North America Has Been Home to Muslims for a Long Time Muslims first arrived in North America centuries before Columbus due to trading expeditions with Native Americans. After Columbus, the slave trade transported African Muslim slaves, who retained their spiritual practice and religious identity, to the Americas. Over [...]
The Founding of Baghdad Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur founded Baghdad on July 20, 762 C.E., intending it to serve as the capital of Islam and calling it “Madinat-us-Salaam,” or City of Peace. Baghdad was also known as the Round City because it was constructed in a circular shape, consisting of towering [...]
By: Amadou Shakur The Prophet Muhammad's Message of Unity: The History of Islam in Africa The Prophet Muhammad reminded the Muslim world, “We are a single community, distinct from others.” The distinction shapes the Muslim’s religious identity and underlines the nature of the Islamic ideal, whether the purity of the [...]
By: Talat G. Hamdani, Mother of Mohammad Salman Hamdani NYPD Cadet, EMT, WTC II Supporter of 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Muslim Americans have carried the cross since September 11, 2001. Time has come to take it off. My son, Mohammad Salman Hamdani, 23, was a first responder, an [...]
Ibn Battuta: Celebrated Traveler Ibn Battuta, a celebrated traveler, was born in Tangier, Morocco. He lived from 1304 to 1368/1369 and is renowned for his travelogue, Rihla, which simply means Travels. It recounts his many journeys throughout the Muslim world as well as far-flung regions like Russia, China and Constantinople. [...]
By: Salman Yazdani Umar ibn Al-Khattab: The Unparalleled Ruler Who Transformed History with His Conquests and Leadership Whenever we talk of great generals or kings of the world one name usually comes to our mind, i.e., Alexander the Great. For obvious reasons he deserves this reputation, but many of us [...]
Saladin: Courageous and Brilliant Salahuddin Ayyubi, popularly known in the West as Saladin, was a courageous and brilliant Muslim leader during the 12th century. His firm foundation in the religion and its prime values, leading to his commitment to the Islamic cause, enabled him to accomplish great things. His Ayyubid [...]
Gaining Knowledge, an Islamic Duty Islam encourages the gathering of knowledge and the use of reasoning. In the Qur’an, God repeatedly urges humans to use their intellect and thinking skills so that they may differentiate between truth and falsehood.[1] Furthermore, Islam is a universal religion – not for a few [...]
By: Alex Kronemer and Michael Wolfe Prince Among Slaves: The Incredible Life Story Prince Among Slaves is a nationally broadcast documentary, which is now a part of a major humanities outreach project. The documentary is a production of Unity Productions Foundation (UPF) in association with Spark Media and Duke [...]
By: Sumara Khan Fatima Al-Fihri: The Muslim Woman Who Founded the World's First University The name Fatima Al-Fihri crowns the annals of history with the distinction of having established the world’s very first university. Yes, it was a Muslim woman who pioneered a model of higher learning coupled with the [...]
