what had caused the islamic world to technologically lag behind

Internal instability.

>>1679272
Most of the contributions during the Islamic Golden Age came from Persians from Greater Khorasan area of Greater Iran (e.g., Avicenna, Al-Khwarizmi, Rhazes, Al-Farabi, Khayyam, etc. all came from this area). When the Mongols invaded, it was like a reign of terror in Greater Khorasan. Approximately ten million people died.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_conquest_of_Khwarezmia

There was about 280 years of instability in war-torn Greater Iran. When the Safavid Empire were able to reassert Persian ethos, more energy was invested in creating a better defensive military rather than the sciences.

>>1679272
Mongols. Mongols ruin everything.

>>1679272
the west used religion to perpetuate slavery amongst the peasentry through which barbarian kingdoms arose whilst the east became a unified theocracy thus full retard status was achieved

1. Mongol Invasions
2. A shift in thought from new discoveries, to the old ways are best
3. Western alternate trade routes causing the silk road to lose dominance and thus the Islamic world to become poor

It's actually quite simple to sum up, but most people prefer HURR ISLAM