Arabic Culture

Islam and Belief in Prophets Belief in Prophets of Allah is unquestionably incumbent upon every follower of Islam. It goes without saying that the start of humanity did not commence with Prophet Muhammed’s call of prophethood, and neither it did on the birth of Jesus. It began long centuries before. During these times, God Almighty did not leave human beings muddled and at los…

What is Fasting in Islam? Fasting in Arabic is صَوْم or صِيَام. Linguistically, both words are verbal nouns of the verb صَامَ. Generally speaking, صَامَ means to refrain from doing something. To say صَامَ عَنِ الْكَلَام means to refrain from talking; to say صَامَ عَنِ التَّدْخِيْن means to refrain from smoking; صَامَ عَنْ فِعْلِ الشَّر means to refrain from doing evil; and so …

عِيْدُ الفِطْرِ Eid ul-Fitri When Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) entered Madinah, after migration from Mecca, he found the people of Madinah having two days of big celebrations—the Day of Nairooz نَيْرُوز and the Day of Mahrajan مَهْرَجَان. The Nairooz is the first day of the solar calendar, while the Mahrajan is another day of the year during which day and night are the same in len…

What is Ramadan? What is Ramadan? Ramadan (also written Ramadhan) is the name of the ninth month of the lunar calendar. It is the only month that Allah SWT mentioned in the Holy Quran, namely in Surat al-Bagarah, verse 185. "شَهْرُ رَمَضَان الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ القُرْآنُ" ‘the month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was sent down.’ Why do we call this month Ramada…

Origins of Shia Islam Origins of Shia Islam المَذْهَبُ الشِّيْعِي dates back to the early days of Islam. Therefore, it is the oldest branch of political Islam. More specifically, it emerged during the era of third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan. Without his involvement, it flourished and sprang up during the era of fourth caliph, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib. Apart from other talents, peo…

What is Islam? What is Islam? Islam is the submission to Allah, that is to submit one’s soul, destiny, and all matters to Him. A man may feel that no one on earth or the heavens above has authority over him, and that he has the freedom to do whatever he desires without seeking permission from anyone. This attitude may be acceptable in determining the relationship between a man…

Pre-Islamic Beliefs of Arabs In the pre-Islamic period or Jahiliyyah الْجَاهِلِيَّة (age of ignorance), Arabs were not all monotheists. Like many other nations at the time, they had more than one religion دَيَانَة. Quraish قُرِيْش, an Arab tribe who was in control of Mecca, and other neighboring tribes were principally paganist وَثَنِي. Judaism was the main religion in Yemen. …

Following the death of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), there was never a discord about the essence of Islam. The pillars of Islam, the Quran, the matters of worship, and all other principles that guided and organized Muslims’ lives were all incontrovertible. Political conflicts, however, began to emerge. These differences were attributed to Arab partisanship and quarrel over who sho…

Modern Religious Ideologies in the Arab World What are modern religious ideologies in the Arab World? Most Arabs define being an Arab as one who speaks Arabic and views the history of Arabs as an integral part of his/her cultural identity. Arabs are predominantly Muslims, but they have different religious ideologies. This difference is primarily due to power struggle which led…