Author: Best of Islam
-
5 ideas behind Islamic art, and what the arabesque is for
Why Islamic art avoids images of God, what stylisation and geometry do, and what the arabesque is for. 5 ideas that explain…
-
5 Western scholars of Islam and where Muslims differ with them
Geiger, Caetani, Jeffery, Goitein and Armstrong: 5 Western scholars who shaped the study of Islam, what they argued and where Muslims disagree.
-
7 scholars who shaped how Islam is studied
Ibn Abbas, Ibn Ishaq, Abu Dawud, Hunayn ibn Ishaq, al-Kindi, al-Ash’ari and al-Ghazali: 7 scholars whose work still frames Islamic learning.
-
The Kharijites and takfir: 6 facts
Who were the Kharijites, what did the Prophet say about them, and why do mainstream scholars refuse takfir? 6 facts. Read on.
-
6 facts about the Crusades that get lost
Who started the Crusades, what happened in Jerusalem in 1099 and 1187, and why Eastern Christians suffered too: 6 facts. Read on.
-
6 Muslim astronomers whose names are on the Moon
Albategnius, Azophi, Arzachel: 6 lunar craters named for Muslim astronomers, and the work that earned each one. Read on.
-
6 words science still uses that came from Arabic
Algebra, algorithm, zenith, azimuth, nadir, alcohol: 6 scientific words from Arabic, and how each crossed over. Read on.
-
6 instruments invented in the Islamic world that science still uses
6 scientific instruments from the Islamic world that laboratories still use, with what each one changed. Read the list.
-
7 libraries of the Islamic world, and what happened to each
7 great libraries of the Islamic world, from Baghdad to Timbuktu, and the fate of each. Read what survived and what burned.
-
Who burned the Library of Alexandria? 5 facts behind the story
Did the caliph ʿUmar order the Library of Alexandria burned? 5 facts from the sources behind the story. Read on.
-
What was the jizya? 6 facts about the tax
What was the jizya tax? Who paid it, how much, why, and what its critics say. 6 facts from the sources. Read…
-
The Dome of the Rock: 6 things its inscriptions tell us about the Quran
Dated 72 AH, the Dome of the Rock quotes the Quran Muslims recite today. 6 things its inscriptions show. Read on.