Paper (or in Arabic, waraqa), a material which is used for so many things in our lives, can trace back its origins to over 2000 years ago in China. However, the Islamic Empire was responsible for spreading the use of paper throughout the world and sparked the start of its use in Europe hundreds of years later after Muslims established paper mills in Spain. It was because of the Muslim discovery of paper that it would begin to have widespread use across Asia and Africa, and eventually reach and be used in Europe earlier than it would have otherwise.
Muslims most [...]

Throughout history, Islam has distinguished itself in many areas of science – one of them being optics, the study of the behavior and properties of light. One may assume that optics aren’t nearly as important as, for example, math, but you’d be surprised at what far-reaching advancements the Islamic Empire made – and how such developments led to the invention of modern day devices, such as the camera.
Before Muslim scientists took over the field of optics, it was believed that the eye is the source of light and that the world would be dark without it. There were also no [...]

The roads wound all over the empire. Foreign goods were abundant in markets. The minds of the people were alive, buzzing with innovations and ideas. While the rest of the world was vanquished by intellectual darkness, the Islamic Empire was alive and teeming with knowledge and discovery, creating one of the greatest eras in history.
Mathematicians improved upon works of the early Greeks, scientists experimented with new discoveries, astrologists perfected the science of the lunar calendar, and map-makers made the most accurate maps to be found. Even ordinary merchants and sailors helped give rise to this “Golden Age”: through their travels, [...]

Muawiyah bin Sufyan was seen as the most qualified caliph to take power after Ali, which began the Umayyad Era.
Muawiyah was a great and capable man who governed of Syria and led the strongest military force in the Muslim world. He was admired for his impeccable self-restraint – he had said, “I apply not my sword where my lash suffices, nor my lash where my tongue is enough. And even if there be one hair binding me to my fellowmen, I do not let it break: when they pull I loosen, and if they loosen I pull.” He provided the [...]

Shari’ah, or Islamic law, literally means “a way to the watering place” or “a path to seek felicity and salvation”, and is the laws and regulations meant to govern the lives of every day Muslims as a way to lead a moral and ethical life.1 Since Islam is considered less a religion and more a way of life by its adherents, the importance of Islamic law is therefore significant.
When Muhammad settled in Medina after migrating from Mecca, he did so at the request of several of its residents who had accepted Islam after meeting the Prophet . Their [...]

Muhammad began to meditate in the cave of Mount Hira to escape the corruption of Mecca and dwell on the deepest questions of life to which he could not seem to find answers. It is well known that he spent the entire month of Ramadan at this familiar retreat. It was then, in the year 610 A.D, that Allah changed the course of history and shed light upon darkness, starting with the man best equipped to enlighten the world: Muhammad .
Gabriel (peace be upon him) filled the cave with light, and Muhammad clearly saw someone with a [...]

As we Muslims welcome the month of Ramadan, our faith is even more present in our lives than ever before. And, as all of us have undoubtedly realized, it is nearly impossible to discuss or even contemplate Islam without mentioning in some way its most celebrated messenger: the Prophet Muhammad , who not only taught his followers about the message of Islam but also made the verses of the Qur’an known to the world.
The Prophet Muhammad was born in Makkah on the 12th of Rabi ul-Awwal in 570 A.D, known as “The Year of the Elephant” for another [...]

Starting Saturday, people in every country around the world will begin a month-long fast for Ramadan. The holiest month of the year, Ramadan is when Muslims refrain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset and try their best to bring themselves as close to Allah as possible.
This is not only a time to bring ourselves closer to Allah , but to each other as well. During this time, 1.6 billion people across the globe will be united by the spirit of Islam. It is said that the Holy Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet on Laylat [...]