Islamic Collections

Subject Index   Search Announcements Feedback Restatement of History of Islam The Geography of Arabia  It is a convention of historians to begin the history of a region with its geography. They do so partly because the drama of history is played out in the "theater" of its geographical backdrop; and partly because of the factor known in geopolitics as the "determinism of geography." It has been said that not only institutions but geography, climate, and many other conditions unite to form the influences which acting through successive generations, shape up the character of individuals and nations, and character plays a vital role in shaping up their history.The Arabian peninsula is the cradle of Islam. Islam was "born" in it, and "grew up" in it, and was already "full-grown" when it came out of it. It was in the Arabian cities of Makkah and Medina that the classic Islamic identity was evolved, and Islam actually "jelled."...

Subject Index   Search Announcements Feedback Restatement of History of Islam Arabia Before Islam  In writing the history of Islam, it is customary to begin with a survey of the political, economic, social and religious conditions of Arabia on the eve of the Proclamation by Muhammad (may God bless him and his Ahlul-Bait) of his mission as Messenger of God. It is the second convention of the historians (the first being to give a geographical description of the region). I shall also abide by this convention, and will review briefly, the general conditions in Arabia in the late sixth and early seventh century A.D. Political Conditions in Arabia  The most remarkable feature of the political life of Arabia before Islam was the total absence of political organization in any form. With the exception of Yemen in the south-west, no part of the Arabian peninsula had any government at any time, and the Arabs never acknowledged any authority other than the authority of the chie...

Subject Index   Search Announcements Feedback Restatement of History of Islam Banu Hashim - Before the Birth of Islam  In the fifth century A.D. a man called Qusay, was born in the tribe of Quraysh. He won great honor and fame for his tribe by his wisdom. He rebuilt the Kaaba which was in a state of disrepair, and he ordered the Arabs to build their houses around it. He also built the "town hall" of Makkah, the first one in Arabia. The leaders of the various clans gathered in this hall to ponder upon their social, commercial, cultural and political problems. Qusay formulated laws for the supply of food and water to the pilgrims who came to Makkah, and he persuaded the Arabs to pay a tax for their support. Edward Gibbon Qusay, born about A.D. 400, the great-grandfather of Abdul-Muttalib, and consequently fifth in the ascending line from Mohammed, obtained supreme power at Mecca.  (The decline and fall of the Roman Empire) Qusay died in A.D. 480, and his son, Abd Man...

Subject Index   Search Announcements Feedback Restatement of History of Islam The Birth of Muhammad and the Early Years of his Life  Abdullah was the favorite son of Abdul Muttalib. When he was seventeen years old, he was married to Amina, a high-born lady of Yathrib, a city in the north of Makkah. He was not, however, destined to live long, and died only seven months after his marriage.Muhammad, the future apostle of God, was a posthumous child.Shaikh Muhammad el-Khidhri Buck, professor of Islamic History, Egyptian University, Cairo, says in his book,  Noor-ul­Yaqeen fi Seeret Sayyed al-Mursaleen  (1953). He (Muhammad ibn Abdullah) was born in the house of his uncle, Abu Talib, in the "quarter" of Banu Hashim in Makkah, on the 12th of Rabi al-Awal of the Year of the Elephant, a date that corresponds to June 8, 570. His midwife was the mother of Abdur Rahman ibn Auf. His mother, Amina, sent the tidings of the auspicious birth to his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib,...

Subject Index   Search Announcements Feedback Restatement of History of Islam The Marriage of Muhammad Mustafa and Khadija  Khadija, the daughter of Khuwaylid, was a resident of Makkah. She also belonged to the tribe of Quraysh. She was held in high esteem by the Makkans because of her exemplary character and her organizing ability. Just as the Makkans called Muhammad ‘Sadiq' and ‘Ameen,' they called Khadija  Tahira , which means "the pure one." She was also known among the Arabs as the ‘Princess of the Merchants.' Whenever the caravans left Makkah or returned to Makkah, they noted that her cargo was larger in volume than the cargo of all other merchants of Makkah put together.When Muhammad was 25 years old, his uncle and guardian, Abu Talib, suggested to Khadija, with his tacit understanding, that she appoint him as her agent in one of her caravans, which was ready to leave for Syria just then. Khadija was in fact in need of an agent at that very moment. Sh...

Subject Index   Search Announcements Feedback Restatement of History of Islam The birth of Ali ibn Abi Talib  Ali was born on the 13th of Rajab of the 30th year of the Elephant (A.D. 600). His cousin, Muhammad, was now 30 years old. Ali's parents were Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib, and Fatima, the daughter of Asad, both of the clan of Hashim.Ali was born inside the Kaaba in Makkah. The great historian, Masoodi, the Herodotus of the Arabs, writes on page 76 of Volume II of his book,  Murooj-udh-Dhahab  (The Golden Meadows), that one of the greatest distinctions that Ali enjoyed was that he was born in the House of Allah.Some of the other authorities who have affirmed Ali's birth in the Kaaba, are: 1.Muhammad ibn Talha el-Shafei in  Matalib-us-saool , page 11. 2.Hakim in  Mustadrak , page 483, Vol. III. 3.El-Umari in  Sharh Ainia , page 15. 4.Halabi in  Sira , page 165, Vol. I. 5.Sibt ibn al-Jauzi in  Tadhkera Khawasil Ummah , page 7. ...

Subject Index   Search Announcements Feedback Restatement of History of Islam On the Eve of the Proclamation of His Mission  Notwithstanding the fact that Arabia was a pit of iniquity and the bastion of idolatry and polytheism, Muhammad himself was never contaminated by any vice or sin, and he never bowed before any idol. Even before he formally declared that he came to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, his own conduct and character were a reflection of Qur’an –the glorious. Even his critics have not been able to point out any divergence between his conduct and the precepts of Qur’an at any time, before or after the Proclamation. After the Proclamation of his mission as the Messenger of God, he placed pagan practices and customs under proscription, but there is no evidence that before doing so, he himself ever committed a pagan act, or indeed any act repugnant to Qur’an.It appears that Qur’an, the Book of God, was etched on the heart of Muhammad from the beginning...

Subject Index   Search Announcements Feedback Restatement of History of Islam The Birth of Islam and the Proclamation by Muhammad of his Mission  When Muhammad was 40 years old, he was commanded by God, through His angel, Gabriel, to declare His Oneness to the idolaters and polytheists of the whole world, and to deliver the message of peace to an embattled humanity. In response to this command of Heaven, Muhammad launched the momentous program called Islam which was to change the destiny of mankind forever. Before the Call came to him to declare the Unity of the Creator, Muhammad was in the habit of spending much time in meditation and reflection. To be free from interference and extraneous distractions, he frequently went to a mountain cave called Hira, three miles in the north-east of Makkah, and spent the long summer days there. He was in Hira when one day the Archangel Gabriel appeared before him, and brought to him the tidings that God had chosen him to be His L...