The features of distinction in changing the Qiblah

  Islam`Abdul-TawwabThe change of the qiblah remains a distinctive event in the history of the Islamic call and in the march of building the Muslim state as well. The Messenger (peace be upon him) was eager to change the Qiblah from Al Aqsa Mosque to the House of his father Abraham (peace be upon him) in Makkah.   Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Verily, We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad's peace be upon him) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid-Al-Harâm (the sanctuary at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction. Certainly, the people who were given the Scripture (i.e. Jews and the Christians) know well that, that (your turning towards the direction of the Ka'bah at Makkah in prayers) is the truth from their Lord. And Allâh is not unaware of what they do." [Surat Al Baqarah: 144].   Thus, after ... المزيد

Ramadan in the Pre-Islamic Period and in Islam

  Muhammad `Abdul-`AzizRamadan was not known with that name in the Pre-Islamic Period like all lunar months. In the old language, the language of the Pure Arabs: `Ad, Thamûd, and others, that month was called "Tatil" which means a person who draws out water from a well or a fountain. This indicates, as Mahmoud Al Falaky says, that month was a winter month as another name indicated "Zahir". It was said that its crescent used to show up in the time of flowers' bloom according to the Arabs who used to live in deserts in the early Pre-Islamic Period and plants would not have been bloomy unless there was rain.   Then the name of the lunar months were changed at Al `Arab Al Musta`ribah [the offspring of Ismael] two hundred years before Islam. The rule according which they set up the names of months was extracted from the social and climatic conditions according to the times in which these months began. This was the suggestion of the Qurishy "Kilab ibn Murrah" who is said ... المزيد

A cry of a people whose rights are violated in his own land

  Su`ud ibn `Abdullah Al Mi`aqlyCompulsion has reached its peak when the occupation introduced, almost two years ago, a compulsory law to force Muslim girls who reached 18 years of age to leave their countries and move to be as workers in its factories. Furthermore, it created a special committee to follow-up the execution of that unjust law until the number of girls who were affected by that decision reached 50.000. Many of those who were sent to work have subjected to rape and prostitution, whereas not a few number of them preferred suicide to preserve their chastity. As for the families which refused to send their girls, they were considered as violating the law and consequently were exposed to all kinds of torture and humiliation inside prisons of which animals complain.   This is happening in countries from which celebrities, who had a great effect on the Islamic civilization, emerged such as: Al Bukhari, Muslim, Al Bayhaqy, Muhammad ibn Musa Al Khawarizmy, Abu Ar-Rayhan ... المزيد

Why Study History?

By Peter N. Stearns People live in the present. They plan for and worry about the future. History, however, is the study of the past. Given all the demands that press in from living in the present and anticipating what is yet to come, why bother with what has been? Given all the desirable and available branches of knowledge, why insist—as most American educational programs do—on a good bit of history? And why urge many students to study even more history than they are required to? Any subject of study needs justification: its advocates must explain why it is worth attention. Most widely accepted subjects—and history is certainly one of them—attract some people who simply like the information and modes of thought involved. But audiences less spontaneously drawn to the subject and more doubtful about why to bother need to know what the purpose is. Historians do not perform heart transplants, improve highway design, or arrest criminals. In a society that quite correctly ... المزيد

THE COMING OF THE WEST:

  The Western world had for centuries been gradually penetrating most of the areas that had once been part of the Muslim empire, and in the latter part of the nineteenth century, in the vacuum left by the long decay and decline of the Ottoman Empire, European powers came to dominate the Middle East.   Among the first Europeans to gain a foothold in the Middle East were the Venetians who, as early as the thirteenth century, had established trading posts in what are now Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, and who controlled much of the shipping between Arab and European ports. Then, in 1497, five years after Ferdinand and Isabella ended Islamic rule in Spain, Vasco da Gama led a fleet of four Portuguese ships around Africa and in 1498 found a new sea route to India from Europe. Dutch, British, and French frigates and merchantmen followed and began establishing trading outposts along the shores of the Indian Ocean, eventually undercutting both Venetian shipping and the Mediterranean trade ... المزيد

ISLAM IN SPAIN

By the time 'Abd al-Rahman reached Spain, the Arabs from North Africa were already entrenched on the Iberian Peninsula and had begun to write one of the most glorious chapters in Islamic history. After their forays into France were blunted by Charles Martel, the Muslims in Spain had begun to focus their whole attention on what they called al-Andalus, southern Spain (Andalusia), and to build there a civilization far superior to anything Spain had ever known. Reigning with wisdom and justice, they treated Christians and Jews with tolerance, with the result that many embraced Islam. They also improved trade and agriculture, patronized the arts, made valuable contributions to science, and established Cordoba as the most sophisticated city in Europe. By the tenth century, Cordoba could boast of a population of some 500,000, compared to about 38,000 in Paris. According to the chronicles of the day, the city had 700 mosques, some 60,000 palaces, and 70 libraries - one reportedly housing 500,000 ... المزيد