Author: islamciv

Leaders around the Messenger: Ubaadah ibn As-Saamit

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From the first pledge of Al-Aqaba to the first naval expedition, a lifelong leader who Umar said, “is equivalent to 1000 men” وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ “And those in front–ahead indeed!”[1] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: أَصْحَابِي كَالنُّجُومِ بِأَيِّهِمْ اقْتَدَيْتُمْ اهْتَدَيْتُمْ “My companions are like stars, whichever of them you use as a guide, you will be rightly guided.”[2] The sahaba were the best generation and their diverse lives need to be studied so we can take lessons from them. Whichever characteristic we want to emulate we will find it exemplified in the sahaba. They hold qualities of bravery, chivalry, knowledge, sacrifice and leadership because they were trained by the best human being and master of the Prophets, Muhammad ﷺ. Biography of Ubaadah ibn As-Saamit Profile Married to Umm Haram, the Prophet’s ﷺ maternal aunt. A senior sahaba and one of the Naqibs of the Ansar so is included in the words of the Messenger ﷺ, “If the Ansar took their way through a valley or a mountain pass, I would take Ansar’s valley. And but …

How Ramadan times were calculated in the Ottoman era

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BY ERHAN AFYONCU This has been reproduced from Daily Sabah During the tenure of Şeyhülislam Musa Kazım Efendi in the Second Constitutional Period (II Meşrutiyet), the Qadi of Istanbul and a fatwa consultant (fetva emini) came on the 28th day of the month of Ramadan to inform that a witness sighted the new crescent moon, marking the end of Ramadan.

The First Muslim Navy: Sailing on the Sea Like Kings on Thrones

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The establishment of the first Muslim navy during the Caliphate of Uthman bin Affan, offers a fascinating insight in to what Muslims can achieve if they have a state, and the correct understanding of tawakkul (reliance on Allah) and the spheres of actions which are within and outside their control. The early Islamic conquests have always perplexed western historians. How was it possible for the desert Arabs, who were viewed by the Persian and Byzantine empires as insignificant, and posing no threat to them, to rise up and within a few years destroy their longstanding empires? George Hourani, a maritime historian who has researched the early Muslim navy discusses “the problem of the earliest Arab ventures on the Mediterranean: how could they be successfully carried out in such a surprisingly short time? The decisive event is the battle of Dhaat al-Sawaari (Battle of the Masts). To fight a naval battle, many resources were required: naval bases, including docks, shipbuilding yards, building materials and skilled shipbuilders; [and] warships with their complements of trained sailors, marines and …

Umar ibn Al-Khattab reinforces the army of Egypt with four men

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Amr ibn Al-Aas was the Amir of Jihad in Egypt during the Caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umar wrote a letter to Amr: “I am very surprised at how long it is taking to conquer Egypt, as you have been fighting for the last two years, unless it is because of some sins that you have committed, or you have started to love this world as your enemy does. Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, only grants victory to people who are sincere. I am sending to you four individuals, and I have told you that each one of them is equivalent to one thousand men as far as I know, unless something has changed them…”[1]

The First Attempt at Entering the Interaction Stage in Makkah

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DR MUHAMMAD KHAIR HAIKAL This is an extract from his PhD thesis ‘Al-Jihad wa’l Qital fi as-Siyasa ash-Shar’iyya’ It appears that this stage, the stage of manifestation and open declaration, in accordance to the understanding that we have explained, did not take place in one go, even if this gradual transition came to its climax when ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab declared, after having been in the trench of the Kuffaar, with a certain heart and mind, that he had moved into another trench of the battle, transforming what he had carried in respect to this Da’wah in terms of a storm of hatred and violent vigour, transforming that all to the opposing side, to become the strongest of believers in backbone and firmness and most challenging in the face of the disbelievers.