Editing Early Islamic philosophy (section)

===Humanism===
Many medieval Muslim thinkers pursued [[humanistic]], [[Rationalism|rational]] and scientific [[discourse]]s in their search for knowledge, meaning and [[Value (personal and cultural)|values]]. A wide range of Islamic writings on love [[poetry]], history and [[philosophical theology]] show that medieval Islamic thought was open to the humanistic ideas of [[individualism]], occasional [[secularism]], [[skepticism]] and [[liberalism]].<ref name="Goodman"/>

Another reason the Islamic world flourished during the Middle Ages was an early emphasis on [[freedom of speech]], as summarized by al-Hashimi (a cousin of Caliph [[al-Ma'mun]]) in the following letter to one of the religious opponents he was attempting to [[Religious conversion|convert]] through [[reason]]:<ref>{{citation|first=I. A. |last=Ahmad |contribution=The Rise and Fall of Islamic Science: The Calendar as a Case Study |title=Faith and Reason: Convergence and Complementarity |publisher=[[Al-Akhawayn University]] |date=June 3, 2002 |url=http://images.agustianwar.multiply.com/attachment/0/RxbYbQoKCr4AAD@kzFY1/IslamicCalendar-A-Case-Study.pdf |access-date=2008-01-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227095928/http://images.agustianwar.multiply.com/attachment/0/RxbYbQoKCr4AAD%40kzFY1/IslamicCalendar-A-Case-Study.pdf |archive-date=February 27, 2008 }}</ref>

{{blockquote|"Bring forward all the arguments you wish and say whatever you please and speak your mind freely. Now that you are safe and free to say whatever you please appoint some arbitrator who will impartially judge between us and lean only towards the truth and be free from the empery of passion, and that arbitrator shall be [[Reason]], whereby God makes us responsible for our own rewards and punishments. Herein I have dealt justly with you and have given you full security and am ready to accept whatever decision Reason may give for me or against me. For "There is no compulsion in religion" ({{qref|2|256|b=y}}) and I have only invited you to accept our faith willingly and of your own accord and have pointed out the hideousness of your present belief. Peace be with you and the blessings of God!"}}

Certain aspects of [[Renaissance humanism]] has its roots in the [[Islamic Golden Age|medieval Islamic world]], including the "art of ''[[Dictation (exercise)|dictation]]'', called in Latin, ''[[ars dictaminis]]'',"
and "the humanist attitude toward [[classical language]]."<ref>{{citation|last=Makdisi|first=George|title=Scholasticism and Humanism in Classical Islam and the Christian West|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=109|issue=2|date=April–June 1989|pages=175–182|doi=10.2307/604423|jstor=604423|publisher=Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 109, No. 2}}</ref>