3. MUSLIM CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE

~ 145 ~ so great that none of these emperors” could live in the style of the ancient monarchs. In Islamic history there are many such instances. The following incident, which took place during the reign of Sultan Abdur Rahman II (A.D. 176-258), a powerful ruler of Muslim Spain, is an apt illustration. This Sultan had a palace built for himself called az-- Zahra, to the east of Cordova, which was of such immensity that the word palace was not adequate to describe it. This magnificent residence came to be known as al-Madinah az Zahirah (the brilliant town). But, in spite of being so powerful and living in such magnificence, the Sultan did not regard himself as being above the law. It happened once that he missed one fast in the month of Ramazan without having any excuse, which would be acceptable in terms of the shariah. He therefore assembled the ‘ulama (religious scholars) of Cordova, and told them of his lapse. He asked them to pronounce a religious verdict, which would enable him to atone for it. Al-Maqqari writes that one of the religious scholars present was Imam Yahya, who promptly decreed