Why was alchemy banned and what impact did it have on modern European history?

Muslims have not only made outstanding contributions to the cognition and practice of science, but also spared no effort to explore the "occultism" regarded as "pseudoscience". The "mysticism" of Islam mainly includes alchemy, physiognomy and divination (such as Tubo). They are classified as "pseudoscience" because they use mysterious symbolic language. Alchemy is the most important secret. Traditional alchemy is actually a complete way of looking at things, including the world view, which is generally related to metallurgy. It also includes the understanding of the soul, which often involves psychotherapy. So alchemy was once considered as a science and a method. Alchemy is based on the theory of "harmony" and holds that the way of existence of all things is "you have me and I have you". So one thing and other things can be transformed, not only the general properties of things can be transformed, but also the nature can be changed. The so-called alchemy refers to changing the form and nature of matter in the face of a spiritual power symbolized by the philosopher's stone, but the premise of material change is the transformation of human inner spirit. On the surface, alchemy is closely related to the material world, especially minerals and metals. It can be said that the history of chemical development is inseparable from alchemy. But in essence, alchemy is neither primitive chemistry nor pure psychology. It uses the changes of minerals and metals formed in the process of alchemy to promote the transformation of human soul.

Islamic alchemy embodies a philosophy about essence, which is closely related to the general philosophy of Hermes' theosophy in ancient Greece and the special principle about the transformation of minerals and metals into gold. The theoretical basis of this essential philosophy is Aristotle's formal materialism, which holds that everything in the universe comes from four elements, four elements. The four elements are heat, cold, dryness and wetness, and the four elements are water, earth, gas and fire. Through mutual transformation, the four elements are combined into two elements, namely sulfur and record. But the sulfur and mercury mentioned here are not minerals in the usual sense, and their meanings are similar to those of Yin and Yang in China's traditional philosophy. The combination of the two has everything in the universe. For example, according to the theory of alchemy, sulfur and mercury are fused in different proportions, and under the action of some mysterious factors, various metal minerals can be produced. These four elements, the relationship between four elements and two elements.

In Islamic history, Muslim scholars have been arguing about the efficacy of alchemy for a long time, and there are different opinions. Orthodox religious scholars mostly oppose alchemy and general occultism, while most natural science scientists and doctors accept the basic view of alchemy, although they don't believe that ordinary metals can be turned into gold. Aristotelian school generally despises alchemy, while lighting school holds a positive attitude. For example, ibn sina made it clear that he did not believe that ordinary metals could be turned into gold in alchemy, but he agreed with the theory of metal composition in alchemy. The theory of metal composition in his famous book Therapeutic Book is based on the fusion theory of sulfur and mercury in alchemy.

Islamic alchemy inherited the ancient oriental alchemy tradition, mainly Hermes Theosophy centered on Alexandria and China's alchemy. The earliest alchemy of Muslims was Prince Khalid Ibn Yejid of Umayyad. At the beginning of the 8th century, alchemy was very popular, and its representative was Jabir Ibn Khayan (72 1-776), a disciple of the sixth Imam Jia Faer Sadik (699-765) of the Ten Leaves School, whose works were regarded as classics by the Ismaili School. Jaber's Seventy Books and Balance Books have always been regarded as the basic theoretical works of Islamic alchemy and the most important documents about alchemy written in Arabic. Laqi, a famous Muslim doctor and alchemist, initiated a new era of alchemy. He is regarded as the founder of developing alchemy into ancient chemistry. Laki's important contribution to chemistry lies in his classification of substances, that is, all substances are divided into three categories: minerals, plants and animals. He also described in detail many chemical changes, such as distillation, slow combustion and filtration. As a doctor, he is also interested in chemical medicine. In the history of traditional medicine, he was the first person to separate alcohol and use it in medical practice.

Alchemy is more closely related to Sufi mysticism. Sufi mysticism advocates the individual spiritual cultivation of believers, and pays special attention to alchemy with the effect of changing people's souls. Many terms used by Sufi mysticism to express this doctrine come directly from alchemy. Today, not only the language of alchemy is still popular among Sufi believers, but also alchemy activities are popular among some Sufi missionaries. In addition, the psychotherapy adopted by Sufism is also closely related to alchemy, which regards alchemy as a science about the soul.

The relationship between alchemy and Islamic art is also extraordinary Traditional and beautiful Muslim poetry and music are not only deeply influenced by Sufi mysticism, but also integrated with alchemy. This is because it is said that alchemy can influence people's soul and make it change, while the art such as poetry and music is closely related to the change of people's soul. In addition, harmony is inseparable in the plastic arts of Islamic architecture and craft products, such as calligraphy and the expression of several patterns. "Balance" and "coordination" mentioned in alchemy play a special role in color harmony, structural symmetry and symbolic significance. Therefore, if we don't understand the influence of alchemy on aesthetic ideas such as color effect and artistic modeling, we can't appreciate the mosque architecture in Timur era and the carpets and tapestries in Safavi era. Alchemy is a bridge connecting Islamic art and technology with religious spirit and symbolic significance, and it is also a key to understand the inner rhyme of Islamic art.