Stories From Islamic History

Stories from Islamic History picks out twelve popular tales from Islamic history. These stories cover most of the landmark events in the history of Islam, starting from the struggle between Ali and Mu'awiyah, moving on to the gory incident of Karbala, the struggle between the rationalists and the orthodoxy, the jihad against the Mongols, the struggle revisited between the Salafis and the status-quoists, the tragedy of Islam in Spain and the Americas, and more. Each story highlights episodes of courage and character, that has made Islam what it is today. With this book, a student of history gains from rich material insights, an avid reader gets insights of courage and character that separate heroes from ordinary mortals, casual readers get inspiring and enriching tales, followers of Islam get fresh insights into their past, in an angle rarely presented before... and finally there is a question of "what would have been" if the events had unfolded a little different from what it did.

Islam has been one of the most powerful religious, social and political forces in history. Over the last 1400 years, from origins in Arabia, a succession of Muslim polities and later empires expanded to control territories and peoples that ultimately stretched from southern France to East Africa and South East Asia. Yet many of the contributions of Muslim thinkers, scientists and theologians, not to mention rulers, statesmen and soldiers, have been occluded. This book rescues from oblivion and neglect some of these personalities and institutions while offering the reader a new narrative of this lost Islamic history. The Umayyads, Abbasids, and Ottomans feature in the story, as do Muslim Spain, the savannah kingdoms of West Africa and the Mughal Empire, along with the later European colonization of Muslim lands and the development of modern nation-states in the Muslim world. Throughout, the impact of Islamic belief on scientific advancement, social structures, and cultural development is given due prominence, and the text is complemented by portraits of key personalities, inventions and little known historical nuggets. The history of Islam and of the world's Muslims brings together diverse peoples, geographies and states, all interwoven into one narrative that begins with Muhammad and continues to this day.

Stories From Early Islam is a collection of true stories about the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his companions, may Allah be pleased with them. The book gives an insight to the lives led by early Muslims and shows how firm belief in God Almighty helped them to overcome those who oppressed them. There are questions at the end of each chapter to test the reader and is a useful way for children to remember these stories.

Without any doubts, the biography of Prophet Muhammad (Peace & Blessings be Upon Him) is authentic, truthful and complete. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was an exemplary man of intelligent mind and faultless vision. He was called "the truthful & the trustworthy" long before he became the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

In this gripping narrative history, Lesley Hazleton tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam, a rift that dominates the news now more than ever. Even as Muhammad lay dying, the battle over who would take control of the new Islamic nation had begun, beginning a succession crisis marked by power grabs, assassination, political intrigue, and passionate faith. Soon Islam was embroiled in civil war, pitting its founder's controversial wife Aisha against his son-in-law Ali, and shattering Muhammad’s ideal of unity. Combining meticulous research with compelling storytelling, After the Prophet explores the volatile intersection of religion and politics, psychology and culture, and history and current events. It is an indispensable guide to the depth and power of the Shia–Sunni split.

In this innovative work, Salman H. Bashier challenges traditional views of Islamic philosophy. While Islamic thought from the crucial medieval period is often depicted as a rationalistic elaboration on Aristotelian philosophy and an attempt to reconcile it with the Muslim religion, Bashier puts equal emphasis on the influence of Plato's philosophical mysticism. This shift encourages a new reading of Islamic intellectual tradition, one in which boundaries between philosophy, religion, mysticism, and myth are relaxed. Bashier shows the manner in which medieval Islamic philosophers reflected on the relation between philosophy and religion as a problem that is intrinsic to philosophy and shows how their deliberations had the effect of redefining the very limits of their philosophical thought. The problems of the origin of human beings, human language, and the world in Islamic philosophy are discussed. Bashier highlights the importance of Ibn Ṭufayl's Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān, a landmark work often overlooked by scholars, and the thought of the great Sufi mystic Ibn al-ʿArabī to the mainstream of Islamic philosophy.

Muslims have been present in South Asia for 14 centuries. Nearly 40% of the people of this vast land mass follow the religion of Islam, and Muslim contribution to the cultural heritage of the sub-continent has been extensive. This textbook provides both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as the general reader, with a comprehensive account of the history of Islam in India, encompassing political, socio-economic, cultural and intellectual aspects. Using a chronological framework, the book discusses the main events in each period between c. 600 CE and the present day, along with the key social and cultural themes. It discusses a range of topics, including: How power was secured, and how was it exercised The crisis of confidence caused by the arrival of the West in the sub-continent How the Indo-Islamic synthesis in various facets of life and culture came about Excerpts at the end of each chapter allow for further discussion, and detailed maps alongside the text help visualise the changes through each time period. Introducing the reader to the issues concerning the Islamic past of South Asia, the book is a useful text for students and scholars of South Asian History and Religious Studies.

If you ever wanted to know the background and religious history of the conflict that has people in Syria and Iraq (along with Saudi-Arabia and Iran acting as proxies) embroiled in a never ending conflict, then this book provides those answers and a coverage of the sensational events from the first 100 years of Islamic history. This unique book provides a unique view of Islamic history starting from the time when Makkah did not exist as a city and takes the reader through the next 100 years to a time when the Muslim territories included areas in present-day Saudi-Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, and Morocco. You will learn about the Islamic caliphate, Shiite Sunni Split, battles in Iraq and Syria, and more. In this publication, you will learn the following: Pre-Islam Arabia and the beginnings of Makkah as a city The Message of Islam revealed on the Prophet History of the early years of the Muslim Caliphate Lives of the Rashidun Caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar Ibn Khattab, Uthman Ibn Affan, Ali Ibn Abu-Talib, Hassan Ibn Ali) The early Muslim Caliphs How one person started the fitna / instigation that later resulted in the Shiite (Shia) split from the people of Sunnah (Sunnis) Differences between the Shia and Sunni The Battle between Caliph Ali and Ayesha The Battle between Caliph Ali and Muawiyah (Governor of Syria) Story of times when multiple Muslim caliphs ruled the Muslim lands The story of the Khawarij (Extremist dissenters) Banu Umayyah Caliphate Caliphate capitals (Madinah, Kufah, Damascus) Stories of conflict that brewed between Madinah, Kufah, Basrah, and Syria Hajjaj Ibn Yousuf's Tough Governance over the people of Iraq and more