All posts filed under: History

Ottoman Bosnia

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Introduction The Ottoman Sultanate which later became the seat of the Caliphate in 1517 was by no means perfect. A decline in Islamic thought, weakness in the Arabic language and closing the doors of ijtihad all had an impact on the implementation of Islam across the state. Yet despite this, the Ottoman State remained an Islamic State, and its concepts, criteria and convictions were Islamic. Legislation and administrative laws (kanun) were based on sharia, even if this was a tenuous link in some cases due to the decline in ijtihad, such as the devshirme, hereditary bay’a and tanzimat reforms.

The Battle of Ain Jaloot wasn’t what ultimately stopped the Muslim world falling to the Mongols

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A tale of how Allah helps those who help themselves BY ABDULLAH AL ANDALUSI People often think the Battle of Ain Jaloot (1260CE) was a turning point in the invasion of the Mongols, and saved the rest of Muslim lands from destruction. However, this is not entirely true, the battle only delayed the Mongols, the truth, like most of history, is stranger than fiction. Above all the story offers us an interesting and recurring lesson – just when we think we have no hope of success in Allah’s cause, Allah gives those who remain steadfast supporting his deen, help from an unexpected quarter.

“The example of my ummah is like the rain. It is not known whether the initial part or the latter part is good.”

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This has been reproduced from Ottoman Dynasty Foundation. A hundred years ago, Ottoman soldiers entrusted these banknotes to Palestinian merchant, Ragheb Hilmi Al-Halul when they were retreating from Palestine and said: “When we come back, we will take our money”. Ragheb Hilmi Al-Halul family has been keeping these banknotes for a century. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: مثل أمتي مثل المطر لا يدرى أوله خير أم آخره “The example of my ummah is like the rain. It is not known whether the initial part or the latter part is good.” (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 2869)  

Ramadan in the Ottoman Caliphate

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All Elements of Ottoman Society Fasted during Ramadan The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting during the month of Ramazan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, and requires that Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoke, snuff, and sexual activities every day from sunrise to sunset. Fasting is not obligatory for children before the onset of puberty, people with an illness or medical condition, nursing and pregnant women, travelers, and those fighting on the battlefield. Despite these rules, children, pregnant women, travelers, and soldiers in the Ottoman era fasted during the entire month.

​”The Ottoman Empire lay at our feet dismembered and impotent, its capital and Caliph at the mercy of our guns.” [Harold Nicolson]

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​”The Ottoman Empire lay at our feet dismembered and impotent, its capital and Caliph at the mercy of our guns.” [Harold Nicolson][1] The 28th Rajab 1439 marks the anniversary of the Caliphate’s (Ottoman Empire) formal abolition in Turkey in 1342H/1924 CE. The magnitude of this event and its effect on the problems facing the Muslim world today cannot be underestimated. After 97 years without a central Islamic authority to implement, protect and propagate Islam it’s important to reflect back on the result of the Caliphate’s destruction.