Stories from Islamic History
Page 12
In the Western states of the USA, texts, diagrams and charts engraved on rocks, used for schooling are still visible. The schooling was in subjects such as mathematics, history, geography, astronomy and navigation. What is noteworthy is that the language is Kufic Arabic.
The Peace and Friendship Treaty signed on the Delaware River in 1202 AH (1787 CE) bear the signatures of Abdel-Haq and Mohammed Ibn Abdullah. This treaty details the right of Muslims to exist as a community in the areas of commerce and maritime shipping, with the current form of government of that time, which was in accordance with Islam. The Moors Sundry Act of South Carolina in 1205 AH (1790 CE) is on similar lines.
The traditional dress code of the Native American women includes ‘khimar’ or long dresses. For men the standard fare is turbans and long tops that go down to the knees – all bearing striking similarities to the African Muslims. The language of most of the Indian tribes are also influenced by Arabic, Persian, Hebrew words. Almost all of the tribes’ vocabularies include the word Allah.
Cities across the United States and Canada bear names of Arabic derivation. Tallahassee means “God will deliver you sometime in the future.” In North America, there are no less than five hundred and sixty five names of tribes, villages, cities, mountains and other lands sites of Islamic or Arabic roots. These places were originally named by the natives in pre-Columbian period. Some of these names carry meanings such as: Makkah (Indiana), Makkah Indian tribe (Washington), Madinah (Idaho), Madinah (NY), Madinah and Hazen (North Dakota), Madinah (Ohio), Madinah (Tennessee), Madinah (Texas), Madinah (Ontario), Mahomet (Illinois), Mona (Utah), Arva (Ontario), and many others.
The descendants of these Muslims are members of the present day Iroquois, Algonquin, Anasazi, Hohokam and Olmec tribes. The last Cherokee chief who had a Muslim name was Ramadhan Ibn Wati. He died in 1283 AH (1866.)
The extermination of the so called “Red Indians” from the United States of America is well documented in history. What is ignored is that this extermination was nothing but a culmination of the Spanish inquisition launched in the 8th hijri century (14th century CE) that resulted in the extermination of Islam not only from Spain, but from the Americas as well!
EPILOGUE
And it is He (Allah) who has made you generations coming after generations, replacing each other on the earth. And he has raised you in ranks, some above others that he may try you in which He has bestowed on you. Surely your Lord is Swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”(Al Anam 165)
Allah has made mankind generations coming after generations, replacing each other on the earth, century after century and offspring after forefathers. He has made them different from each other with regards to provision, conduct, qualities, evilness, shapes, color of skin, and so forth, and He has the perfect wisdom in all this.
The purpose behind such difference is to tests with what Allah has granted one. Allah tries the rich concerning his wealth and will ask him about how he appreciated it. He tries the poor concerning his poverty and will ask him about his patience with it. He also tries those in power and authority and will ask them what they did with their power and authority.
When the children of Israel complied to Musa, peace be upon him about the tyranny of the Pharaoh, Musa, peace be upon him said “Seek help in Allah and be patient. Verily, the earth is Allah’s. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills of his servants; and the (blessed) end is for their pious and righteous persons.” (Al Araf 128)
The Pharaoh and his people inflicted humiliation and disgrace upon the Children of Israel. They made them live a life of captivity and bondage, forcing them to do the hard menial work, and slaughtered their new born sons and let the females live. Musa encouraged them to remain patient and trust their Lord, reminding them that with every affliction comes ease, and to appreciate Allah for His favours when the afflictions are removed and replaced by a bounty. And verily, Allah drowned the Pharaoh and his ilk in the Red Sea and made Musa and his people inheritors of his kingdom.
“To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is therein, and he is able to do all things.” (al Araf 120)
The story of Prophet Mohammed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his companions run on similar lines. The Quresh ridiculed, jeered, taunted, chided and tortured them. But they remained steadfast in the way of “La illalah Illalah” and within a matter of a few years, Allah made them inheritors of the two mighty empires of the age – Persia and Rome; and made people in all parts of the world praise them. The sahabis who were deprived of food, water and clothes, dragged across the harsh deserts, and heaped abuses and stones became governors, judges and rulers of the land.
Such is the outcome if one puts his trust in Allah alone.
We ask Allah that He makes us among those who obey what He has commanded, avoid what He has prohibited, and believe in Him as He has informed. Certainly, He is Near, He hears and He answers the supplication, and He is the Most Kind, Generous and Bestowing.
Now Everlasting glory and praise be unto Him who Rests intangible amidst eternity; Who, changing all things yet Himself changes not; Who is the Master of the Seen and of the Unseen; Lord of All that Exists. Who alone lives! And prayer and peace with benediction be upon His Chosen – Mohammed, Prince of Messengers, Jewel of the World, our Hope for an auspicious
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APPENDIX: GLOSSARY OF ARABIC WORDS USED IN THIS BOOK
Difference between Prophet (nabi) and Messenger (rasool):
Messengers are sent with some changes in the previous law. Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him) did not bring a law but did receive a book and thus is referred to as only a Prophet. Jesus and Mohammed, may Allah bless them and grant them peace changed the prevalent laws of the Torah and Injil respectively. Hence it is evident that all Messengers are Prophets but all Prophets are not Messengers.
Ahl al Bayt: The Prophet’s Household. The Shiites call themselves such, terming themselves as the party of the Prophet’s family.
Alim: a learned man (of religion)
Allahu Akbar:God is great
Ambiyyas: Pious people of the past
Amir: Leader, king
Ayat: Quranic (or divine) verses
Bail ul maal: public treasury
Bayah: oath of allegiance given to a ruler.
Dar-us-Islam: Abode of Islam, the Islamic lands
Dawah: propagation or call (to Islam)
Dhikr: a form of prayer
Du'a: supplication, or asking for help (from Allah)
Durra: a staple food in Sudan
Fatwa: opinion of a scholar on some specific issue. Ordinary Muslims rely on such fatwa’s on matters which are not clear in the Quran.
Fiqh: islamic legislations or religious law
Fitnah:evil, temptations that lead to evil consequences
Hadeeths: sayings attributed to Prophet Mohammed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Hadeeths can be Sahi (authenticated), deaf (weak) or fabricated. There are other classifications as well.
Hajj: pilgrimage to Makkah, obligatory for every able Muslim once in a lifetime
Hijra: migration from place of disbelief or corruption to a place of belief or lesser corruption.
Hijri calendar: the hijri calendar, based on the moon was instituted by kailfah Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, marking the date Prophet Mohammed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace undertook hijra from Makkah to Madinah. The Hijri years are denoted AH, whereas the Gregorian calendar is denoted by CE (Common Era). The twelve months of the hijri calendar are: Muharram, Safar, Rabi al Awal, Rabi al Akhir, Jumadhal Awal, Jumadhul Akhir, Rajab, Shaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhul Qadh, Dhul Hajj.
Hutmah: mentioned in the Quran as an object in Hell to punish evildoers (who hoard their wealth)
Ihram: the two-piece white garment which symbolically consecrate the pilgrims’ entry into the holy City of Makkah
Ijtihad: when there is some doubt regarding the religious acceptabi
lity of some matter, people of knowledge delve into the Quran, hadeeth and other sources and issue their opinion (usually in form of a fatwa). Such a process is known as ijtihad.
Imam: religious leader
Iqama: the call to prayer
Jahiliyah: pre-islamic age of ignorance. The root word ‘jahil’ means ignorant.
Jibba: Sudanese traditional dress
Jihad:jihad literally means “struggle,” and is mostly referred to warfare against the disbelievers
Khilafat: The Islamic empire, synonymous with dar-us-Islam. Khilafat ur Rashidin refers to the reign of the first five orthodox kalifahs – Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali and Hassan, may Allah be pleased with all of them.
Kalifah: caliph, the head of the Muslim state
Khutbah: sermon on religion delivered before the Friday congregational prayers.
Kufar:non-muslims
Kufr: disbelief
Kunoot: supplication in prayers to be done when Muslims are distressed about something
Madrassas: schools
Maghrib: literally means “East” in Arabic, and West Africa is called “Maghrib.”. It, however popularly refers to sunset prayers in Islam.
Madhhabs: difference schools of fiqh (law) in Islam. There is difference with regards to matters like postures to be adopted during prayers, rules regarding business dealings and the like, and each set of viewpoint is called a maddhab. The four famous maddhabs in vogue are the Shafi, Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali, named after four great scholars Imam Shafi, Imam Abu Haneefa, Imam Anas ibn Malik and Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal. However neither is the legitimate number of maddhabs restricted to these four, and nor is any Muslim obliged to follow any particular maddhab.
Majlis: assembly
Malik:leader (in this context)
Muminin: religious followers
Muzzein: the caller to prayer
Nehr Jalut: spring of Goliath, and Ayn Jalut meaning Eye of Goliath
Qadi: judge
Qasis: equal compensation for a wrong; “an eye for a eye”
Rakah: a unit of prayer
Sahabah: companions of the Prophet Mohammed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace
Salaf: the first generation; the Muslim ummah during the time of khilafat ur Rashidin
Shariah: Islamic religious law
Sheikh: leader
Shirk: associating partners with Allah, the most serious crime in Islam
Sultan: king
Sunnah: what Prophet Mohammed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace did
Taqlid: blind imitation based on authority
Tawhid: Islamic monotheism – there is no Goad but Allah – obeying this in
letter and spirit
Thajahhud: voluntary prayers offering during night, preferably done during the third (last) part of the night, when others are sleeping
Ulema: religious scholar
Ummah: the people of the Muslim nation
Vizier: Prime Minister
Wa Islamia: For the sake of Islam
Waqf: Religious philanthropic trust or foundation
Wudoo: The act of ritual purification before prayers
Zakat:Obligatory charity which every wealthy Muslim is bound to give to the poor. In a broad sense it is 2.5% of the wealth an individual posses for more than one year. There are many finer points.
Zhukm: a bitter tree in Hell
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About the Author
Nayab Naseer is a post graduate in Human Resource Management with over a decade of corporate work experience in India and the Middle East. He likes to travel, read books, and write! Stories from Islamic History is one of his earlier books.