Posts

Showing posts from August, 2023

The Condemnation of Various types of Shirk

 Imam Ahmad (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Muhammad bin Ja'far narrated from  Auf, from Haiyan bin Al- `Ala', from Qatan bin Qabisah, from his father that he heard the  Prophet (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) say:  "Verily, Al-'lyafah (letting birds fly to foretell events) and At-Tarq (drawing lines on earth to  predict events) and At-Tiyarah (taking sight on some object as a bad omen) are Al-Jibt (sorceries/magic)."  `Auf (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "Al-'lyafah is letting a bird's flight foretell events  while At-Tarq is drawing line on earth." Hasan Basri (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "AlJibt is the scream of Satan (devil)." The above Hadith has been narrated through good chain of  narrators and collected by Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Hibban.  Abu Dawud reported in his book with Sahih lsnad that Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with  him) narrated that Allah's Messenger (P.B.UH) ...

THE LAST WORDS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW)

 THE LAST WORDS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW) 1-The curse of Allah falls upon Jews and christians for they have made their prophets graves places of worship.       (Sahih Al bukhari 1/62, muatta imam malik p. 360) 2- Do not make my grave a worshipped idol.  (Muatta imam malik p. 65) 3-He who I have ever lashed his back, I offer him my back so that he may avenge himself on me. He whom I  have ever insulted his honor. Here I am offering my honor so that he may avenge himself. 4- I admonish you to to be good to the helpers( Al Ansar). They are my family and with them I found shelter. They have acquitted themselves credibly of the responsibility fell upon them and now there remains what you have to do. You should fully acknowledge and appreciate the favor that they have shown. And should over look their faults. 5-The number and of believers will increase but the numbers of helpers will decrease to the extent that they would be among men as salt in the food, so...

AHADEES CONFORMING TO THE ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN AN IDEAL ISLAMIC SOCIETY.

 AHADEES CONFORMING TO THE ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN AN IDEAL ISLAMIC SOCIETY. PROPHET MOHAMMAD(SAW) SAID: 1-"O you people! Extend the greeting of peace among yourselves, provide food to the needy, maintain the ties and of kinship, observe prayer at night while people are asleep, then you will peacefully enter the garden of paradise".  Narrated by at tirmidhi, Ibn majah and ad darimi; Mishkatul- Masabih 1/168 2-"He will not enter paradise , whose neighbor is not secure from his wrongful conduct" Narrated by Muslim; Mishkatul- Masabih 2/422 3-"The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the muslims are safe". Sahih Al bukhari 1/6   4- "None of you believes(truly) till one likes for his brother that which he loves for himself". Ibid 1/6 5-"The believers in their mutual love, are like the human body, where when the eye is in agony the entire body feels the pain, when the head aches, all the body will suffer". Narrated by Muslim, mi...

LEGACY OF MUSLIM RULE IN INDIA

Image
 LEGACY OF MUSLIM RULE IN INDIA 1) PRICE CONTROL MARKET SYSTEM- The economic regulation issued by the sultan for controlling markets were as under  a) rate fixed of food grains, horses, cattles , slaves.  b) Without state permission there was no any criteria to change the fixed price.  c) Four separate markets were established for various commodities. 1) central grain market  2)market for manufacturing goods. 3) market for general merchandise. 4) market for horses , cattles, slaves. each market was put under the ‘shahna’ or the controller of the market. Sultan received daily report of the market from 3 independent sources such as shahna, barids(intelligence officer)and munshi secret spies. for cheating and any kind of corruption punishment was there . state could subsidize the cost but only could sale by permit officer appointed by the state called parvana navis. 2) ARCHITECTURE-  The Turks use archs and dome in their buildings on a wide scale while the dom...

NEHR E ZUBAIDA ( River Zubaida)

Image
 NEHR E ZUBAIDA ( River Zubaida) Zubaida was the wife of Abbasid caliph Haroon Al rashid (809 AD) . she was a very pious woman. once she came as a pilgrim of haj at mecca. she found there a difficulty of availability of water for pilgrims. she then thought to solve that problem. When she was being married to Haroon Al rashid , she demanded a digging of canal from baghdad to mecca in haq mehr. Haroon accepted it. then a canal was dug from 35 km of mecca from wadi hunain  and another canal  was dug from jawwal kura from wadi nauman . There  was a pond 12 km from maidan e arafat named behr e zubaida in which rain water was being collected, then a canal was also dug from there into the river . it took 1700000 dinar in expenditure. when this record of expenditure was brought to zubaida , she threw  it in river farat and said " I left this expenditure for youm e qayamat"

HAZRAT AMEER MUAWIYAH (R.A.)

Image
 HAZRAT AMEER MUAWIYAH (R.A.) Hazrat Ameer Muawiyah (RA) was one of the companion of Prophet Mohammad (saw). he was the  brother of hazrat Umme Habiba (RA)  ( wife of prophet Mohammad (saw) ) . he served as a compiler of Quran for prophet mohammad(saw). he was among those group of companions(RA) who were appointed as compilers of quran. His sphere of wellness include fiqh, Ijtehad, ,khutbat, tehreer . He also served as a receiver of guests of prophet Mohammad(saw). he has narrated 163 hadiths.  During the caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) he fought against false prophets. During the caliphate of Hazrat omar (RA) he fought in battle of yarmouk and served as a governer of syria. During the caliphate of Hazrat Usman (RA)  he commanded first navy of Islam in syria against roman and conquered area of qabrus. this army include Hazrat ayyub ansari(RA), Hazrat Abu darda(RA), and Hazrat Abuzer ghaffari( RA). when he became caliph he led an expedition to constantinopole i...

HAZRAT KHALID BIN WALID (RA)

Image
 HAZRAT KHALID BIN WALID (RA)  Hazrat khalid bin walid (RA) was one of the companions of Prophet Mohammad(SAW). He was the son of Al walid bin mughirah ( a staunch enemy of islam) . He commanded the meccans polytheists  army in battle of uhud. He was managed to rout the muslims from the battlefield up onto the slopes of uhud. During the period of treaty of Hudaibiyah Hazrat Khalid bin walid(RA) left mecca and joined Prophet Mohammad(SAW) in medina and embraced Islam.  Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) appointed him as as the commander of the army to be sent to crush the apostates(false prophets). He was well known throughout Arabia peninsula. He had not lost a single battle he had fought in, both before and after conversion to Islam. His familiarity with desert warfare and mastery of cavalry made him the obvious  choice to lead the expedition. After successfully defending medina from any possible attacks by the rebels . He led the army eastward to where numerous rebelling tr...

TARIQ BIN ZIYAD

Image
 TARIQ BIN ZIYAD Musa ibn Nusayr, the Umayyad governor of Maghreb sent a force under the command of Tariq bin ziyad , a berber convert to islam , who in early 711 AD landed near a giant monolithic promontory on the south shore of spain. He established his camp near the mountain, which became known as jabal tariq ( the mountain of Tariq ) , anglicized as gibralter . From this base, Tariq led raiding parties throughout the south of spain, which proved to be generally successful – especially since rhoderic and the main bulk of the visigothic army was in the north of the peninsula dealing with a Basque rebellion. By the time Rhoderic was able to march his army south to meet the Muslim forces in the summer of 711 , Tariq had managed to bring over an army have numbers around 10000 soldiers from Muslim north Africa. As the decisive Battle of guadalete, tariq’s army crushed the amassed forces of rhoderic. Tariq advanced to take Roderic’s old capital city of Toledo within a few months of th...

SALAHUDDIN AYYUBI

Image
 SALAHUDDIN AYYUBI Salah ud din seems to have relatively disinterested in politics and warfare. Raised in Damascus, he studied traditional Islamic sciences under some of the greatest scholars of his era. He was staunchly sunni, following the shafi’i school of fiqh and the Asha’ari school of theology. It even seems he was more interested in a life of scholarship and religious studies than government, but his uncle’s insistence that he accompany and the egyption expedition altered the destiny of the young salahuddin. when he inherits his uncle’s position as vizier of Egypt in 1169, his religious leanings greatly influenced his policies. Nur ud din zengi died in 1174 from disease, and salahuddin was able to march into Syria unopposed with broad public support. The crusader kingdom of Jerusalam was now surrounded by a powerful, united muslim state under a ruler who believed it was his religious duty to liberate the city of jerusalam. Reynold the chatilon, who had broken numerous pea...

FATAWA E ALAMGIRI GUIDEBOOK

Image
 FATAWA E ALAMGIRI GUIDEBOOK Alamgir chartered a path back to traditional Islam. His rule was characterized by his personal piety and sponsorship of Islamic knowledge. He was famously disagreed with his father Shah Jahan’s construction of Taj mahal , he saw it as wasteful and against the spirit of what Prophet Mohammad (saw) had preached. He also felt that a comprehensive guide for Islamic law tailored to the needs of Muslims was needed, and this brought together hundreds of scholars of Islamic law to work out a solution, The result was the monumental Fatawa e Alamgiri (The Religious decrees of Alamgir) , a collection of religious decrees based on the Hanafi school of Islamic law, which he used as the official legal code for the empire. Hearkening back to that first Muslim state in Medina, Alamgir thus established Islamic shari’ah as the law of ruling land. This ended up increasing his popularity with his subjects, as previously established taxes not in line with Islamic law w...

SHAH WALIULLAH MUHADDITH DEHLAWI (1703-1762)

Image
 SHAH WALIULLAH MUHADDITH DEHLAWI (1703-1762) Shah waliullah was a scholar of Islam who feared the disunity of ummah would lead to breakdown of traditional society. His focus was on the social aspects of the shari’ah and how it was necessary to prevent the complete collapse of Islam in the subcontinent. He advocated for the revival of Islamic tradition. He advocated a broad unity, bringing together various traditions, ethnicities, and ideas under the banner of Islam to at least slow down the decline of Islamic political power. The Islamically oriented social philosophy of Shah waliullah played a huge intellectual role in the Indian subcontinent. It was called upon in opposition to the increasing westernization. Reference: Lost Islamic History - Firas Al Khateeb

SHEIKH-UL-ISLAM MUHAMMAD BIN ABDUL WAHHAB A RENOWNED REVIVER AND A GREAT REFORMER

Image
 SHEIKH-UL-ISLAM MUHAMMAD BIN ABDUL WAHHAB A RENOWNED REVIVER AND A GREAT REFORMER His Birth and Lineage: Sheikh-ul-Islam, Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab, was born in 1115 H. in the city of Uyainah, seventy kilometers northwest of Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He belonged to a highly respectable and scholarly family; Education: Sheikh-ul-Islam acquired his primary education from his esteemed father at his native place and was nurtured under his guidance. He was intelligent enough to memorize the Qur'an by heart at the very tender age of ten only. He read the books on Tafseer (exegesis), Hadith and Fiqh. From the very outset, he was greatly interested in studying the works of early scholars, particularly those of Sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taimiyah and his noble disciple Allamah Ibn Qaiyim. Condition of Najd: In those days, the people of Najd were badly indulged in polytheistic deeds and un-Islamic practices. They were completely overwhelmed with polytheism. The graves, tr...

THE CALIPHATE OF HAZRAT UMAR (RA)

Image
 THE CALIPHATE OF HAZRAT UMAR (RA) The Caliphate of Hazrat Umar (RA) is a role model of leadership for world. Hazrat Umar(RA)’s simplicity, his sacrifices for the sake of benefit of his public is a precedent in mankind history.  The superpowers of that time (Byzantine empire and Sassanid empire ) were under his feet. But his clothes were full of patches.  He walked among people as an ordinary man. He never took any special privilege for him or for his family as a caliph. He used to sleep on mat. When Delegates and Dignitaries  of other areas came to meet him, they became surprised after seeing him. They used to question among themselves, He is caliph? Where are his guards? Where are his servants? When he was entering Jerusalam with his subjects, The people of Jerusalam were asking among themselves, Who is the caliph among them? Once a Famine struck his caliphate, which resulted in huge scarcity of food, Then he promised himself not to drink milk and oil and only to e...

NIZAM UL MULK (VIZIER OF SELJUQ SULTAN MALIK SHAH)

Image
 NIZAM UL MULK (VIZIER OF SELJUQ SULTAN MALIK SHAH) Malik shah was a great diplomat and a highly capable man. But his great system of rule was under a man who was more capable than him and was on a high position in his government. His name was Nizam ul Mulk. He is considered as a great visionary in history.  He was a highly religious man. The witness of his religious leaning was his memorization of quran at the age of 12 years. His system of government was highly organized and prospered which remain under him till 30 years. He was a great scholar of law and science. He patronized Omar Khayyam in study of astronomy. He also established a madarsa named “shohrah e afaaq” in Baghdad. From the orders of Malik shah he wrote “siyasat nama” in which he emphasized on representation of Allah in governing matters of state, thus the ruler is liable to Allah in every action. This book was adopted as an official code of conduct of his government by sultan Malik shah. In this book he said th...

Prophet Mohammad's(SAW) Sermon at Farewell Pilgrimage

 KHUTBA  E HAJJATUL VIDA PROPHET MOHAMMAD(SAW) SAID: 1-"Behold! All practices of paganism and ignorance are under my feet. The blood revenge of  the days of ignorance(pre Islamic culture) is remitted. Usury is forbidden". 2-" o people fear Allah concerning women. Verily you have taken them on the security of Allah, and have made their persons  lawful unto you by words of allah! It is incumbent upon them to honour their conjugal rights and not to commit  acts of  impropriety, which, if they do, you have the authority to chastise  them , yet not severily. If your wives refrain from impropriety and are faithful to you, clothe and feed them suitably". 3-"verily, I have left Among you the book of Allah, if you hold fast to it, you shall never go astray". 4-" o people, I am not succeeded by a prophet and you are not succeeded by any nation. So I recommend you to worship to Lord , to pray the five prayers, to fast  Ramadan and to offer the zakat (poor du...

THE CHARACTER OF PROPHET MOHAMMAD (SAW)

 THE CHARACTER OF PROPHET MOHAMMAD (SAW) The prophet (saw) was noted for superb eloquence and fluency in Arabic. He was remarkable in in position and rank. He was an accurate. Unpretending straightforward speaker. He was well versed in Arabic and quite familiar with the dialects and accents of every tribe. He spoke with his guests using their own accents and dialects. He mastered and was quite eloquent at both Bedouin language as well as the clarity and the decorated splendid speech of the town’s people. Above all , there was the help of Allah embodied in the revealed Verses of the Quran. His stamina, endurance and forgiveness, while he was in a commanding position: his patience and firmness in unfavorable conditions, Were all talents. Attributes and qualities Allah Himself had given him. Even wise men have their shortcomings , but Allah’s Messenger(saw) unlike everybody, the more he was hurt or injured, the more gentle and patient he became. The more rudeness and ignorance anybod...

TWO CAUSES OF RENAISSANCE IN EUROPE

Image
 TWO CAUSES OF RENAISSANCE IN EUROPE 1) Impact of the Crusades- The crusades or the wars between the Christians and Muslims which were fought between 10th and 14th century and which ultimately results in the victory of the Muslims also provided an impetus to Renaissance. As a result of the Crusades the Western scholars came in contact with the East which was more civilized and polished than the Christians. A number of Western scholars went to the universities of Cairo, Kufa and Cordova etc and learnt many new ideas, which they subsequently spread in Europe. 2) Fall of Constantinople- The fall of Constantinople, in the hands of the Muslims in 1453 AD provided an indirect impetus to renaissance. A large numbers of Greek and Roman scholars who were working in the Libraries at Constantinople, fled to different parts of Europe with valuable literature. They began teaching Greek and Latin in various European countries. As passionate admirers of classical writers they searched for lost ma...

BATTLES FOUGHT BY PROPHET MOHAMMAD(SAW) AND HIS COMPANIONS(RA)

 BATTLES FOUGHT BY PROPHET MOHAMMAD(SAW) AND HIS COMPANIONS(RA) 1)Battle of Badr 2) Battle of Uhud 3) Battle of Al Ahzab 4) Battle of Banu Quraizah 5 Battle of Bani Al Mustaliq 6) Battle of Ghabah 7) Battle of Khaibar 8) Battle of Mu’tah 9) Battle of Hunain 10) Battle of Tabuk Reference: Ar Raheeq Al Makhtum- Safi ur Rehman Mubarakpuri

IBN KHALDUN’S THEORY OF RISE AND FALL OF A STATE

Image
 IBN KHALDUN’S THEORY OF RISE AND FALL OF A STATE According to the fourteenth century historian and philosopher Ibn Khaldun, dynasties have a natural lifespan. The early years of a dynasty are characterized by expansive growth, a “desert toughness”, an ethos of hard work and little desire for worldly luxuries. The second generation of the dynasty continues in the legacy of the founders, but growth slows as leaders begin to place more emphasis on the luxuries of urban palace life than on administration and leadership. By the third generation, the decay of the dynasty is complete as the leaders and viziers are so consumed by luxury and pleasure that the state cannot protect itself from internal or external threats due to the negligence of the rulers. At that point, the cycle begins all over again as a new dynasty rises to replace the old, decrepit one Reference: Lost Islamic History- Firas Al Khateeb

IBN BATTUTA’S ARRIVAL IN CHINA (A GREAT EXAMPLE OF ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD IN MIDDLE AGE)

Image
 IBN BATTUTA’S ARRIVAL IN CHINA (A GREAT EXAMPLE OF ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD IN MIDDLE AGE) The journey of the Muslim traveler was facilitated by that brotherhood of Islam which gives to the Muslim world its cosmopolitan character and enables community of faith of wipe out all differences of race, origin, nationality and language. However, many hundreds of miles the muslim might journey from his native town, he could confidently hope for a welcome and generous hospitality at the hands of his co- religious brothers, especially if he had a reputation for piety or religious knowledge, and he might even chance to come across a fellow townsman.  Ibn Battuta, an energetic traveler of the 14th century, tells us how on his arrival in a town in China, which he calls Kanjanfu, the Muslim merchants there came out to receive him with flags and a band of musicians with trumpets, drums and horns, bringing horses for him and his party ,so that they rode into the city in a triumphal procession. Th...

PROLIFERATION OF ISLAM THROUGH TRADE AND COMMERCE

 PROLIFERATION OF ISLAM THROUGH TRADE AND COMMERCE  In Islamic society, The merchant enjoys respect and consideration that is closely connected with the origin of this faith, for Prophet Mohammad (saw) the messenger of Islam, who had himself been a merchant, and this conferred upon the profession of the trader an elevation and a dignity which has gained for him an entrance onto the highest society, several sayings traditionally ascribed to the prophet(saw) assigned an honorable position to the merchant on the Muslin hierarchy . for example, ‘ on the day of judgement an honest truthful Muslim merchant will take rank with the martyrs of the faith’, and on another tradition the prophet(saw) says that ‘the truthful merchant will sit under the shadow of the throne of God on the Day of judgement’. The Prophet(saw) commends the merchants to his successors for ‘ they are the couriers of the world and the trusty servants of god upon earth.’ The greatest of early khalifas, Umar farooq(R...

THE TRANSLATION MOVEMENT (786-833 AD)

Image
 THE TRANSLATION MOVEMENT (786-833 AD) With the patronage of Abbasid Caliph Harun al Rashid , an academy called ‘Baitul Hikma’ was  established. In this academy, Scholars from all over the world were invited to teach and assist the Muslim academics and to help them in the translation of the Greek, Latin, Persian and Sanskrit works into Arabic. The muslims took help of Jacobites, Nestorians , Christians, jews, Greeks, Persians and Indians in the translation of forgotten literature produced by Greeks and Roman scholars. Abbasid Caliph Al Mamun, who ascended the throne in 813 AD, gave great support to Scholars. He favoured the Nestorians, Christians and Jews of his kingdom, who till then were the custodians of Greek sciences . He collected at great expense Greek works and constituted a library. The learned scholars of his court translated the works of Euclid, Archimedes and Aristotle. Ptolemy’s Almagast and his treatise of geography were also translated onto Arabic. Thus, Muslims...

MUGHAL’S CONTRIBUTION IN ART AND CRAFT

Image
 MUGHAL’S CONTRIBUTION IN ART AND CRAFT   1) PAINTINGS- The golden period of paintings was the Mughal era. The Mughal style of paintings is also known as Agra style style of paintings. Miniature paintings were brought to India by the Mughals who were assisted by the Persians, It was started by Humayun. These paintings depict the events and lifestyles of the Mughals. Humayun appointed Persian artists Mir Syed Ali and Khwaja Abdus samad to his court. The Mughal period during the Emperor Jahangir is known as the Golden Era of arts and paintings. The gallery of Agra was built by Jahangir 2) CARPET- Agra in Uttar Pradesh was the First carpet centre in the Mughal India. The carpets of Uttar Pradesh come with hand imprinted or hand carved borders in rose beige, honey, ivory and Iraq green colour. 3) CHIKANKARI- This work came onto existence by Empress Nur Jahan wife of Emperor Jahangir. This delicate art of embroidery and is derived from the Persian word ‘chikan’ meaning cloth w...

CITIES FOUNDED DURING SULTANATE AND MUGHAL PERIOD

Image
 CITIES FOUNDED DURING SULTANATE AND MUGHAL PERIOD 1) Agra- It was founded in the year 1504 AD by Sikandar Lodi. 2) Firozabad- It was founded by Firoz shah Mansabdar in 1566 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. 3) Allahabad- In 1575 AD, Emperor Akbar founded the city by the name of ‘Ilahabad’ which later became ‘Allahabad’. 4) Shahjahanpur- It was established by advisor of Mughal Emperor Shahjahan, namely ,Dilir khan and Bahadur khan. 5) Sultanpur- It was founded by Sultan Alauddin Khalji. 6) Farrukhabad- It was founded by Mohammad khan Bangesh in 1714. It is named after Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar. 7) Jaunpur- It was established in 1359 by the sultan of Delhi, Feroz Shah Tughluq and named in memory of his cousin Muhammad bin Tughluq . 8) Muzaffarnagar- It was founded in 1633 by the son of a Mughal Commander Sayyid Muzaffar khan during the reign of Shah Jahan. Reference : Know your State UP- Arihant

REFORMS DONE BY ALAMGIR(R.AH.)

Image
 REFORMS DONE BY ALAMGIR(R.AH.) 1) Celebrating ‘Nauroz’ (pre Islamic Persian  festival) was prohibited. 2) He forbade inscribing ‘kalma’ on coins 3) Old Mosques were repaired. Imams and Muazzins were paid by      state. 4) Muhtasib was appointed to enforce sharia. 5) ‘Tuladan’ or weighing of emperor against gold and silver on       birthday of emperor was stopped. 6) The practice of ‘Jharokha Darshan’(balcony appearance of       emperor) was discontinued as it was contrary to Islam. 7) The court musicians were prohibited to perform their art before      emperor. Reference: AMU history department notes

MOVEMENT FOR PAN ISLAMIC UNITY (1877-1909)

Image
 MOVEMENT FOR PAN ISLAMIC UNITY (1877-1909) Abdul Hamid was probably one of the most well prepared sultans the Ottoman Empire had in centuries. He shunned the luxury of the new, expensive palaces along the Bosphorus in favor of more humble accommodation at the smaller and more remote Yildiz palace. Abdul Hamid brought back another forgotten aspect of the Ottoman dynasty: the Caliphate. To Abdul Hamid, however, his position as the inheritor of the office that started with Abu Bakr(RA) was of utmost importance. It was especially significant because with the loss of so much Christian Balkan territory, the Ottoman Empire was now a Muslim- majority state. The Turks, Arabs, Albanians and other Muslim groups within the empire were joined by Muslim refugees who were expelled by Christian powers in Europe. Getting his subjects to unify around their Islamic identity and allegiance to the caliphate was easier than the invented identity Ottomanism promoted. Furthermore with so many Muslims li...

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

Image
 ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE  The Muslims used archs and dome in their buildings on a wide scale while the dome provided a pleasant skyline. The union architectural device called corbelling or trabeate in building the method of putting one stone over the other projecting invertly till the  gap is narrowed and covered. The sultanate buildings were limited to a)Calligraphy b)geometry c) fabrication. Calligraphy was most decorative part during the period. The most dominated form in the sultanate buildings is called arabesque. Muslim architecture possess four distinctive features viz pronounced dome like an invested bell; long slender turrents at corners; palace hills supported pillars; and distinct gate which takes the form of a huge semi dome sunk in the front wall and bearing an admirable proportion to the building, while the actual entrance is small rectangular, opening under this arch. Notable building which was planned by Qutb ud din Aibak was Qutab Minar which was intended to...

Medieval Literature of India

Image
  Medieval Literature of India  With the establishment of the Slave dynasty Persian language received special patronage. Qutb-ud-din popular for his liberal patronage to scholars and earned the title of Lakh Bakhash on account of his liberal patronage. Altutmish was also a great patron of poets and scholars and a number of literary figures adorned his court. The Prominent scholars which lived at his court or enjoyed his patronage include Khwaja Abu Nasr, Abu Bakr bin Muhammad Ruhani of Samarqand, Taj ud Davir, Nur ud din Muhammad Awfi etc. Nasir ud din Mahmud Shah was another patron of literary figures. Some of the prominent literary figures which flourished during his times were Fakhr ud din Nunki, Mihaj ud din Siraj (the famous historian) who wrote Tabaqat i Nasiri.  Alauddin Khalji patronized Khwaja Najm ud dun Hassan, popularly known for as Mir hasan Dihlvi, a prominent Persian poet. He is known for his lucid and charming Persian ghazals and is regarded as Sadi of Hin...

PROVINCIAL MUSLIM KINGDOMS

Image
 PROVINCIAL MUSLIM KINGDOMS 1) GUJARAT KINGDOM-Sultan Ahmad shah paid attention to the reorganisation of administration and is known as one of the successful rulers in history of the kingdom. He is known for his justice liberality  and munificence.He was a great patron of buildings and build a modern city of ahmedabad on the left bank of river sabarmati and shifted his capital there.The  author of Mirat i sikandary face high tribute to the qualities of sultan Mahmud shah and records "he added glory and lustre to the kingdom of Gujarat and was the best of all the Gujarat kings including all who preceded and all who succeeded him and wheather for abounding justice and generosity,, for soundness of judgement like in Boyhood in menhood and old age,  for power for valour and victory he was a pattern of excellence". 2) MALWA KINGDOM-Hushang shah built a new capital at mandu and adore with many beautiful buildings. Mahmud khilji constructed 7 story tower at mandu .Mehmood k...

PROMINENT SUFI MOVEMENTS

Image
 PROMINENT SUFI MOVEMENTS 1)THE NAQSHBANDIS MOVEMENT The naqshbandi also rendered great service to the cause of the revivalist in india during the times of babur. They suffered a temporary set back during the times of Humayun, who was devoted to the shattaris. however they retrieved their lost position during the early part of akbar and by the end of akbar the naqshbandi school had get considerable importance and became popular with nobles of akbar court as well as ladies of the haram. The greatest contribution of naqshbandi school was that it tried to purge all sufistic disciplines of all such beliefs and practices which was not sanction by islam for which were actually repugnant to the spirit of islam. the new system ban on holding of pantheistic beliefs and listening to music for attainment of ecstasy. it also forbade keeping of long vigils, the loud and prolonged repetition of certain religious formulas, practice of making vows and offerings in the name of saints for achi...

SIRAJ UD DAULA (NAWAB OF BENGAL)

Image
 SIRAJ UD DAULA  (NAWAB OF BENGAL) Ali wardi Khan was succeeded by his grandson sirajuddaula the son of Ali wardi's youngest daughter. Siraj inherited many troubles from his grandfather he had a rival in his cousin, shaukat jung,  the nawab of purnea, a hostile aunt, Ghasiti Begum, a childless widow ,a rebellious commander of the army, Mir jafar.  Omi Chand, Rai Vallabh , Rai durlabh or others who were a opposed to him.  he defeated shaukat Jung and killed him in battle , divested the Ghasiti Begum of  treasures and secured her and dismissed mir jaffer appointing mir madan in his place. The English fortified Kolkata without the nawabs permission.  the company on its part suspected that Siraj would drastically reduce its trade privileges in collusion with French in Bengal. thus when Siraj attacked and cease the English fort at Kolkata it brought their hostility into open.The arrival of a strong force under the command of Robert Clive at Calcutta from Ma...

Banu Umayyah

Image
 BANU UMAYYAH Banu Umayyah was a great and respectable clan of Quraish. Kaaba's  administrator. how to run a system, these people were well known. Seeing this ability, Hazrat Umar (RA) told Hazrat Abu Sufyan (RA) to send  his son Hazrat Yazid bin Abu Sufyan (RA) to conquer Syria. And after his demise appointed his brother Hazrat Muawiya bin Abu sufyan(RA) as a governor of Syria. Because Umar (Radi Allahu Taala Anhu) had foresight their capabilities within these people. If there is a question about the intentions of bano Umayyah, then there is a question on Umar RA. Hazrat  Abu Sufyan Radiyallahu Anhu had spent all his trading (trading) earnings in the battle of Yarmouk and the battle of Qadsiyya. Hazrat Muawiya (RA)  after becoming the governor of Syria  made it  from a simple suba (province) with a political and economic (economic) zone. Hence Hazrat Umar's decision was proved to be correct. Having been a governor for 20 years, he had strengthen himse...

EQUALITY AND BROTHERHOOD IN ISLAM

 EQUALITY AND BROTHERHOOD IN ISLAM In the light of Allah's statement, "Innamal Mominin Ikhwa" (All believers are brothers), the rights and responsibilities of all Muslims are equal. Qur'an al-Hakim in many places described that the favour of Prophet Mohammed(saw) for every Ummati is equal and there is no distinction of color or race and country in your(saw) Favour. "Muhammad,( may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the Messenger of Allah, and there is nothing else except it." (Quran al-Hakim). It has been explained with even more force - "Muhammad (pbuh) is not the father of any man among you, but you are the Messenger of Allah and the one who will finish the chain of Prophethood" (Qur'an al-Hakim). Your(saw) character and attributes cannot be taken in origin restrictions. The greatest fortune of your (Saw) movement is that you are the Prophet (Saw) and all the rest are Ummah. All individuals of the Ummah have equal rights due to the s...

PROMINENT ISLAMIC MOVEMENTS

Image
 PROMINENT ISLAMIC MOVEMENTS- 1)Wahabi Movement- the teachings of Ibn Abdul Wahab of Arabia and the preaching of Shah waliullah 1702 to 1763 inspired this as a essentially revivalist response to Western influences. the degeneration which had set in among Indian Muslims and called for a return to the true spirit of Islam. He was the first Muslim leader of 18th century, to organise the Muslims of India into two folds ideals of this movement(i) desirability of harmony among four schools of jurisprudence(which divided the Indian Muslims) (ii)recognition of the role of an individual in conscience in religion where conflicting interpretations are derive from Quran and Hadis. Teachings of valiullah further popularised by Syed Ahmed Barelvi and Shah Abdul Aziz who also gave them a political perspective. 2) Titu Mir's Movement - Mir nithar Ali popularly known as titu mir was a disciple of Syed Ahmed Bareillvy. Titu Mir adopted wahabism and advocated Sharia.  3) Faraizi movement- ...

WIVES OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW)

Image
 WIVES OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW) 1. Khadija bint Khuwailid(RA) - In Makka prior to hijra the prophets household comprised of him and his wife Khadija(RA).  he was 25 and she was 40 when they got married she was the first woman he married she was the only wife he had until she died he had sons and daughters with her none of their sons lived long.  the daughters were Zainab, umm  kulsum and Fatima. Zainab(RA) was married to her maternal cousin Abul as bin alrabi (RA) and that was before Al hijra. Ruqaiyah and Umm Kulthum (RA) both married to Usman vin Affan (RA)  successively. ( he married one after the death of her sister). Fatima(RA)  was married to Ali bin Abi Talib(RA) and that was in the period between the battles of badrr and uhud . The sons and  daughters that Fatema and Ali had were Al Hasan, Al Hussain, Zainab and Umm Kulthum (RA). it is well known that the prophet(RA) was exceptionally authorised to have more than four wives  for various r...