“A person by the name of Yuhanna Al-Nahwi, known by the Muslims as Yahya, was a Coptic priest from the Jacobite sect of Christianity and later on moved away from the concept of trinity. He had requested Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas for some books of medicine from ‘Khazain-e-Malukiyyat’ [the Library of Alexandria].
“Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas responded that he would give an answer only after seeking guidance from Hazrat Umar (ra).” This is a completely made-up account, but I am relating it so that its rebuttal can also be presented. “Hazrat Umar (ra) [according to this account] wrote back, ‘If the contents of the books you have requested are in concordance with the Book of Allah, then the Book of Allah is sufficient and the books requested serve no purpose. And if the contents of the books you have asked for are contradictory to the Book of Allah, then such literature is useless to us. Thus, you should get rid of such books.’
Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas sorted these books in Alexandria and burnt them in a furnace. Over the course of six months, they were fully burned.
“This account is neither found in the history by Al-Tabari, nor in Ibn al-Athir, nor by Yaqubi and Al-Kindi, nor Ibn Abdul Hakam, nor Al-Baladhuri, nor Ibn Khaldun. This has only been cited by Abul Farj without any source, in the middle of the 13th century CE, corresponding to the beginning of the 7th century AH.
“Professor Butler has carried out research with regard to Yuhanna Nahvi and has written that he was not even alive in 642 CE, when the incident relating to the burning of the Library of Alexandria is mentioned. Encyclopaedia Britannica has written that Yuhanna lived at the end of the 5th century and the beginning of the 6th century, whereas we know that the conquest of Egypt occurred at the outset of the 7th century.
“On this basis, Professor Butler is correct to state that Yuhanna had already passed away by then. Further, the person whose reference is being given to support this fabricated incident”, even if, for argument’s sake, it is taken as true although it is false, “this individual in question passed away well before the alleged incident. Further, Dr Hassan Ibrahim Hassan, on the authority of Professor Ismail, in his book, The History of Amr bin al-Aas, writes, ‘The Library of Alexandria did not even exist at the time, because in 47 BC, the armies of Julius Caesar had, without reason, burned down one of two major parts of it. The second part of the library had also disappeared soon after. This occurred on the behest of the bishop Theophilus in the 4th century AD.’
“Professor Butler writes that the narrations of Abul Farj, from a historical standpoint, are mere conjecture and absurd. If the books really had to be burned [by the Muslims] they would have burned it at one time or in one go. If it had taken six months, then many of the books would have been stolen during this time. The Arabs were not known to let such material go to ruin. Gibbon has asserted that Islamic teachings prove contrary to this account for Islam teaches to not burn the books of Jews and Christians obtained during wartime. In terms of Islam’s stance on knowledge, philosophy, poetry, sciences and other branches of wisdom separate from religious teachings, Islam encourages to avail these. In the lands conquered by the Muslims, they never harmed the Churches and associated artefacts, and in fact allowed the non-Muslim subjects to continue practising their faith. On the basis of all of this, can logic or reason conclude that the leader of the faithful would ever have instructed the Library of Alexandria to be burnt down?”
(Sirat Umar Faruq (ra), Muhammad Raza, pp. 294-297, Maktabah Islamiyyah, 2010)