This endlessly informative history brings the classical Islamic world to lifeIn this accessibly written history, Amira K. Bennison contradicts the common assumption that Islam somehow interrupted the smooth flow of Western civilization from its Graeco-Roman origins to its more recent European and American manifestations. Instead, she places Islamic civilization in the longer trajectory of Mediterranean civilizations and sees the ‘Abbasid Empire (750–1258 CE) as the inheritor and interpreter of Graeco-Roman traditions.At its zenith the ‘Abbasid caliphate stretched over the entire Middle East and part of North Africa, and influenced Islamic regimes as far west as Spain. Bennison’s examination of the politics, society, and culture of the ‘Abbasid period presents a picture of a society that nurtured many of the “civilized” values that Western civilization claims to represent, albeit in different premodern forms: from urban planning and international trade networks to religious pluralism and academic research. Bennison’s argument counters the common Western view of Muslim culture as alien and offers a new perspective on the relationship between Western and Islamic cultures.
The first four caliphs of Islam—Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with all of them, are known as ‘the rightly guided caliphs.’ These pious caliphs were among the closest Sahabah (Companions) of the Prophet Muhammad. Their lives are a source of inspiration and motivation for believers of all time. These caliphs, though the successive heads of a large empire, lived very simple lives, like ordinary men. Their exemplary conduct and high moral character are a shining example for us. We are hugely indebted to them for their sacrifice and dedication, which helped in the preservation of the Quran and the spread of Islam throughout the world. Of the Sahabah, the Prophet once said, “My Companions are like stars. If you follow any of them, you will be guided to the right path.” In the light of this saying of the Prophet, the stories of the Sahabah act as guidance and a source of spiritual uplift for all of us. We should draw lessons from their lives, so that we may be guided to the right path—the path that pleases the Almighty Allah.
When exercised with faith and steadfastness, history bends to the will of man. Umar Al Farooq was such a man who left a legacy that subsequent generations have emulated. He was a great conqueror, a wise administrator, a just ruler, a monumental builder, and a man of piety who loved God with the same intensity that other conquerors of his caliber have loved gold and wealth. Umar shaped the historical edifice of Islam, and whatever Islam became or did not become in subsequent centuries is primarily due to his work. Indeed, Umar was the architect of Islamic civilization. Human destiny is to realize its own sublime nature within the matrix of human affairs. When free will is abused, humans are reduced to the most wretched of creatures. Umar understood this better than anyone, and few since the Prophet carried this trust with as much wisdom, humility, determination, sensitivity, persistence, and courage. By any yardstick, Umar was one of history's greatest figures.
A comprehensive account of two of the most important empires in medieval North AfricaThis is the first book in English to provide a comprehensive account of the rise and fall of the Almoravids and the Almohads, the two most important Berber dynasties of the medieval Islamic west, an area that encompassed southern Spain and Portugal, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The a'anhAja Almoravids emerged from the Sahara in the 1050s to conquer vast territories and halt the Christian advance in Iberia. They were replaced a century later by their rivals, the Almohads, supported by the Maa'GBPmAda Berbers of the High Atlas. Although both have often been seen as uncouth, religiously intolerant tribesmen who undermined the high culture of al-Andalus, this book argues that the eleventh to thirteenth centuries were crucial to the Islamisation of the Maghrib, its integration into the Islamic cultural sphere, and its emergence as a key player in the western Mediterranean, and that much of this was due to these oft-neglected Berber empires.Key featuresThe first work in English to give a full account of the Almoravids and AlmohadsFeatures numerous translated quotes and anecdotes from Arabic primary sourcesProvides an intimate portrait of the daily lives and material culture of people living within the empires, as well as delivering a clear dynastic historyUses maps, genealogical tables, illustrations and a chronology
Embarking on a world tour in the 1920s, famed aviatrix Evangeline Starke cuts her ambitious stunt short when she, receiving a recent photograph of her late husband Gabriel, tracks the photo to the ancient City of Jasmine, Damascus where danger, passion and the truth await. Original.
