ABU HAMID AL-GHAZALI Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 CE) is regarded by scholars as an Islamic intellectual giant. He is one of the greatest teachers and interpreters of Islam, other than Muhammad. Born in 1058 CE in Tus, (in what is now known as Khorasan, Iran), he was a well educated man, havin...

Al-Qaeda What drives individuals to resort to such violent acts as hi-jacking a plane, bombing a building, and/or assassinating a religious or political figure? How do individuals and organizations justify thes...

Have you ever wondered about other religions that are out there and why they are out there? I have and that is why I chose to write my paper on the Sunnis and Shiites. Read on to learn more about a brief history and then I will break each of them into separate religions. In books written on Islam t...

The justification of war has been an ideal that has caused much debate and controversy for humanity throughout all time. It has been studied and interpreted by many theologians, philosophers, and politicians. There have many manuscripts documenting the correct use of war and the proper mean...

For decades, the situation in Palestine has been promoted as an "Arab" issue, or a "Palestinian" issue, and Muslims have, by and large, gone along with this charade. Such a belief gas proven fatal as the Zionists have succeeded in further dividing the opposition to their occupation of Palesine, wi...

Religions Spread Through Conquest When studying history, both in a professional and academic sense, we try to make connections between civilizations and time periods. Historians have attempted to discover universal conezts of human nature, a bond that forms from continent to continen...

In the broad world of Islamic art, it's not always easy to tell where the piece you're looking at comes from, in what period it was created, or what materials were used to make it. It can be complicated, as Islamic art differs from country to country and in some cases from city to city. Every area...

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We are all looking for a way to define ourselves; a way to understand whom it is that we are in the world. Often, we try to create identities for ourselves by looking at the ways in which we are different from other people. This by itself is not necessarily bad, for it is true that all people are in...

Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570, he had a very sad life until he was 12 years old. He came from a wealthy family but his father died 3 weeks before Muhammad was born. It was customary for Quarish women (like Muhammad¡s mother) to entrust their babies to Bedioun women, who were wandering tribes pe...

The Islamic Civilization contributed many ideas, discoveries, and inventions contrary to the hostile people who claim that Moslems only took ideas from others. The Islamic accomplishments in medicine were remarkable. Islamic physicians discovered the value of cauterization and of styptic agen...

The Hajj The definition of "Hajj" is "to set out with definite purpose". This "definite purpose" is to fulfill their duty to God. All Muslims able to complete the journey do so in the 12th month dhul-hijjah in the Islamic calendar. The Hajj is completed by all Muslims who are able,...

On September 11, 2001, a horrific terrorist attack was waged against the United States. Thousands of working men and women were killed in the attacks, leaving the country grieving and angry. On that day, I asked myself, "What could make those people hate America so much that they would do such ...

The Islamic faith is the second largest religion in the world today, composing one-fifth of the world's population. The word Islam is defined as the surrender to the will of God, and peacefulness in that surrender to God. A monotheistic faith, Islam is based on three doctrines; The Oneness o...

Yemen is located on the southeaster corner of the Arabian peninsula, with Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the east, the Red Sea to the west, and the Arabian sea to the south. The name Yemen comes from Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah. The climate is hot and humid on the West coast and temperate in t...

What is "Jihad"? The term 'jihad' is derived from the root word 'jahad' which means to strive, to be diligent. From that comes another specific verb 'jaahad' which means specifically, to endeavour, to struggle, to strive, to contend with, to fight against. 'Jihaad' (or as it is more com...

Do institutions shape a persons identity? This is a question that is starting to appear in many aspects of life today. Such as the war in Iraq and in how we are raising the young children who are the future of our country. The connection between what kinds of situations (institutions) we are raised...

Spirituality is both personal and communal. An integration of the personal and communal will bring forth an authentic sense of the struggle to understand ones relationship with the Divine. It is only when a person is aware of the love relationship that exists between the Divine and themselves that t...

The Great Mosque of Cordoba was considered a wonder of the medieval world by both Muslims and Christians. During that time, many people considered it the Eighth Wonder of the World. The Great Mosque was built on a Visigothic site, which was probably the site of an earlier Roman temple. The Great mos...

It may seem similar and it may not, but what we do know, is that they both believe that they are Muslims. The Islamic beliefs of the black American male and the males of the Middle East are the same. My argument lies in the question of whether or not Africans can call themselves true Muslims, believ...

Kevin Curran History of Africa Fall, 2001 UC San Diego Islam and it's Reach in Africa The history of Africa is a long and full one. The mere size of the continent facilitates such a diverse and all encompassing history unique to the region. Many historical events have hel...

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On September 11th, America experienced something they never thought was possible. America faced the biggest terrorist attack on home soil when four airplanes were hijacked and crashed into one of New York's most crowded areas, and the United States' defense base. These locations include bo...

The Book, Book of Contemplation: Islam and the Crusades, by Usama ibn Munquidh. This is an autobiography about his eventful life. At 93, he was the most celebrated poet of his age. The book has a non-linear timeline. In one vignette Usama is a lad on his pony following his father on the hunt. In ano...

Unfortunately, the so-called Islamic world, from Africa to the Far East of Asia, is backwards compared to the Western world with doubt this is a false argument for the contribution of Muslims to human civilisation is a fact of history that cannot be denied. It is essential to look at some of the Is...