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Remembering The Greatest British Muslims

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Over the course of time, many Muslim reverts have done a lot to help their brethren all around the world. This documentary by BBC talks about the lives and works of three such British Muslims, who sacrificed a lot and contributed towards the benefit of humanity at large:

This documentary tells the little-known story of three English gentlemen who embraced Islam at a time when to be a Muslim was seen as being a traitor to your country. Through personal journeys of still surviving relatives, the programme looks at their achievements and how their legacy lives on today.

Continue reading “Remembering The Greatest British Muslims”

athiests
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There Are No Atheists On A Sinking Ship

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“There are no atheists on a sinking ship” — this is an old and well-known saying. It is natural for a troubled human being to call out to Allah, and even the strongest of atheists turn to Allah when they are faced with adversity.

As Allah says in The Quran 31:32,

And when waves come over them like canopies, they invoke Allah, sincere to Him in religion. But when He delivers them to the land, there are (some) of them who are moderate (in faith). And none rejects Our signs except everyone treacherous and ungrateful.

Continue reading “There Are No Atheists On A Sinking Ship”

Giralda
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Remembering The Masjids of Spain

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For several centuries, Spain was under Muslim rule, and this left a significant mark on Spanish culture, art and architecture which can be seen even to this day. In fact, Spanish way of life and cultural thought attained maturity only under the guidance of Islam.

However, after the Christians occupied Spain, there embarked an era of social, political and cultural genocide. Spanish Muslims were expelled from their homeland, or forcibly converted, or killed. Several buildings, especially masjids, were either demolished or converted into churches and cathedrals.

In this post, I take a look at five such masjids — ironically, these masjids survived only because they were converted or transformed into churches. Once again, this roundup is just a small testimony of all that we, as Muslims, have lost.  Continue reading “Remembering The Masjids of Spain”

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Islam, Philosophy and Science in Baghdad

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While present-day Baghdad is generally in the news for wrong reasons such as terrorism and war (all planted thanks to foreign interference), it was not always the case. Back in the day, Baghdad was quite easily the biggest and most cosmopolitan city in the whole world, known for its splendor and progress.

Among other things, Baghdad was also known for its scientific growth, learning and other advancements. The Islamic Golden Age, from the mid-8th to the mid-13th century AD (though it quite possibly existed right until the mid-15th century), was the period when the Islamic World made great development in virtually every field of knowledge. Of course, Baghdad served as the center of such developments.  Continue reading “Islam, Philosophy and Science in Baghdad”

Installation view at the Gazi Husrev Beg Library in Sarajevo
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Mass Graves in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre, which was a part of the larger Bosnian Genocide undertaken by the Republika Srpska. In an enclave protected by the UN, Serbian armed forced brutally attacked and killed several innocent Bosnians — men, women, children, no one was spared.

To learn more about the Srebrenica Massacre, check out this article.  Continue reading “Mass Graves in Bosnia and Herzegovina”

Moscow Cathedral Masjid, Moscow
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5 Masjids That Were Destroyed By Extremists

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Over the course of years, several masjids have been converted or transformed into churches, museums, etc. Even worse, many a times, masjids have been martyred or destroyed by extremists and terrorists.

Of course, the media is often quick to ignore and even quicker to forget such actions against our masjids. This post mentions five masjids that were martyred or destroyed by extremist outfits. Each of these masjids was an architectural marvel and a symbol of great Islamic cultural heritage.  Continue reading “5 Masjids That Were Destroyed By Extremists”

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Cleaners of The House of Allah

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The cleaners of the two sacred Masjids in Mecca and Medina play an important role in making sure that Masjids are kept clean. To achieve that, nearly 200 officials and seasonal employees, 2700 workers, 260 controllers and 100 supervisors are employed.

The following documentary details the work of The Department of Cleaning and Furnishing at the Grand Masjid in Mecca. While this documentary is far from perfect — it highlights the efforts of the Saudi government more than it talks about the people who actually do the cleaning, and the text to speech narration pronounces several Arabic words incorrectly — it still offers a rather touching overview of the entire process.