FROM MANUSCRIPTS TO ALGORITHMS: TRACING THE ISLAMIC ROOTS OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSMISSION IN THE EVOLUTION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

The dominant narrative in the history of Information Technology (IT) tends to center on Western contributions following the Enlightenment and the digital revolution of the 20th century. This perspective often overlooks broader historical processes, including the crucial contributions of Islamic civilization, which developed sophisticated knowledge infrastructures long before the modern era. This article seeks to trace the roots of information systems through a historical-conceptual lens, focusing on the intellectual legacy of the Islamic world and its transmission of knowledge to medieval Europe. Employing a qualitative historical approach and conceptual analysis, the study examines institutions such as the Bayt al-Hikmah, the works of scholars like Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina, and Al-Farabi, as well as the knowledge translation routes from Islamic Spain to Europe's intellectual centers. The findings reveal that algorithmic structures, formal logic, and scientific classification in the Islamic tradition functionally align with core concepts of modern information systems, including data processing, database systems, and computational logic. Furthermore, the model of knowledge transmission through manuscript translation can be understood as an early form of cross-cultural information distribution networks and data repositories. This study underscores that information technology did not emerge in a vacuum but is the result of accumulated knowledge across civilizations, recognizing Islam’s contributions to the history of IT is not only historiographically important but also strategic in constructing more inclusive, ethical, and globally rooted information systems.