Depictions of Muhammad

Not too long ago a friend asked me what Ramadan is. So I gave them the basic answer everyone knows. “It’s the month where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.” He said he wasn’t satisfied with my answer. I thought about it for a few minutes and then I came up with a better answer. Ramadan is known to be the month of fasting but for Muslims it is believed that the first verse of the Qur’an was brought to the Prophet Mohammed (s.a) through Gibrail or also known as the angel Gabriel. This month is…

One such revelation was that Muhammad, and his followers, were given permission to fight and shed blood in order to spread Islam. Muhammad became very well recognized in Medina. When the leaders found themselves in the midst of a terrible civil war Muhammad, being so well known for his wisdom, was asked to mediate the situation. Medina was the first Muslim community that Muhammad established. With Muhammad’s power growing in Medina the Meccans felt threatened. There were many small…

Each tent is occupied by a family group which is represented by a male head. A woman may only be regarded as head if she is a widow and there are no males present, but even in that case, the woman may have a male relative represent her. These tents are units of production and consumption, the tents also hold rights over all movable property over flock, as they can act as independent units of political purpose. For most efficient herding purposes these households combine in small herding units,…

rights in the pre-Islamic era. It was not until Islam was founded that the social status of women was vastly improved (Shamley, 2015). This strongly contrasts the stereotypes about Muslim women that portrays Muslim women as defenseless. The Prophet Muhammad succeeded in reforming many social aspects within his culture, one of which was the treatment of women. These changes allowed women to own property, refuse arranged marriages, keep their names after marriage, and the right to obtain an…

Ali Hediyat, born in Herat Afghanistan in September 24th, 1984. Ali immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia in the year 2000 when he was 16 years old, where he later on sponsored the rest of his family. Although Ali was only 16 years old he was old enough to know more than the average person around his age group. Ali came to Canada with very limited money, with only $10 to his name he still managed to somehow survive. After spending his first 5 years as a welfare refugee he was working…

The Muslims had a special regard for both the prophet Muhammad and his numerous wives. Due to their close relationship with the prophet, Muhammad’s wives had special counsel from God through the Prophet, therefore earning the title as The Mothers of the Believers. Although glorious and powerful this title may be, it accounted for many restrictions that the wives of the prophet had to follow, such as limiting their time in the presence of men as well as the social sphere while also fulfilling…

Major Book Review Beyond The Veil Fatima Mernissi Syed Rizvi Fatima Mernissi’s book “Beyond The Veil” talks about how women are treated in Islam, political circle and the Arab culture. Like everything it has two sides, some people argue Islam empowered women in ancient Arab, where women were deprived of their rights. And, the other side argues, that women are mistreated in Islam, and have a lower status than men. In her book, Fatima Mernissi depicts both side of the story. She mostly focuses…

While Sharia is generally thought to be a set of unchanging beliefs and principles and seen as a legal code, it is important to note that it is more so a moral code that is not unchangeable and unable to adapt with time and place. Moreover, for Sharia to continue to be a defining element of Islamic society, it needs to be contextualised so as to suit modern circumstances. This idea that Sharia is static, unchangeable, and unable to adapt to time and place, is a highly Westernised view. For this…

Q1) Interpretation is one of the most standard tools used in reading religious text. Every person has a unique thought process and mode of interpretation; when reading religious text like the Qur’an, however, this poses some consistency issues and creates conflict among believers in different interpretations. However, interpretation, regardless of conflict it may cause, is critical to the entire concept of personal faith and strengthening spiritual bonds. Hadith are a mode of interpretation…

Essays for Final Exam Part A. II. The decline of the Ghaznavids and the rise of the Seljuk empire, 1040-1200 The sultan-caliph relationship was established when the Turks entered Islam. They did not abolish the Caliphate, by replaced it with a new institution, the Sultanate. It was in the second half of the eleventh century that a third nation was added to the Islam empire. The Turks first entered the Caliphate four hundred years earlier when they were brought in as slaves or adventurers…