Perception of Muhammad in the Medieval West
digg_title = "Perception of Muhammad in the Medieval West"; var sburl4016 = window.location.href; var sbtitle4016 = document.title;   Stephan Hotz, Mohammed und seine Lehre in der Darstellung abendländischer Autoren vom späten 11. bis zur Mitte des 12. Jahrhunderts: Aspekte, Quellen und Tendenzen in Kontinuität und Wandel [Mohammed and hi...

Could There Be a "Sirah Diary"?
Question: Is it possible to prepare a diary-like book based on the chronological order of events in the Prophet’s life? Could there be a ‘sirah diary’ in which his life can be followed day to day? Answer: (Professor Kasım Şulul - Harran University –Department of Theology): Within the framework of Islamic science, it is an ongoing tradition to accommodate the books of sirah either in a chronologic...

Abu Hurairah: From Servant of the Sun to Servant of Allah
  In history Abu Hurairah is known by his sobriquets. He is one of those people whose nicknames come to mind before their real names. He had two given names, used at different times: “Servant of the Sun” and “Servant of Allah”. In the Age of Ignorance his given name was Abd Al-Shams, Servant of the Sun  while his nickname was Abu Hurairah, Father of Cats.  The Holy Prophet continued calling him b...

Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr: From Seeing Himself in the Mirror to Being a

  The girls of Mecca wait impatiently for the time when the young man with the gentle steps will pass by their window. They are looking forward to the moment when they will see the graceful and noble features of his face. The prices in bazaars, where the breeze carries his scent, they keep going up. Mus’ab goes to the bazaar often. With the money he possesses he buys what he does not possess. Wit...

Salman al-Farsi: From Fire to Divine Light
Mabih was born in a house where they believed the fire to be holy and grand. The fire, however, got smaller as he grew up. Although the father tried to carve a god out of fire for his son, the son had already put it out; he was, in fact, burning with a yearning to find the truth. Mabih did not sacrifice reason to tradition. All throughout his journey that started in the Jay district of Isfahan an...

Desert Raider to Desert Rain: Abu Dharr al-Ghifari
Abu Dharr was among the desert raiders. A hulky, tall, thick haired, dark skinned man... The nightmare of the caravans. An intimidating, unwavering man. A Bedouin who knows the desert like the back of his hand. He belongs to a tribe that continues their ambush and waylaying even during the sacred months. Ghifar is the name of the tribe. Abu Dharr, also known as Jundab ibn Junada of Ghifar, has a ...

Fatima: A Prophet's Daughter who found Consolation in Death
  The sun called its near-by stars to come a little closer. Then it opened the arms of its cloak and embraced them tenderly. It sounds strange, but the sun system's most brilliant stars gathered under cover. Their lips froze from excitement. Their breath took on one shape after another under the pounding of their hearts. They had never been this close to the source from which they took their ligh...

Abdullah ibn Rawaha: A Poet Yearning for Heaven
  Those who were silent with reverence when poets spoke were faced for the first time with words more powerful than poetry with the verses being revealed to the Last Prophet, and they did not know what to do. While they were grasping and submitting to the fact that they were facing divine speech that could open their hearts to the Truth, those who resisted the truth now used a word to deride the ...

Ka’b ibn Malik: The Poet Punished with Silence
He wanders with words in his quiver. He is a poet; he starts a fire with his arrows. He draws his bow when people say, "Tell!" He draws his bow in such a way that the arrow sets fire to the wings of the condors before it is shot. He seals his quiver when people say, "Hush!" He seals it in such a way that he sprinkles fire onto the oppressors and sprinkles water onto the oppressed ones. He is an o...

Aisha: Lover of the Beloved
It is the most unforgettable race in history, yet there are no spectators. Of the two racers, the younger one draws a line on the ground; the starting line. They are going to begin running from that point. The older one ties his shirt around his belly. A strange contest; he will not become upset if he loses. He looks at his rival with love and proposes a race. Can you imagine it? He is the man w...

Abu al-Darda: A Tradesman who Feared Accounts
There was a bi-polar world in Medina before Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came: Profit and Loss. Cavalryman Abu'd- Derda raced back and forth between these two poles on his mental horse. He knew that trade was a job of keeping accounts, and he would think a thousand times before taking a step. When the Prophet was met with tambourines, he was a step behind everyone. Everyone became Muslim, but Abu'd De...

Abu Bakr: Being Friends with the Prophet
All arrows were pointing towards Medina. A sign had been given, and preparations for the journey had begun. Those who would come on this journey that would change the flow of history and the calendar were taking their places in turn. The pressure in Mecca had increased so much that it was not even possible to open a window and take a breath of air. The one nicknamed "Very sincere" and "Very loya...